Day 3 (1-5-17/ Monday)
Gangtok
We arrived in the city of Gangtok by around 6 pm and we went straight to the hotel. It was almost dusk when we reached our rooms, which was on the top-most floor.
We saw the city below us, touched by the orange rays of the setting sun, and the mountains beyond it, in shades of blue and green. We felt like we were on top of the world, with the valley far beneath us.
We went into our rooms and settled in, only to come out a few minutes later, when it was dark outside. It did not matter that we had spend half the night at a railway station and the other half on a slow, freezing train compartment. It did not matter that we had spend the better part of the day on a long and tiring car journey. It did not matter that we had just climbed, or rather, crawled, 10 floors to reach our rooms. It did not matter how exhausted we were, because the view made it all worth while.
The hillside was alight with numerous flickering lights in gold and silver. It looked like someone carelessly scattered glitter over a black canvas; like stars over an inky black sky. And we were watching all of this from up above. If only you could have been where I was, seen what I had seen - for what I saw was beyond mere words and pictures.
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| Gangtok: night view |
Day 4 (2-5-17/ Tuesday)
Our ride arrived early in the morning. Our plans for the day ahead included visiting seven different tourist points in and around Gangtok.
The first stop was a handicrafts museum quite near to our hotel, where we saw the arts of weaving, painting and sculpting. With plenty of other locations on our itinerary, we did not linger around much longer.
The second stop was a flower show. In the warm and humid room, there were numerous different types of flowers and plants, all in full bloom. It was the perfect place for photo shoots, and we didn't hold back. Outside, we stumbled upon some people who lent out traditional Sikkimese dresses - long silk gowns with fancy hats and loud jewelry - at a low price, just to take photographs. Needless to say, one look at the pretty clothes and we spend almost an hour taking photos in different poses. Looking back, the fun we had was one of the major highlights of the entire trip.
Stop #3 was Hanuman tok, a temple on top of a mountain dedicated to The Monkey God. We spend time taking photographs and enjoying the view.
We skipped a couple of stops in between and head for the next point where we could get a decent lunch. Tashi View Point was a nice little place, and we went straight into a restaurant as "some of us" were more than a little hungry.
The restaurant we got into was little more than a crowded, noisy, cramped up room. But we had to make do with what we had. We pulled together a couple of tables and feasted like there was no tomorrow.
Despite the clamorous and restricted ambience of the restaurant, the food was excellent. We ordered thali meals (rice with accompaniments), chowmein (a type of noodles), thukpa (soupy noodles), rotis with curry and a couple of plates of momos (a type of dumpling). The dishes had a strong Chinese and Tibetan influence. The little hotel gave delicious food at reasonable prices and fine service. If you're in Gangtok someday, I suggest you check this place out.
We went up to the view point where did some more shopping and took some photographs. Our next stop was a Buddhist monastery. It was a very calm and peaceful place, and the inside of the temple was adorned with exquisite designs.
By late afternoon, we reached the last spot on the list. The rope way ran between two points in the city. We had to wait a while to get tickets, but the ride was totally worth it.
Gangtok is an incredible city, nothing like anything I'd seen before. The people are friendly, the drivers are decent and the city is beautiful. In just a day, I was in love. The places I grew up in was nothing compared to Sikkim.
It' s decided then. First chance I get, I'm moving to Gangtok.
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