Stories of Sikkim Part II

Sikkim is a beautiful state located in the north-eastern corner of India and its location in the mountains offers ample natural and also man-made attractions. From scenic views of the majestic Himalayas to architectural wonders, it has surprises in store at every turn (Pun not intended 😀 )

On my recent trip, my parents and I spent an exciting two days travelling and touring the beautiful cities of Gangtok and Namchi. We stayed at Gangtok and had plans to visit only those attractions that were in East Sikkim or within a travel time of a couple of hours.

We had made sight-seeing arrangements the previous night and being excited about the day ahead, got ready much before the appointed time. To kill time, my parents and I walked around the vicinity of our hotel exploring the local area. On the way back, this little cutie pie (below pic, left) bounded up to us out of nowhere and kept running in circles around our feet. We had to stay still to avoid tumbling over and rolling down the steep slope. Soon his owners appeared and his young human friend, who probably was no more than 5 years old, ran after him. It was fun to see them both chasing each other in turns and my parents and I were entertained for quite some time just watching the two of them scampering down the street.

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Day one was spent visiting nearby attractions like Banjhakri Falls, Rumtek Monastery and Flower Exhibition Centre.

Ban Jhakri Falls

A beautiful waterfall situated high up in the mountains and has the maximum water flow. The source of the waterfall is a further climb of  few hundred feet, which my parents refused to cover.

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Happily, I went forward to explore on my own and came back with some beautiful moments etched in my memory.
These carefree kids were the perfect example of living in the moment, as they danced and pranced at the base of the first break in the waterfall. It was a delight to watch and it lifted my spirits just watching them play around.

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Within the complex, there is a small park and a few souvenir shops in the vicinity. We spent some time here, taking pictures and window shopping.

 


Rumtek Monastery is the largest monastery in Sikkim and located at a height of 4900 feet. Here, we were lucky to encounter one of the Buddhist monks who explained the various paintings in the monastery, and the rituals and prayers they follow. He told us about the Karmapa lineage and the process of recognition for each subsequent head. It was quite an enlightening experience to learn about Buddhism and that too from one practicing it himself, as opposed to a tourist guide or a religious expert.

Our next few stops were some view-points and I had a lot of fun taking photographs of the thick green foliage and the mountains. Shanti Point, Tashi View point were the ones we visited. We skipped Ganesh Tok and Hanuman Tok and after a quick stopover at the Tibetology Museum (which houses some ancient art, instruments, and works on Tibetan culture), headed straight to the Flower Exhibition Centre. Having spotted some exquisite flowers at most residential houses and colourful plants across the region, all of us were very interested in the flora of this region.

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Much to my dismay just before reaching the Flower Exhibition Center, my camera gave up on me. I had to make do with taking pics from my mobile phone, none of which do justice to the exotic beauty of this place.

Strangely enough, the camera started working just fine an hour later, as soon as we drove away. (You can imagine the tantrum I wanted to throw just to go back to take more pictures. Instead, I meekly suggested it to my parents like a good girl should, and in response received a resounding laugh. I went back to fiddling with the aperture, shutter speed, and focal length.)

All through the day, we had been hearing the name of MG Road as the best place for shopping and so in the evening we headed there for some more window shopping.

Visiting this place was a revelation. The whole street is paved and is accessible to pedestrians only. There is no parking facility and anyone heading to MG Road is discouraged from taking their own vehicles. Flanked by shops, restaurants and cafes, and shaded seating arrangements in the middle, the street is most definitely a shoppers’ delight. The shopkeepers were extremely polite and restrained in their behaviour, a far cry from Delhi’s haggling hawkers touting their overpriced wares at similar street side shopping destinations. 20160415_174038

 

It was an absolute pleasure to browse through the various displays without being pushed for a purchase. Despite most shops being crowded, the shopkeepers were extremely patient in answering the barrage of questions from every tourist and passer-by.

After the shopping spree, while heading back to the hotel, I spotted this beautiful cafe, Baker’s Cafe, which seemed to be popular. Instantly the foodie in me took control and I dragged my parents in. The cafe was interestingly done up with quirky decor. The food was good and our evening was spent in bliss, sipping hot tea and nibbling on muffins.
The entrance to the cafe is via a  narrow stairway, so one needs to be slow and cautious.

We came back tired and happy. Women always are, after some retail therapy. 😀 After all, what would a trip be without some shopping. What do you say? What’s your favourite travel activity? Have you ever discovered a restaurant not previously recommended to you?

Share your feedback and experiences via the comment box below.

 

No Comments
  • Hira
    Posted at 16:39h, 19 April Reply

    MG Road. .noted and book marked for retail therapy 🙂 I love East India…it seems so different and simpler than rest. Lovely pictures!

    • Wandering Soul
      Posted at 17:24h, 19 April Reply

      Don’t miss the Baker’s Cafe too 🙂 Thank you . Am glad you liked the pics 🙂

  • Josh Gross | The Jaguar
    Posted at 00:42h, 20 April Reply

    I’m glad you enjoyed yourself! Although I must say, I find it ironic that a large statue of Gandhi is located in a busy shopping center. I admittedly don’t know much about him, but wasn’t abstinence from worldly pleasures one of the methods he used to bring about change?

    • Wandering Soul
      Posted at 05:31h, 20 April Reply

      Thank you, Josh! Yes, what you say is true. He was also renowned for practicing and preaching non-violence. But aren’t we humans good at that – remembering the personalities themselves and not the true principles they stood for. (There is even a movie made on this very irony.) The road is named after him (I think every city in India has it own MG Road 😀 ) hence the statue.

      • Josh Gross | The Jaguar
        Posted at 13:43h, 20 April Reply

        Haha yes, we seem to be very good at honoring past heroes without remembering what they stood for.

  • Feelings and Freedom
    Posted at 05:45h, 20 April Reply

    Hey, you seem to have covered a lot in two days 🙂 I loved the flowers exhibition pics!

    • Wandering Soul
      Posted at 06:28h, 20 April Reply

      Thanks, Vandana 🙂 We did have a hectic trip. 😀 Am glad you liked the pics, and ones from a mobile phone camera, at that 😀 😀

  • Hemangini
    Posted at 15:05h, 20 April Reply

    I wanna go. Like now. *Sad face :(*

    • Wandering Soul
      Posted at 16:22h, 20 April Reply

      I wanna go too. Again. Let’s go together 😀

      • Hemangini
        Posted at 18:32h, 20 April Reply

        haha sure… you are in India still?

        • Wandering Soul
          Posted at 18:40h, 20 April Reply

          I was in India 30 years ago and probably will be for another 30 years. Born, brought up and hope to die here. 😛 May be not the last part. 😀

          • Hemangini
            Posted at 19:45h, 20 April

            😮 I thought you live in USA. the background in your picture made me think so. haha

            Anyway, it’s great to know that you live in India. If I may ask, which state?

          • Wandering Soul
            Posted at 19:56h, 20 April

            That’s Kanyakumari! 😀 😀 I’m from Sadi Dilli.

          • Hemangini
            Posted at 03:24h, 21 April

            oohoo.. Okay. So when’s Sikkim part III coming out?

  • MindandLifeMatters
    Posted at 20:37h, 20 April Reply

    Amazing pictures! Even your camera couldn’t resist the beauty which is why it decided to start working at other locations! 😀

    • Wandering Soul
      Posted at 04:35h, 21 April Reply

      hahaha! I’ve always said the gadgets in my life have a mind of their own. 😀

  • Pingback:Stories of Sikkim Part III – Wandering Soul
    Posted at 01:06h, 21 April Reply

    […] Read  Part 1 and Part 2 […]

  • pranabaxom
    Posted at 01:22h, 21 April Reply

    One of these days. Enjoyed reading your travelogue.

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