The Gorgeous Gangtok

The River Teesta
Peaceful serenity of the Monastery
A roadblock due to landslide made difficult by the minimum visibility
Clouds covered mountains - A visual extravaganza
Baba Mandir
Wild Mountain Flowers
Indo-China Border
Amar Jawan Memorial- A tribute to the soldiers of Indo-China war
Tsomgo Lake
Gangtok City covered in Mist
A Drive to Remember
Kyongnosla water fall
Gangtok Ropeway

When we first decided to visit Gangtok, there were 3 things on our mind, the curvaceous mountain roads, Duty free alcohol and the coolest people. After hearing a lot of Gangtok stories from all friends and colleagues, to whom it seemed like the biggest crime not to visit Gangtok when you are living in kolkata, we, a group of four friends packed our bags, and hit the roads. The overnight train journey from Kolkata to NJP was over in the blink of an eye, we were too tired from the day's work to stress our brain cells with excitement. The excitement began as we had the first glance of River Teesta after crossing Siliguri in our hired car, and then began the strenuous mountainous roads. We soaked in the beauty of the foot-hills with our greenery-deprived eyes, and breathed in a gasp of fresh air to fill our pollution-habituated lungs.

e have driven on many reptilian roads, but the hauntingly marvellous thing about this route was the river which accompanied us all the way like a guiding angel. Though there were a few checkpoints, courtesy land-slide remnants but overall, these obstacles seemed miniscule in front of the visual extravaganza. The biggest spectacle was the Teesta river bridge, one of the highest that I’ve ever seen, had its own story to tell. The road eventually turned into a horizontal rollercoaster ride, giving us a hint of nausea. As the virtual altimeter’s reading got higher so did the thrill and adrenaline level. Seeing the “welcome to Sikkim” board gave a great sense of relief, to our mind as well as our stomachs.

So there we were finally, the long awaited Gangtok. Saw the sikkimese people with their chic clothes and finest shoes, supposed to be brought in from china. We checked-in to Sonam Palgey hotel, touted to be one of the best in the area, located right under the Gangtok ropeway. After a warm shower and some rest we went out to explore the area. Started with the Rumptek Monastery, seeing the monks in their maroon robes reminded me of those Dalai Lama movies, the peaceful serenity of the monastery was capturing. There were many child monks, some of them hardly the age of 8 years had an pristine aura about them.

The gangtok ropeway, though not the longest in India, must surely be one of the highest, treading over a breath taking valley, over the conical forests. My heart beat almost reached a record breaking level when it stopped right over the deepest spot of the valley, from where the entire gangtok was in our vicinity. Overcoming my fear of what might happen if the rope breaks, I tried to distract my mind by cracking some jokes, my pals joined in. The ride was a memorable one, made even more memorable by an early dinner of best pork bacons in small and elegant Porky’s restaurant.

Second day, itinerary list – Tsomgo Lake, Indo-China Border & Baba Mandir... We took our car started our journey for the afore mentioned destinations on one of the most diabolical roads in India (courtesy BRO)...The landscape was nothing less than heaven, we must have crossed around hundreds of natural springs, biggest one being Kyongnosla water fall. We halted there for a while getting down close to the fall as far as we could, the water was ice cold and air equally chilling. As the water fall roared its way to glory, we screeched our tyres for more adventure. Target 14000 feet, indo-china border, and the coldest place I’ve ever been to even though it was summer in plains. The foggy roads where visibility was lesser than 5 metres, it was like a ride through the clouds of heaven. The uncertainty of the roads, the roadblocks due to landslides, the fur covered yaks, the colourful vegetation with blooming wild flowers, the natural springs which run over the roads and the endless series of army bases, all in all “a drive to remember”.

There we were in front of Tsomgo Lake, the lake which completely freezes during winters and you can walk over it. The gigantic water body was like a mysterious woman waiting for her lover. We bought one of those clichéd cowboy hats and clicked some memorable pics at the unfathomable lake. We moved on ahead towards the indo-china border and Baba Mandir, on our way we saw huge white letters “MERA BHARAT MAHAN” written on the mountains facing china, giving us a sense of pride being Indians. The temple was like the most crowded place in the middle of nowhere, built in the memory of a Soldier, who disappeared mysteriously and died, it is believed that his soul visits this place regularly. Then we were at the “Amar Jawan” memorial built as a tribute to the soldiers of Indo-China war who sacrificed their lives and became martyr, with the tank in front of it, which faces the china border. After the rollercoaster journey we were back at nathula, feasting like beasts on hot-steaming bowls of “Thukpa”, the famous local dish which resembles noodles, but is juicier and spicy.

Next day we had a lavish shopping spree at Lal-bazaar where we grabbed some latest boots and chic clothes. Walking on the M.G marg, the one of its kind, with lovely pavements, elegant lampposts, Victorian benches, branded shops, the classy young crowd donned in the latest fashion was an astounding experience. We were back in the hotel tired like hell. After some rest we were ready to taste the night life of gagtok, went to our hotel restaurant for classy “wine and dine” accompanied by the live performance of a local band, romantic songs and vintage ambience. We were surrounded by the sophisticated class. Just when things got lighter after a couple of vodkas, a middle aged man got up to the dais and started singing “You look wonderful tonight” by Eric Clapton, dedicating it to his lovely wife, who was wearing a black gown and smiling gracefully. That was the moment when I realised why people in north-east are supposed to be the coolest people and they know how to live life king size.