Sikkim tour

HOW GLORIOUS A GREETING THE SUN GIVES THE MOUNTAINS 
                                                                                   -JOHN MUIR


Our tryst with North East India.....

      

Our tryst with North East India started in Sikkim in june 2010,as part of our annual summer break from the scorching south Indian summer. The road from Bagdogra airport to Pelling,our first stop on the itinerary, took us up and down steep mountain roads and many long stretches of dirt and loose stones where the original road has been washed away by previous monsoon rains,yet the experienced drivers manoeuvre through the roads like cakewalk while we hung on the edge of our seats nervously!!! The roads are narrow with just enough space for two vehicles, steep hillside on one side of the car and magnificent mountains on the other - incredibly challenging driving but fortunately we had an excellent driver!! We were traveling up through ancient forests of giant bamboos, massive ferns, small and large trees of numerous varieties - including figs, pines, oak, chestnut, maple, birch, silver fir, magnolias together with rhododendron bushes with dark red flowers .

As we reached Pelling a little after sunset,expecting  to get a sneak peek of Mt. Kangchenjunga , we were perplexed to see a hotel at every turn and second step you tread in!! Fortunately we had our bookings done and didn't have to choose from those countless hotels. It was a pleasant stay and we counted every minute down to the expected sunrise time given by the forecast. When the magical moment arrived, lo and behold!! What an awe-inspiring moment that was!! It definitely sparked and set off the never-ending admiration and intrigue towards the mighty mountains . We enjoyed every moment of being in Pelling,our short evening walks , steaming momos on street side stalls,which stood like cliff-hangers and some wine shopping too!!

Our next stop was the capital city of Gangtok. This city rightly gave us a taste of what Sikkim is about,from planning to go totally organic** to being completely plastic and smoke free. What amazed us in our 15 day tour across Sikkim,besides its pristine nature was that no one expected or accepted tips ,nor could we see anyone begging or spitting!! WOW!

In the subsequent days we visited all the places on the must visit list of Sikkim like Nathula Pass, Baba Mandir,Zero point ,Rumtek and other monasteries. Our prime driving force behind wanting to visit Sikkim was to get a glimpse of Mt.Kangchenjunga and Gurudongmar lake,while we had a great view of the former in all her splendour,Gurudongmar lake still remains an unfulfilled dream! We could not visit the holy lake despite staying in North Sikkim(Lachung and Yumthang) for three days due to landslides and blocked roads. Even the hardcore adrenaline junkies are sure to have heebie-jeebies during the five hour treacherous drive to North Sikkim! Kudos to BRO for keeping the roads accessible for us!

What could have otherwise been a disappointment following closed roads to Lachen,our experience at Gangtok remains the best so far,thanks to the efforts of Mr.Mukherji at Sai Kripa,who accommodated us despite having prior bookings when we were forced to extend our stay after we missed our flights twice due to landslides.

"Just heaven" is what describes Sikkim and "blessed" is the feeling that encompassed our hearts while in Sikkim.

**At the time we were there in 2010,Sikkim government was planning to go 100 percent organic.We were delighted to note that the government achieved the goal and Sikkim is indeed 100%organic as on date!!