Freedom 2009 - Sikkim

The taste of rediscovered freedom (Freedom 2008, 300 kms.) made us more adventurous this year. We decided to test the extent of our independence and chose to explore eastern India, 3000 kms from home. Sikkim in the Eastern Himalayas was our destination!
It was a long journey – with a changeover at Delhi, we finally reached Bagdogra after 9 hours. From Kannadigas to Punjabis to Bengalis and now it was our Nepalese driver – all in a day, inconceivable diversity! We commenced the last leg of our journey from Bagdogra to Gangtok.
Exhaustion from 16 hours of travel was wiped out the moment we got a view of mountains in a dusky sky from our room. Soon it was dark and we treated ourselves with yummy local Chinese dishes.
Early sunrise in the mountains gave us a longer day for local sightseeing. We were getting acquainted to a new culture with stupas, Rumtek and Ranka monasteries hidden in the mountains, breathtaking viewpoints, waterfalls, rivers, green garbed mountains and MG Marg – one of the most charming bazaars with a feel of MG Road, Bangalore of the 70s.
Sikkim is nothing like what we see around us. Different landscape, weather and different people – from concrete jungles to tiny wooden cottages on the hills, from malls to village pump like gatherings – no polythene bags. Interestingly, few things don’t change – there is Baba Ramdev, Katrina Kaif and (always locked) BJP office that make all towns familiar. People are comfortable speaking Hindi with a local, cute accent. On deep probing, our prosaic driver mentioned his favorite actor was Govinda and favourite film – Anil Kapoor’s ‘Nayak’. He didn’t know a thing about Kaminey though – furprising!
Among monasteries, flower show and other attractions, what really caught our boy’s attention was Banajhakari falls. Even after hours of playing and scaled fingers, he declared he was not leaving. Finally, we cajoled him with a (broken) promise of getting him again the next day. By then, he was tired enough to stay awake for our last and final destination of the day – the ropeway. In 10 minutes, we got a bird’s eye view of the town – narrow lanes, mountains and the legislative assembly. Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) is the ruling party since 1994, and their flags are omnipresent. At the end of day 2, we were tired but excited about next day’s plan for a South Sikkim excursion.
The natural grandeur of South district was enthralling. The four-hour drive to the majestic statue of Guru Padmasambhava was magical. We reached the peak of the mountain (2000 mts.) and Peeyush had a gala time on Cloud 9. Air was chilled, beauty at its peak and we became engaged spectators of the nature.
On our way back, we chose to walk through the sprawling Temi tea gardens spread over gentle hill slope making it easy and enjoyable for Shlok as well. Capturing the panoramic views on camera and memories, we returned to Gangtok.
The following day, we ventured to find some undiscovered spots of secret Sikkim and our quest led us to Ray river. This was just the right place – girdled by towering lush green mountain trails, the transparent ray river flowing through the rocks, with a clear blue sky to cover it all. It was super exciting for Shlok as he forgot the unfulfilled promise of going back to Banajhakari falls. Without wasting a moment, he got into action. And in no time all of us were splashing water on each other. Finally, Shlok was exhausted and hungry and decided to call it a day. Our next day was to be very special and a lot of things had to be planned.
12th August was there. Day started very early as we had to get ready and leave for NathuLa Pass taking the longer route (additional drive of 6 hours) as the regular route to this Indo-China border was blocked by a landslide. But what’s ordained; happens and a breakdown on the longer route made it impossible to go beyond 50 kms. After a failed trip to NathuLa, we returned to the room. Like they say ‘every cloud has a silver lining’, this failed trip gave me an opportunity to plan my surprise well. Thanks to the hotel staff, we (secretly) decorated the room, got a cake, a card and a rose (my first one ever) and surprised Peeyush with a small birthday party. A couple of photo sessions happened. Amidst all this fun we almost forgot how our holidays were over and it was our last night in Gangtok.
Our return to Bangalore was planned with a 4 hour stopover at Kolkata and guess what all we achieved in less than half a day? The Victoria Memorial, puchkas, rashogullas, sandesh and Kali temple and last but not the least the much talked about trams on the streets of old Kolkata. With all this, we barely managed to catch our flight to Bangalore (because it was delayed ;))
End of Freedom 2009, we reached home with fond memories from a relaxed holiday. It’s a different matter I am still grappling with my to-do lists.
Here are my Top 5 from Sikkim:

1. Evening walks on MG Marg as a daily ritual. Peeyush was fascinated by dingy, unending staircases that led to MG Marg.
2. Souvenirs for all and tons of junk jewelry for myself – and not in plastic bags
3. Shlok going crazy at the waterfall.
4. Delicious Chowmein gravy and aloo paratha.....mmmm!
5. Clean, soft water from the Himalayas – it actually felt lighter.

Here's an album.