Located in the Shivalik Hills of the East Himalayan ranges, Gangtok ("hill top") is a small yet diverse town with a strong Buddhist culture and later as we learned...the friendliest people I have come across!
We started from Calcutta in the evening (Kanchankanya Express) and reached New Jalpaiguri station the next morning. We had organized our trip and stay through the Iris Villa. They came to pick us up from the station and drove us to the hotel. It was an interesting car ride, bumpy for most of the route and about 3-4 hrs later we reached our abode in Gangtok.
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On our way, we saw 2 army vehicles
juggling through a narrow 'road' |
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| Entrance to Iris Villa |
The location of the hotel was very interesting, it was on top of a hill...well, most of Gangtok is built on a hill which instantly means you get a penthouse view, regardless of where you stay! After freshening up, we decided to walk up to Ganesh tok, (a small temple of Lord Ganesha, the elephant God), which offers a spectacular view of Gangtok.
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| View of Ganesh tok from below |
It took us about 30 min to walk up to the summit. On the way up we caught glimpses of kids playing street cricket that brought back memories from our childhood. Once you reach Ganesh Tok, the view is stunning. You can spend an hour or even more here enjoying the serenity of the place from 6500 ft above.
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 We decided to wait until the sun went down and caught some shots of the TV tower in the orange back drop. It is also very common to see colourful displays of prayer flags all along the countryside. After the hike up, we were still full of energy. We decided to take a taxi ride to downtown, MG marg. You can either share a taxi (cheaper) or get a private one, but be aware that the charges are fixed (~Rs. 30-40). The taxi drops you off at the beginning of the road, no vehicles allowed on the MG marg! The downtown is an interesting stretch of road with gift/souvenir shops, clothes wear, winter wear and Assam tea. In short, it was paradise for me! Although the handicrafts can be pricey, you can window shop around and bargain with the shop keepers, after all thats what makes shopping interesting right? A singing bowl, some handcrafted fans, Tibetan woolen beanies, gloves and a box of Assam tea later, we made our way back to the our hotel, where we were welcomed with a scrumptious 4 course meal! Oh what a delight! |
Day 2: The Nathula experience
We were told you can see Kanchenjunga from Gangtok, the 3rd largest mountain in the world. We just didn't know which one it was, because every where you look there are snow covered peaks! We were ready by 5:30 am, and set out on a walk to see the sun rise. We came across couple of aspiring monks and asked them to guide us (pun intended), and they led us to the 200 yr old Enchey Monastery. We were welcomed by this beautiful view of Kanchenjunga!
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| Kanchenjunga |
The Monastery itself is beautiful and has a certain feel of peaceful energy to it. The little monks showed us the prayer halls and prayer bells. Rohit even demonstrated how to spin the prayer wheels.
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| Little Buddhas |
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| Why 54 km takes 3 hr! |
He explained that spinning it in the right direction will accumulate wisdom and good karma and is almost equivalent to chanting prayers. I was amazed at hearing these words from a 8 year old. For being a brat and prankster as a 8 year old and chasing my little brother around the house breaking things and getting constantly into trouble, I instantly felt ashamed and spun the prayer wheel as loud as I could, praying for my sins to be excused...Thank you , Little Buddhas! You made our day more meaningful and somehow I feel little more enlightened than yesterday... We said our goodbyes and returned to the hotel, where our tour guide was waiting to drive us to Nathula...the pass of listening ears.
To visit the Nathula pass you need to be an Indian citizen and have to obtain permits one day in advance in Gangtok (we did that in downtown Gangtok). Visits are only permitted on certain days, so check in advance if you are planning a trip. Although Nathula is only 54 km from Gangtok, the roads are 'kachha' (dirt road), hence it takes about 3 hrs to actually get to the top (picture on the left). Travel is also highly dependent on weather conditions which as you can imagine is pretty unpredictable, as the region is surrounded by mountains. The terrain changes from sub-tropical to alpine to tundra as you drive up. The zone encounters land slides very often, and road are maintained by Border Road Organization. We stopped briefly for refreshments on the way at Himalayan Cafeteria. You get to see Indian Army bases and as you approach the pass. They check your paper work and let you through to the summit. You almost feel a sense of patriotism as you approach the top and see the words "Mera Bharat Mahan" on the mountains. Since the pass connects the state of Sikkim with China's Tibet, you can see both Indian and Chinese officials posted here. 
We started from Calcutta in the evening (Kanchankanya Express) and reached New Jalpaiguri station the next morning. We had organized our trip and stay through the Iris Villa. They came to pick us up from the station and drove us to the hotel. It was an interesting car ride, bumpy for most of the route and about 3-4 hrs later we reached our abode in Gangtok.
Day 2: The Nathula experience
The Monastery itself is beautiful and has a certain feel of peaceful energy to it. The little monks showed us the prayer halls and prayer bells. Rohit even demonstrated how to spin the prayer wheels. 
He explained that spinning it in the right direction will accumulate wisdom and good karma and is almost equivalent to chanting prayers. I was amazed at hearing these words from a 8 year old. For being a brat and prankster as a 8 year old and chasing my little brother around the house breaking things and getting constantly into trouble, I instantly felt ashamed and spun the prayer wheel as loud as I could, praying for my sins to be excused...Thank you , Little Buddhas! You made our day more meaningful and somehow I feel little more enlightened than yesterday... We said our goodbyes and returned to the hotel, where our tour guide was waiting to drive us to Nathula...the pass of listening ears. 
To visit the Nathula pass you need to be an Indian citizen and have to obtain permits one day in advance in Gangtok (we did that in downtown Gangtok). Visits are only permitted on certain days, so check in advance if you are planning a trip. Although Nathula is only 54 km from Gangtok, the roads are 'kachha' (dirt road), hence it takes about 3 hrs to actually get to the top (picture on the left). Travel is also highly dependent on weather conditions which as you can imagine is pretty unpredictable, as the region is surrounded by mountains. The terrain changes from sub-tropical to alpine to tundra as you drive up. The zone encounters land slides very often, and road are maintained by Border Road Organization. We stopped briefly for refreshments on the way at Himalayan Cafeteria. You get to see Indian Army bases and as you approach the pass. They check your paper work and let you through to the summit. You almost feel a sense of patriotism as you approach the top and see the words "Mera Bharat Mahan" on the mountains. Since the pass connects the state of Sikkim with China's Tibet, you can see both Indian and Chinese officials posted here.