Discovering the East side of India was never my plan. Once i came across an itinerary and when i googled, i realized this place is next to heaven. Sikkim, a very small state but has people with very big hearts. This place is definitely worth visiting. People who are considering traveling to this place, one advice, don’t book a direct flight to Bagadogra (nearest airport to Sikkim). Stop over at Kolkata and try the exquisite mouth-watering Rasogullas available just outside the airport. Complete worth it!
Once i arrived at Bagadogra, the weather was fine. There was five hours journey to Gangtok lying ahead to us. Trust me, the roads are very bad over here, that’s one thing that isn’t been developed yet. But you can always look outside and enjoy the view and completely forget about the roads because the landscape is just breathtaking.
Gangtok is a beautiful city, with beautiful people and also beautiful dogs. This is one city with most fashionable people, maybe more than Mumbai! From their weird funky hairstyles to classy shoes, everything goes hand in hand with current trends! Locally Gangtok is filled with monasteries and temples with each of them located at certain heights bearing am amazing view behind them. We stayed at Gangtok for Four days and divided the sightseeing accordingly.
First, we traveled to Changu lake, Baba Mandir and Nathula Pass, commonly known as the China Border. Changu lake, 13,000ft. above sea level, is an overwhelmingly majestic place. A marvelous lake which freezes off in the winter is a magnificent spot. One can get a yak ride around the lake too! Next was Baba mandir following a specific tradition of an army person, dead but still attending the prayers everyday. A very beautiful place to visit! And China border, as the name suggests itself, one wouldn’t want to miss the line right?
Next was Local sightseeing and later a stroll in the local market! Very famous, you get almost everything including the amazing delicious Momos!
Later in the list was a small town named Lachung. Situated at a very high point, its cold here throughout the year. This was the view from my room,
Lachung finally had some snow to play with. Zero point it was, on the way we passed Yumthang, a valley of flowers, celestial atmosphere, felt like i was giving a movie shot!
Zero point, the temperature literally being zero degrees, having maggi and a cup of coffee at a height of 15,000ft. above sea level is almost a fantasy come true! The route from Lachung to Zero point is very similar to the Ladakh road, with the same scenic beauty everywhere!
Next was Pelling, a comparatively smaller city than Gangtok, but a little higher above sea level and obviously colder. This city holds a lot of waterfalls, monasteries, lakes and a huge fort! We stayed in this hotel called Sonamchen. Amazing service they provide, they even held a show on local folk dances which was too entertaining!
From Pelling we drove to Kallingpong, where we rafted in the river Teesta! A jaw dropping experience, while rafting, the guard said, “you’ll can jump in if you’ll want”, we stared at each other for a minute and then zoop! we went inside! chilling water and raining on the top, it was insane! My mind was blown that time!
From kallingpong after rafting we left for Darjeeling.. En-route we saw hundreds of tea gardens. Darjeeling, located in West Bengal, is a big bollywood spot! Main hoon na, Barfi, Yaariyan and other such movies were shot here. A pretty place with pretty hotels. If your bookings are in Sterling resort, your stay in Darjeeling is sorted! You wouldn’t want to go out of the hotel itself. Otherwise in Darjeeling, apart from tea gardens, there is a zoo with an exquisite Red Panda and a Royal Bengal Tiger! Buddhist Monasteries are very common here.
A ride in the local toy train is a complete must! you will get to see Darjeeling in all together a new angle. Early morning sight-seeing includes the breathless sunrise from the Kangchenjunga ice caped peak! With the intense sunrise and changing colors, I couldn’t feel anything else but serenity!
This was the last city i visited, and probably sums up the entire trip!
Some of local delicacies which are definitely worth trying include Momos and Chow mein. Completely different from the regular taste and totally worth it!!
A Travel Fact about the coloured Flags. Tied at heightened locations to purify the air and the breeze that enters the state. The four primary colored flags with prayers printed on it, holding different meanings, supplements a very very old traditional belief!
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