On the way from the temple to our hotel we were dropped in downtown Kalimpong for a leisurely walk through the Raja Dorjee Market and “high street”, making the final mile to the hotel by foot and getting in a bit of physical activity after a day of driving.
Category Archives: 2024:India & Bhutan
Two Monasteries and a long drive
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Now – guess what – there was another long driving day ahead of us today – from Gangtok via Rumtek Monastery to Kalimpong – a total of about 100km. Rumtek Monastery is an interesting case, as – on the one … Continue reading
On the quest for Blueberry Cheesecake
After our Buddhist morning, we were all ready for a more secular afternoon. Our cars got us into downtown and we were dropped next to Gangtok’s main market – Lal Bazar – for a market visit. From here it was back to MG Road and the rest of the day was on us.
During the walk around the area yesterday with two of my fellow travelers, we had seen several cake shops – incl. some with rather good-looking blueberry cheesecake – exactly what we were craving for now. A first search was unsuccessful – and we eventually ended up in a cafe with Sikkim-grown and in-shop-roasted coffee and Japanese cheesecake (close – but not close enough – though the coffee made up for it). The quest continued … and we were not able to find the bakery from the day before (or they simply had sold out) – sheer luck got us into another cafe, where I simply ordered the thing – and ended up with a slice of blueberry cheesecake – yummy …
I challenged my luck once more this day – by ordering the “special cocktail” in our dinner place later on. We had been here the day before – and then no one had been able to explain, what it is … well, there is only one way to find out – a nice watermelon based drink – going nicely with the Gobi Manchurian 😉
A Buddhist Morning in Gangtok
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This morning had a Buddhist theme. From the hotel we made it straight to the Enchey Monastery, one of the most important ones in all Sikkim. We made it around the temple grounds, turning the one or other prayer wheel … Continue reading
On to Gangtok
The rest of the day saw us navigating the winding mountain roads of Sikkim – very much to the despair of a chicken that ended up as pâté with tire pattern (the dispute with the farmer was settled at 200 rupees). We finally made it to Gangtok around 16:30 – and after some rest were out and about again to get to MG Road, the city’s pedestrian area for some shopping, the chase for a bar without (overly load) live music and – of course – another portion of Gobi Manchurian.
A side trip into Hinduism
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Today it was time to leave Pelling behind and make our way to Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim – a total distance of 125km was ahead of us with plenty of ups and downs and a driving time of about … Continue reading
East of Pelling …
From Disneyland we made it back to town for lunch – with Gobi Manchurian being a popular dish today (and yummy it was).
Our program continued in the afternoon with a trip to the bird park. But instead of visiting our avian friends, we took the other trail leading into the forest – to eventually get to the palace ruins of Rabdentse – Rabdentse used to be the capital of the Kingdom of Sikkim from 1670 until 1814. Views from here were once more amazing – with Kangchenjunga once more clearly visible.
Well – the day was not over yet … another monastery was waiting for us – Pemayangtse Monastery, established in 1705 and overlooking the ruins of Rabdentse. During a tour we were shown around the monastery – before making it back to town and the hotel again.
From Tranquillity to Disney World
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After the long drive yesterday we had a somewhat active day today. After breakfast we were picked up by the cars for a short drive to the starting point for a short walk (at less than a mile certainly not … Continue reading
Into the Kingdom …
After a drive of about 25km or 1.5 hours downhill on winding roads we had reached the Raman river and as such the border between the state of West Bengal and Sikkim around midday. We crossed the bridge and during a short break our documents were checked and we got stamped into Sikkim.
A (lengthy) lunch in nearby Sisney (and a nearly lost cell phone) later, another ~45km were ahead of us, first following the river and then back to winding roads, heading up into the mountains towards Pelling, where we arrived around sunset.
Leaving Darjeeling
Today saw us leaving Darjeeling – but not without checking out the local zoo and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute (HMI).
The HMI conducts courses in mountaineering; for the general public it features a museum showcasing various achievements in mountaineering – from first ascents (incl. of course Mt.Everest) to achievements in Antarctica – all complete with equipment of the time of the respective trips. The maps shown here are interesting, as they show the historical border and political situation; a statue of Sir Edmund Hillary sits in front of the museum.
The zoo is right next to the HMI, it features plenty of the local fauna – from mountain animals (as the Himalaya Tahrs in the photo below) to forest dwellers. The stars here are the Red Pandas – with the zoo successfully engaged in a breeding program.
From the zoo it was right onto the road for our drive towards Sikkim. En-route we had a short stop at Tukvar Tea Garden to take in the great views and serene surroundings.
