Where: Gangtok, Sikkim
When : 29 Nov to 5 Dec 2012
Who : My family (myself, wife, kids n parents)
How : Air + Rail + Land (Car)
This was a trip planned much in advance. As its a distant place from Bangalore and that too getting accomodation at Club Mahindra "Royal Demazong" is not easy.. atleast 2 - 3 months advance booking was a must!! To begin with, Deepa had to attend a conference @ Kolkata where we spent a day and then the we had to reach Gangtok & play with snow (kids had big plans for the same).
Trip Route:
Bangalore to Kolkata : Flew on SpiceJet plane
Kolkata (Sealdah) to NJP (New Jalpaiguri) : Train (Padatik Express) 10 hrs (22:55 - 9:00)
NJP to Gangtok (Sikkim) : Innova 4.5 hrs
Ganktok to NJP : Mahindra Xylo 4.5 hrs
NJP to Kolkata (Sealdah) : Train (Padatik Express) 9 hr 45 min (21:00 - 6:45)
Kolkata to Bangalore : Flew back on Indigo plane
Travelling to the north/north-east parts of India from Bangalore (or anywhere south) is always a tradeoff wrt how much time we spend in travelling to how much we get to spend at our destination. Flying to Kolkata and then overnight journeys to/from NJP definitely saved us significant amount of time. Nearest airport to Gangtok is "Bagdogra" (about 15 Kms from Siliguri). Flying upto Bagdogra from Bangalore is definitely an option, but travel cost would easily double. If overnight journey is fine, then our option was the best.
DAY-0: Kolkata
On reaching Kolkata, we stayed overnight at a guest-house provided by the College (where Deepa was supposed to attend/present at the coference the next day).
Eary morning the next day 8:00 AM sharp we headed to the Kali Temple (Kalighat) which we had heard a lot about.. We had an experience... rather exploitation to remember.. As soon as we landed at the temple in a taxi, there came a person who started guiding us to the temple. Unsuspecting him we walked with him.. first he took us to a small store to buy prasad (offering to the goddess), we thought its a tradition here and paid for it. Next the same thing happened with flower garland - he bought it from the vendor for us (with no choice of ours) - we just had to pay for it. Fine.. moving ahead we entered the temple, I was made to stand ahead with the priest/pandit chanting mantras to goddess Kali, he asked me to offer Rs.500 to goddess, he was almost angry when I offered Rs.100 only. Next.. came out and was climbing steps to see another deity, a person came and put sacred thread around the neck (maala) for all of us... this time I was suspecious but it happened so fast that I couldn't deny... he didnt ask anything for now. We entered and our so called guide took us to another pandit who would do a pooja for us alone. He took me alone and chanted some mantras for 2 mins and handed me a coin (sacred coin as he said) and then asked Rs.500 for the same. This was too much... I almost shouted at the guide saying "We didnt ask you to take us around and you are putting us in a awkward situation all the way..". Further I ended up paying the guide and also the guy who put sacred thread for all of us. Bottom line "Be careful when you visit temples (specifically Kalighat Kali Temple), people can take you for a ride here.."
That apart, Kalighat Kali temple is said to be one of the 51 Shakti Peethas in India. The temple in its current form is 200+ yrs old and is visited by piligrims across India. This temple was originally on the banks of river Hoogly, but the river changed its course over time, and now just a canal by name "Adi Ganga" passes by.
After having darshan of goddess Kaali, we returned to our guest house and had our morning breakfast. Later we dropped Deepa at the conference venue (Indian Statistical Institute) and then planned visiting some nearby places. The only place we could cover was the Dakshineshwar Kali Temple. This temple is located on the banks of river Hoogly and was constructed by Rani Rashmoni a devotee of goddess Kali. This temple is also associated with Late Ramakrishna Paramahansa as he chose to stay at this temple for quite some time and carried on his meditation & prayers towards goddess Kali. The nine-spired architecture of this temple is quite good as you can see in the picture. This temple also houses 12 shrines dedicated to lord Shiva on the river front.
We came out of the temple and it was lunch time... looking around we could find a small hotel whose speciality was "Hing Samosa" & "Kachori". Without much options around, we thought of trying this (till this day I had never thought of having samosa & kachori for lunch!!). Yes, hing-samosa tasted excellent.. one of the best Samosa I ever had. Kachori was very good too (very much unlike the ones found in South India) soft, hot, round in shape, half the size of poori with dal filling.. and it came with a side dish dal curry. Though we were doubtful, this made a perfect lunch for the day. We packed some Samosa & Kachori for Deepa too. Later we picked up Deepa and headed towards guest house. But, we still had some time to spend.... on the way we found a shopping mall and visited the same. We spent about an hour, kids had their share of fun.. we had our dinner there & back to guest house. We rushed back as we had to pack up our stuff and head to Railway Station (Sealdah).
10:55 PM -> We were onboard the train to NJP. "Darjeeling Mail" is the best train in this route, but couldn't get reservation even though we booked more than 2 months in advance. "Padatik Express" was decent enough and we could get the reservation for this. With 3-tier AC booking, it was a comfortable journey. We reached NJP around 9:30 AM
DAY-1, 9:30 AM: NJP - Altitude 374 ft
: Early morning chill with bright sun
9:45 AP -> We had an Innova booked for our travel from NJP to Gangtok. It was a 4.5 hrs journey to reach our resort "Club Mahindra Royal Demazong" in Gangtok. It was a scenic route all through. Yes, this was a bit tiring as we had to traverse the ghats and climb the mountainous terrain. We took some break in-between for breakfast at a roadside hotel. We had our first taste of momos on this tour. Apart from momos we had veg thali too.. plate full of rice with 3 curries and dal.. Yes, after momos, rice is the major meal in this region (more than the noodles).
DAY-1, 3:00 PM: Settled in Gangtok
Gangtok : Altitude 5800 ft
: Chilly climate, jackets were a must. As soon as we got out of the car, we got into the jackets.
Resort: Club Mahindra "Royal Demazong" actually means "Royal Palace" in sikkimese.
After a long journey, we took rest for sometime and then started exploring the resort. "Fun Zone" was a major attraction for the kids and that alone was sufficient for kids. We had an intro session at 6 PM and had wonderful onion pakodas & Tea. At around 8 PM Sikkemese cultural show was organized and we had our first glimpse of Sikkimese folk dance and songs there. Along side, we had our dinner.
DAY-2, 6:30AM: Target Nathula Pass
We had planned for visiting "NathuLa Pass" even before reaching there. To visit this place, multiple permits need to be obtained from Local police & Indian Army atleast a day in advance. Also Monday & Tuesday no civilians are allowed to visit as these days are meant for cross-border trade. Since we were landing in Gangtok on Saturday, Sunday being the only option to visit NathuLa, we ensured to get the necessary permits much in advance by couriering relevant documents (passport copies & photographs) to our travel agent at the resort. They had made all necessary arrangments even before we reached Gangtok. So, if you plan to visit this place, do inform your travel agent in advance.
At "NathuLa Pass" located 56 Kms from Gangtok, indian state "Sikkim" shares its borders with China's Tibet Autonomous Region. In tibetan language "Nathu" means "Listening Ears" and "La" means "Pass". Nathula Pass is the indo-chinese border where the old silk-route between India & China existed. This is one of the 3 cross-border trading posts between India & China. "Shipkila" in Himachal Pradesh and "Lipulekh" in Uttarkhand are 2 other places.
We had Xylo for today's trip... the uphill journey from Gangtok to NathuLa was smooth in Xylo, though bumpy and rocky streches were common. Full credit to Xylos's shocks.. Road to NathuLa is one of the highest motorable roads in India. On the way we found a couple of streches where I wouldn't have driven my car at all.. weak, shaky bridges with deep valley on one side and the mountain on the other. If anything happens there nobody would get a clue about it. Never the less, the route was picturesque and all through the strech we could see Indian Army camps among the mountains. Half way through we stopped at a place which was the last point where we could get something decent to eat & drink. We sipped in some tea standing in the chill... Next we started from there and stopped at a rental store (for jackets / shoes / gloves.. etc). My parents had short jackets and we were told that it may not suffice. So rented longer jackets for them and then headed towards the next frontier "NathuLa".
Nathula : Altitude 14450 ft
: 56 Kms from Gangtok
: Very Chilly Climate with Cold winds. Normally fresh snow is expected around early Dec to Christmas time-frame, we were not so lucky to witness it this time.
Finally we reached our destination "NathuLa". We had to climb about 50-60 steps to reach the border to get a peek into the chinese side.. At 14000 ft and very less oxygen levels, one can get slightly uncomfortable (and headaches / vomiting is also possible). We saw a couple of elderly people who sat down unable to climb and gasping for breath and trying to overcome giddiness. With kids and old people, its always good to pace it slow, taking long breaths. Carrying along some aspirin & chocolates also help..
We climbed up and then found the Indian Army border post and right across was the Chinese post. At this point the border is a simple 4 ft high fence/campound wall which anyone could have easily stepped over. It was crowded on the Indian side with over 50 to 60 people visitng on the day. We didn't find any on the Chinese side except few of their soldiers manning the post & observatories. We could walk along the border fence, with couple of Chinese soldiers walking on the campound wall we were at a shake-hand distance from them... in fact few other visitors did get an opportunity to shakehand with them.. Took some pictures here.. of the posts, chinese soldiers, the scenic views and ofcourse ourselves.. By this time kids started getting uncomfortable and cranky.. so we had to say goodbye to NathuLa and head back towards our vehicle.
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Nathula Pass Entrance
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Indian and Chinese Army Posts at Nathula
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Chinese Soldiers at Nathula
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Baba Mandir: Altitude 13000+ ft
Next we visited a shrine built by Indian Army popularly called as "New Baba Mandir". Well this is an interesting story.. It appears that this temple was built in memory of an Indian soldier "Harbhajan Singh" (of 23rd Punjab Regiment) went missing (possibly dead, but untraced) during the 1962 sino-indian war and no one has heard from him till-date. However, there is a strong belief among the people and rest of the army jawans that his atma is still roaming around and is performing the official duties every day. They do have stories (and proof) about his atma having food every day, and the wear-and-tear on the footwear he uses.. etc. It appears that one of his colleagues got a dream in which he asked them to build a temple in his memory. It is also said that his crisp iron pressed uniform kept in his office gets wrinkled by end of the day. The most astonishing fact is that the Indian Govt / Army accepted his legend and still continues to give his salary, promotions, annual vacation etc. His salary goes to his home in Punjab, and during vacation a soldier of his regiment accompanies his uniform and belongings in a train to his hometown. This was the "New Baba Mandir" where his photo, desk and some belongings were displayed. Apart from this there is also a original "Baba Mandir" located some distance away (~1 hr travel from New Baba Mandir) from this place. We skipped visiting that place and moved further. After visiting the temple it was time for some food. We had packed some sandwiches and parathas from the resort which was quite filling. Yes, it is very important to get some food packed from Gangtok itself as there is no decent food available at NathuLa / Baba Mandir.
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| Late Baba Harbhajan Singh |
New Baba Mandir
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Tsomgo Lake: Altitude 12400+ ft
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Shreya on her Yak
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Collage of Yak Riders..
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On the lake side we found few outlets offering sikkimese dresses for photographing. We didnt want to miss this, and got the kids dressed up in sikkimese attire and got their pics done. By seeing their cute pics we were also tempted to try it.. and yes myself, Deepa and parents all of us tried getting into the attire and had some pics clicked. After this, we had to head back to Gangtok. Kids spent their whole evening in the fun zone playing. We had our dinner around 8:30 PM and then it was time to relax..
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DAY-3 8:00 AM: Gangtok City Tour
We had our breakfast and todays agenda was to go far sight-seeing in Gangtok. Today also we got a Xylo for us, and started out on a day outing with the following places to visit:
1. Ganesh Tok
2. Himalayan Zoological Park
3. Tashi View Point
4. Handicrafts Museum / Institute
5. Do-Drul Chorten (Budhist Monastery)
6. Flower Exhibition Center
7. M G Marg
Ganesh Tok:
We started out by visitng "Ganesh Tok"... Its a temple of lord Ganesha which is located on a elevated area and we could get a good view of Gangtok City.. After getting the blessings from the lord, and clicking some pics of the city, we came out. At this point also there were street side vendors renting out the sikkemese dresses (as we had near Tsongmo lake). As we had already tried it, we moved on..
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Ganesh Tok Entrance
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View from Ganesh Tok
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Himalayan Zoological Park:
Right opposite to Ganesh Tok is the entrance to the "Himalayan Zoological Park" a mini zoo. I wasn't sure whether all of us were interested in visiting a zoo.. but yes, I was. Entry tickets were available at the entrance.. further since the terrain is up-hill, walking was not an option and we had to take our vehicle for about 500 mts inside & parked it at a designated parking area. From there we had to walk further up to get a glimpse of the animals. Since it was early in the morning, our energy levels were high and we were ready to climb . For a zoo, it had a pretty good ambience with the tall grown up trees all around and lush green cover everywhere.. This wildlife park doesn't have many animals but is home to Siberian Tiger and himalayan black bear. It also houses some of the elusive himalayan animals like Red Panda, Tibetan Wolf, Snow Leopard, Leopard Cat.. etc. Apart from these, a few birds can also be found there.
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| Leopard |
Red Panda
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"Tashi View Point",
This place is named after the late king of Sikkim Tashi Namgyal who constructed this view point which is about 4 Kms away from Gangtok. The view of the "Kanchenjunga mountain range" right opposite to the view point is just picture perfect. On a clear day one gets to see the entire snow covered range.. and yes we were lucky to have clear blue sky on the day.
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| Kanchanjunga Mountain Range from Tashi View Point |
Handicrafts Museum / Institute:
This is located about 500 mts from central Gangtok. The museum houses the articles of cultural & traditional importance. It also displays blankets, elegant hand-carven folding tables (Choktse), hand-loomed carpets with conventional themes, hand-painted masques, shawls, traditional paintings, wooden dolls and many other handicrafts. This building also has an institute which is dedicated to imparting knowledge about making handicrafts, paintings etc. These handicraft items are also available for purchase at an outlet just behind this place.
Do-Drul Chorten (Budhist Monastry):
This is the biggest and imporant budhist stupa located very close to Gangtok in Sikkim. This was constructed around 1945 under the supervision of Truslshi Rimpoche. There are about 108 prayer wheels (Mani-Lakhor) which has the mantras engraved on it. Devotees across the state and outside visit here, turn the wheels while chanting mantras and hope their wishes turn true. This chorten also has a golden steeple at the tip.
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| 108 Prayer Wheels.. |
Flower Exhibition Centre:This is a moderate sized greenhouse meant for nurturing orchids & other exotic flowering plants. You can drop in for a look at these visual beauties. The place is in Gangtok's White Hall complex, located amidst a scenic stretch of landscaped gardens and tree-lined parks.
M.G.Marg, Gangtok:In simple words this street is similar to M.G.Road of Bangalore, the buzzing place in Gangtok. Lots of eateries for the foodies, shops for shopa-holics and road-side benches for those who just want to spend their evenings just sitting and chattin with their pals.. I must say this is one of the cleanest streets that I have seen. People do practice cleanliness here in every aspect... even the eateries advice not to carry the food to the street and to have it within their premises.. Hmm am impressed to see this in India. We roamed around for sometime, tasted some local sweets and explored the momo joints and then headed back to our resort.
On our journey back, we had hired the same Xylo as we thought it would keep us more comfortable on the rough roads back from Gangtok to NJP. On the way back also we took a lunch break at a road-side small hotel, tasted the authentic sikkimese noodles and momos. That was the last till our next trip to Sikkim.. Then we reached NJP railway station, one of the best I have seen in India... it even had escalators for passenger over-bridge.. We waited for sometime and then boarded our train to Kolkata. We reached Kolkata the next morning around 8:00 AM.
On reaching Kolkata, first we went out looking for a hotel for breakfast. It was interesting... we couldn't find any decent hotel in the vicinity of Sealdah railway station... even our taxi driver was clueless about hotels in the nearby area. We roamed around for a while and finally we ended up at a road-side stall who had just then started preparing hot poori-sabji... well we had no choice than to get some grub here (taste wasn't a priority against hunger!!). Later we proceeded to visit Victoria Memorial. It was still early in the morning and we were the first ones to enter Victoria Memorial.. Its a nice place with a scenic garden and many chirping birds around (atleast during early hours of the day). We spent sometime looking at the architecture of the building and clicking some snaps.. This was our last visit to a POI (place of interest) before we started our last phase of the journey.. Kolkata to Bangalore.
This report was pending since almost 2 months... but finally its up and published.
