Gangtok from the web

 

If this isn't bliss, what is?
By Satyadev Barman

The moment the first whiff of juniper steers its way into your near-frozen nose, you know it's April in Sikkim. Yes. Sikkim in April is beautiful. Well, it's another thing that it's beautiful in May, June, July, August and every subsequent month.

The drive from Siliguri to Gangtok was uneventful. Half of me travelled in a cramped shared jeep. The other half hung outside for most of the trip. There are quite a few stopovers on the way. I remember Chitrey for its rafting camps, Malli for its beer factory, and Rangpo for its busy check post. That aside, you can stop for momos and chilled beer at almost every shack along the wild and turbulent Teesta.

Six words. That's it. I had boiled my existence down to six words.

"Good morning" at the reception every morning.
"Momos" for lunch.
"Wine" after that.
"Good night."

My first days in Sikkim were spent in self-imposed silence. I was thrilled at the prospect of being able to run my life with just six words (out of which four were quite unnecessary). There are hazards though. Like when the man at the wine shop asks, "Which wine?" These hiccups can be cured by hand gestures and grunts.

At the same time I was seriously considering Buddhism. I still am. But the old wise monk at Enchey Monastery felt otherwise. He insisted that I was not ready for it. I asked innocently, "Ready for what?" The reply was a curt "It".

Talking about old monks, the liquor situation in Sikkim is utopian. Booze is heavily subsidised. As a result you'll see little roadside joints with little glasses chained to the cash counter. The deal is, you pay at the counter, have a shot of whatever you want, wipe your mouth with the back of your hand and leave. All this without even entering the restaurant! The benefits of booze subsidy are bounteous.

City lights
While there are many 'sightseeing' spots like Ganesh Tok, Hanuman Tok and Tashi View Point, my suggestion is, to truly enjoy Gangtok, stick to walking. Take long unplanned walks. The scene changes dramatically the moment you head out of the main town. I discovered a beautiful Buddhist cemetery. On a good day, one can see Kanchenjunga and the rest of the range in all its majestic glory. Spend hours staring at the peaks as they change colour through the day.

If you're seriously interested in Buddhism, you must visit the Institute of Tibetology. Home to priceless antiques, rare scriptures and gorgeous thangkas, the institute spearheads the study of the Tibetan language, culture and spiritual literature. It's definitely worth a see.

While you're at it, do take a walk along The Ridge, visit either Old Market, New Market or Lal Market for curios. And once you've had enough, head out.

Tsomgo Lake
A beautiful 40-km drive out of Gangtok is the magical Tsomgo Lake. But two hours and many waterfalls later, I was getting a little tired of all the hype the driver gave me about Tsomgo.

Till I reached Tsomgo. I was left speechless. Surrounded by frozen hillsides, Tsomgo Lake looks like something out of a Japanese calendar. Picture perfect. Over a kilometre long and around 50 ft deep, the water was part frozen even in April. You can't hang around for more than an hour for security reasons. By which time the cold gets to you and you're dying to get back to town anyway. Although I didn't see any, Tsomgo is supposed to be home to exotic migratory birds in winter. There's only one road forward and it takes you all the way to Nathu-la Pass, from where you get to see China. This road is not open to civilians, but one can take special permission from the Army.

Rumtek
No trip to Gangtok is complete without the cursory visit to Rumtek Monastery (24 km), close to 300 years old and the largest monastery in Sikkim. It was renovated completely sometime in the 1960s and houses a school, an aviary and a special section where monks take off to meditate in isolation. Sometimes for years at a stretch. Once again, Rumtek has some truly magnificent thangka paintings and is considered the most important seat for the Kagyupa sect of Buddhism. But personally, I still prefer the smaller and less talked about Enchey Monastery, perched above Gangtok town. I would spend most of my mornings there listening to the hypnotic chants of the monks during morning prayers.

Around Gangtok
Pelling (145 km)
It took us a good 5 hours' drive west of Gangtok to reach Pelling, in a shared trekker which left most of me paralysed. You can't really classify Pelling as a town. It comprises few houses and an abnormally high number of hotels. I took a room in one of the nicer hotels in Upper Pelling with a breathtaking view of the Kanchenjunga Range. From here, the mountains look surprisingly near, almost like you can reach out and touch them. The weather was perfect. Koktang, Pandim, Kabru, Dom, Kumbhakarna, Rathong, Kanchenjunga, Zopuno, Shimbho, Narsing and Siniolchu stood like proud giants against the sky. A challenge for every wide-angle lens in the world.

But more magical things were about to happen. I took a walk up to the helipad, which is basically a big field from where you can get a 270 degree view of the valley. While the view is spectacular, what really caught my attention was a white speck on the top of a hill just behind the helipad. Looked like a small temple. I was dying to ask someone about the place, but the only sign of life within half a kilometre was a sturdy three-legged dog — the sixth one I'd seen in six days! He took to me like a dog takes to biscuits and before I knew it he started barking and hopping towards the direction of the 'temple'. Something came over me and I started following him.

The first few minutes of the trail were spent in complete silence. Not that the rest of it was full of exciting conversation. But suddenly the trail came to a dead-end. It was like a bad joke. Here you can see the 'speck', but you don't know how to get there. But my three-legged friend wasn't one to give up. He started clambering up the hillside. Slipping, sliding. But definitely not giving up. I couldn't afford to lose face and started following him blindly. A few cuts and bruises later, we found the trail again. But before I could scream "Hallelujah!", it started pouring out of nowhere. Not your pretty hill drizzle, but some serious mountain rain. We stood under an overhang and bonded for nearly an hour. When suddenly the sky cleared up. As mysteriously as it had clouded up just an hour ago. We started walking again.

A few minutes of walking and the pines cleared into a lovely open green plateau. I was pleasantly surprised. The white 'speck' I'd been following wasn't a speck after all. It was a big, old, beautiful monastery. We had reached Sango-Choling — Sikkim's second oldest monastery and definitely one of the best located.

Sango-Choling is surreal. The monastery complex has a little graveyard with tall white prayer flags which flutter like impatient clouds against the blue sapphire sky. There are four inhabitants. An ancient monk who keeps walking around the monastery and does not speak to anyone. A young monk who looks after the old monk, a dog and a cat.

Though there were no workers around, there were signs of serious renovation work in progress on the big wooden doors, the brightly muralled walls and the colourful glass panes. I tried to make conversation with the young monk in broken Hindi, Nepali and English, but failed miserably. We quietly sipped tea together. Silence. I felt we communicated a lot better this way.

Pemayangtse (140 km)
Just a few minutes' walk from Pelling and 6 km from Gyalsing, Pemayangtse is one of the most important and revered monasteries in Sikkim. In fact, it is the head of all the monasteries in the state. With a stunning view of the range, Pemayangtse houses hundreds of resident monks and scholars pursuing basic, secondary and higher studies in Buddhism. It also has a 50-bed lodge — a favourite amongst the trekkers who wish to head out to Dzongri or to Yuksom.

The monastery holds numerous ancient scriptures, priceless antiques and a beautiful wooden sculpture of the celestial palace of Sangthokpalri.

I was there at 6 am. The place was deserted. But before I knew it, the courtyard was swarming with tiny monks ranging from impish 5-year-olds to the more serious 10-year-olds. Play time! Here I was sitting in what is arguably the most worshipped monastery in India watching little monks play football!

A big annual Buddhist festival, a very happy time, happens in Pemayangtse every February.

Hotel Tashi Delek Location: M.G.Marg Tel: 03592-202991, 202038, 204156-58 Tariff: 2500 - 4500 Email: slg_htdelek@sancharnet.in Website: www.hoteltachidelek.com Rooms: 46 Facilities: Restaurant, bar, hot water, room service, TV

Denzong Inn Location: Next to Denzong Cinema Theatre Tel: 03592-202692 Tariff: 450 - 1600 Email: denzonginn@rediffmail.com Website: www.hoteltachidelek.com Rooms: 15 Facilities: Restaurant, hot water, parking, room service, TV

The Oriental Location: M.G.Marg Tel: 03592-221180 / 221181 Tariff: 1200 - 2000 Email: info@orientalsikkim.com Website: www.orientalsikkim.com Rooms: 20 Facilities: Restaurant, attached bath, hot water, room service, STD, travel desk, TV

Hotel Golden Pagoda Location: M.G.Marg Tel: 03592- 226928 , 226929 Tariff: 700 - 1500 Email: goldenpagoda@rediffmail.com Website: www.hotelgoldenpagoda.com Rooms: 24 Facilities: Restaurant, hot water, room service, TV.

All these hotels have restaurants, but Gangtok has some excellent eateries. Prime among these are Glenary's, The Buzz and the Blue Sheep Restaurant. Try Thai food Sikkim-style at The Square, or Italian at Little Italy. But in Gangtok, the best things on offer are undoubtedly hot momos and cherry brandy.

 

State Sikkim
Location Capital of a tiny state sharing borders with Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan, Gangtok is at 5,047 ft, 125 km from Siliguri
Route from Siliguri NH31 to Sevoke; NH31A to Gangtok via Teesta, Malli, Rangpo Check Post and Singtam (see Sikkim and Darjeeling Route Guide).

When to go Best from September to May. June to August are very wet, but then there is nothing like rain in the mountains.

Tourist offices
*Tourism Department, MG Road Gangtok. Tel: 03592-223425, 221634
Website: sikkiminfo.net
*New Sikkim House, 14, Panchsheel Marg, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi
Tel: 011-26115346, 26115171

STD code 03592

Getting there
Air Nearest airport: Bagdogra (125 km/ 4 hrs). Taxi costs Rs 1,200 one way.
Rail Nearest railhead: New Jalpaiguri (120 km/ 4 hrs). A jeep to Gangtok from here is Rs 150 per head. The Pelling-Gangtok fare by jeep (per individual) is Rs 700 approx.
Road Siliguri is the hub for the picturesque drive to Gangtok along NH31A, accompanied by the Teesta River.
Local transport There are point-to-point taxi services operating between Gangtok and its surrounds. They will cost you about Rs 600 upwards.

Gangtok is truly a plastic free zone. It can be quite a inconvenience if you are not carrying your own bag. Shopkeepers will wrap everything - even food stuff - in paper packets. Out on a shopping spree, I literally had my hands full since I was not carrying a bag of my own.

Hi Marco,

My cousin and I would like to spend a few days in Sikkim in mid-January. Could you advise us on a medium budget hotel for our stay in Gangtok? Also please suggest day trips or overnight trips from Gangtok. We will be two girls travelling—do you think it'd be safe for us to take a cab from Siliguri to Gangtok? How long will the journey take and what will it cost?

Sagarika

Dear Sagarika,

Try the Mintokling Guest House, a simple but charming house that's run like a homestay. It also has a quiet garden. Doubles from Rs 950 (but off-season discounts should be available); (03592-224226, mintokling@hotmail.com). Hotel Golden Pagoda (from Rs 800 a double; 03592-226928, www.hotelgoldenpagoda.com) is much more a standard-issue hotel but it's comfortable and has good views. There's also Denzong Inn (standard doubles from Rs 750; 03592-202692, www.tashidelek.com), which is set bang in the middle of the town.
I'd imagine two girls travelling in a taxi would be safe, but if you have doubts, consider taking a shared jeep from Siliguri to Gangtok (Rs 110/4hr). It'll also save you several hundred more rupees

 

Up and Away
Braving the Sikkimese monsoon on a drive to the bright blue skies of the Tibetan plateau. Text and photographs by Ahtushi Deshpande


Our Expresso Gold is revving in a funk, but the wheels are not going anywhere. It's snarling and whirring to itself trying desperately to move but the knee-deep slush is thwarting all efforts. Samuel, who is only 20 and looks 15, is at the steering while Mustafa who is reassuringly older is our guide and DJ rolled into one. The edge of the road is crumbling away while a dozen men, impervious to the lashing rain, are trying their best to push us onto the other side. If we make it across, the so far reluctant vehicles waiting behind can follow suit.

Me, I am just clutching at the seat, mentally counting beads while thinking of the mass of the Tata Spacio and the gravitational pull awaiting us at the bottom of the valley. My face is reflecting my emotions and my voice is a quaver to which Mustafa cheerily remarks, "Jo dar gaya woh mar gaya!" We have only just crossed the Rate Chu into North Sikkim and I am beginning to wonder about the wisdom of doing this trip in the thick of monsoon in one of India's rainiest states.

But all of these thoughts are soon to dissipate. I had, after all, come to experience the monsoon of the region, and my target, Gurudongmar Lake, at a steep 5,148m, was actually only 216km from the capital Gangtok. In order to acclimatise to its lofty height I was doing the journey over a leisurely three days.

The landslides were soon to seem like nothing more than minor irritants. Mostly the army and the BRO (Border Roads Organisation) did a stupendous job of swiftly clearing the blocks; at other times we just waited a while.

Clouds wafted around moodily through a thick rainforest belt, which passed by my window in rich, green succession—the Buddhist tenor of the land palpable at every turn. The highway was festooned with prayer flags, strung on tall pine masts. A total of 113 white flags are erected in prayer for the dead while numerous colourful flags around dwellings flapped in prayer for the living.

Passing the forested grove of Kabi Longstock where stone markers stood testimony to the historic pact of blood brotherhood between the Lepchas and Bhutias of Sikkim, we stopped at the Karma Kagyu monastery of Phudong. Playful little monks were frolicking in the drizzle and some older ones were trying tricks with umbrellas—throwing them up in swirls and catching them back again with poise. Built in 1740 by the monarch Chogyal Gyurmed Namgyal for the Karmapa, the head of the Karma Kagyu order, the monastery housed gold-plated statues, frescoes and thangkas in its sanctum.

Back on the picturesque North Sikkim Himalayan highway, we cross-gushing streams and towering waterfalls. The Seven Sisters waterfall is lovely but so are the Rimbala falls, the Mang falls and the numerous nameless falls swelling the flow of the mud-brown Teesta below. There is moss, mildew and moisture everywhere and the rich earth seem to be sprouting greenery as we pass. 

We pass Magang, the district capital of North Sikkim, also touted as the 'world's largest cardamom capital'. I wonder if it really has any competition. Chungthang, further ahead, straddles the confluence of the Teesta and the Lachung Chu. From an altitude of 5,400m at its origins in Cholamu Lake (80km ahead), the Teesta plummets to 1,620m at Chungthang. 

Only 28km ahead lies Lachen, deep in the confines of the narrow lush valley of the Teesta. 'Fooding and lodging' signs dot the town but thanks to the efforts of friends in Gangtok, I have the good fortune to be staying as a guest of Rinzing Chewang, the local postmaster who has only recently opened a room in his ancestral house for tourists. I am his very first guest.

There is a family get-together in progress and I am invited to join the party. I am nursing a crick in my neck from constantly looking out of the window, and some very welcome millet chang proves to be a great steadier of nerves. I sip the tangy brew through a bamboo straw while my shaptu (bamboo receptacle) is discreetly filled with warm water every now and then. Meant to be sipped slowly, water is added till the fermented millet loses its potency.

Dinner is a veritable treat and I polish off succulent chunks of beef fry accompanied with nettle soup, cheese, niguru (a local fiddlehead fern) and rice with the quiet concentration good food deserves. My chang and flask accompany me to bed as I lay my aching neck onto a pillow which says, "Happy happy to you, I love you just the way you are." Life felt good, I felt at home, the bugs of the monsoon skittered around and I slept to the lullaby of the rain while the Teesta hissed and growled in its deep gorge below.

 

The next morning, Rinzing and I take a walk to the 100-year-old Lachen Neadupcholing monastery. The flag-festooned village looks mysterious through swirling mists, people negotiate the season with umbrellas and plastic sheets and the odd monk spins his prayer wheel. I stand fascinated as Rinzing explains the intricately painted karma chakra, and the local Buddhist rituals and beliefs to me. A leather whip hangs on the door to the sanctum. "It is used for whipping errant lamas," I am informed.

The nearby Lachen Mamo Lhagang monastery for anne (female lamas) is 150 years old with priceless thangkas, and frescoes peeling off the walls in places, its sanctum replete with gold-plated statues of Brahma, Buddha and   Padmasambhava. 

We are invited for tea into the monastic quarters. The lama who sat reading scriptures had made himself comfortable with a flask of chang and was kind enough to foretell a rosy future for me.

At my next stop Thangu, 32km ahead, I behold a different landscape. At 3,700m, we are above the tree line, the wind is cold, the air more rarefied and the land bleaker. Colourful wooden houses on stilts line the main street of the village. It gets far less rain—a mean annual of 82mm compared to Gangtok's 3,494mm—making for an idyllic retreat for Lachen villagers during the rainy months. They haven't arrived yet and the village wears a deserted look. I get a nice en suite room at the Thangu Guest House, run by a Bhutia woman. The windows of my room overlook a vast expanse of potato and turnip fields lining the banks of the Teesta, which is mellower here. I need to stretch my feet so I head for the monastery above hoping to chat with some monks but the gompa is deserted. 'Do not disturb—lama is in meditation for three years' is the only sign that greets me. I submit to the quiet atmospherics of the gompa and sit in silence with an old man peeling his turnip with wizened concentration.

There is no electricity in Thangu and at night the silence of the valley is deafening.

The next morning we leave early for Gurudongmar lake. I spot blue poppies, snake lilies, even a giant rhubarb on the way. The gnarled topography begins to smoothen out rapidly and the green morphs into an arid, high wasteland of dry scrub. 'Welcome to the plateau' proclaims a sign at the army check-post. The northern border of Sikkim lies on the Tibetan plateau. I make a dash for the army-run Café 15,000 for some hot coffee and a bite and call my family who stayed behind to luxuriate in a Gangtok resort.

Ahead the road flattens out further, a thin scratch on the vast ochre and brown terrain. We have finally risen above the monsoon and the specks of blue in the sky are a surprise after all these days of cloud and mist. Samuel, who has proved to be a great driver, can't resist the urge to zip and we race ahead of a polluting bus that is raising clouds of dust in its wake.

Gurudongmar lake is postcard-pretty. Lined with prayer flags on its periphery, the placid swell of its turquoise waters shimmer like a jewel in a desert land. Revered by Buddhists and Sikhs, the lake is considered the abode of Guru Padmasambhava—it is said to fulfil wishes for childless couples. Cairns erected by the devout dot the lakeshore, and I place a stone atop one and make my own wish. In winter the lake freezes over completely except for a small section, the phenomenon attributed to the powers of the guru, who keeps this stretch liquid for yaks to drink from. The Cholamu Lake, the actual source of the Teesta, a two-hour trudge further up, is off limits. I walk around the shore of the lake and try to soak in some of its serenity. Though a new gurudwara-cum-Buddhist temple built by the Sikh regiment lies atop a hill by the lake, the ancient Buddhist shrine should only be visited after the entire two-hour circumambulation of the lake.

A cold wind begins to hiss, cutting dagger-like through my layers of clothing. I hurry up to the Spacio. It's time to head back to Gangtok if only to be spellbound by the rain all over again.

I spend three days at the Hidden Forest Resort in Gangtok where I am enveloped in a virtual orchidarium in the midst of deep bamboo groves, shady trees, ferns and azaleas. I have a room on stilts (well, almost), nestled discreetly amidst the foliage. I choose to eat only Sikkimese food—always accompanied by dallae, the local, very hot, round chilli, which makes the Teesta thunder in my ears all over again.

THE INFORMATION
GETTING THERE & AROUND
Sikkim has no airport or railhead. The nearest airport is at Bagdogra (124km from Gangtok) and the nearest rail head is New Jalpaiguri (125km). Gangtok is a scenic four-hour drive from here.

From Gangtok, Lachen in the remote north district of the state is 120km and Gurudongmar lake is another 96km. You can also foray into the less remote (and more visited) Lachung valley from Chungthang which has better hotels, a rhododendron sanctuary and hot springs at Yumthang.

Journeys into North Sikkim are best booked via a travel agency. They will arrange permits, stay, vehicle and guide. Try Blue Sky Tours and Travels, Sikkim Tourism building, M.G. Marg, Gangtok (03592-205113, 9232543905, www.himalayantourismonline.com).

If you want to do it cheap and stay longer, Vajra cinema hall in Gangtok is the taxi stand for North Sikkim, where you pay Rs 150 per head for Lachen. You have to get your permit from the police check-post in Gangtok and use local taxis for further travels (which can be difficult to arrange ahead of Lachen).
 
WHERE TO STAY
Gangtok: The Hidden Forest Retreat, Middle Sichey (Rs 2,500 for a double with meals; 03592-205197, 203196, 9434137409, www.hiddenforestretreat.com). The Bamboo Resort (Rs4,500, with breakfast and dinner; 98320 79320, www.bambooresort.com) is a half-hour drive away in Sajong, Rumtek.

Lachen: Clean and basic accommodation in teahouses (Rs 300-400) can be found here. Hidden Valley Lodge and Green Lodge are good. Rinzing Chewang's homestay (9474528499) is steep in comparison at Rs 2,000 for a double with meals. Only one room, loo outside.

Thangu: Thangu Lodge (en suite Rs 400) is good. Besides a smattering of other lodges here you can also try the Tourism Department Lodge and the Forest Bungalow, both a short walk ahead.

Lachung: Though La Coxy and Snow Lion are considered the best they can usually only be booked through a tour agent. There are several other lodges where you can find clean rooms.

WHEN TO GO
Visit in March and April for Sikkim's spectacular blooms, especially rhododendrons (36 varieties can be found here). Sikkim boasts over 500 species of orchids, in bloom till end May. Go between October and mid-January for clear skies and good views. August and September are best for viewing alpine plants above 3,000m.

 

Gangtok in the summer of 2007
Nandan Jha discovers shapely liquor bottles on MG Road

 

If I tell you that this time as well I was able to get an inexpensive ticket, probably you would look at me as some kind of budget-air-ticket freak :), but yes that's what the truth is, of course with its own share of twists and turns. Even though I had to spend lot of money to book a fresh ticket, Captain has agreed to refund some part of it and the expense would be around 22K-odd for a pack of 6 people + a kid. We started in the morning, took a flight to Baghdogra, landed by 12ish and by 1 PM we were slowly moving out of Baghdogra and Siliguri.

Baghdogra has nothing much except this Air force airport (which is enough, I will tell you in another story), Siliguri is more of a trader's town and there are not many good reasons to stay there. In a couple of hours, we were at West Bengal - Sikkim border. Couple of more hours and we were close to Gangtok. It's about 124 Km away and it's a hilly drive and usually it takes about 5 hours to finish this journey. The drive is pretty nice as you go along Teesta, green and calm, there isn't too much of traffic either.

We reached Gangtok at about 5'0 clock. It's not a very big city and after checking-in at Hotel Delamere (pretty decent hotel), we spent most of our evening looking at stuff on M.G. Road. This road is no different from the usual Mall Roads in various hill stations, the good thing is that it's closed to vehicular traffic in the evening, so you can stroll easily and it makes life easier.

On our first evening, we (at least some of us) were fascinated by those fancy liquor bottles. Probably you won't see these things unless you go to Diu or maybe Goa. These are normal bottles but are in those special shapes, like Khukri, Old Monk bottle actually looks like an Old Monk, then there is this set of miniature bottles which you can buy and possibly gift someone.

To reach M.G. road, you take a right from the main city road. Right at that joint, look for a liquor shop on your left. Its proprietor is S.N. Gupta (or something similar) and is run by a boy called 'Guddu'. It's a level below the road, people who are familiar with hill architecure would understand this better, so you climb down a few steps. So after general timepass, we came back to hotel and after a couple of rounds of much needed liquid, we all crashed