Tag Archives: India

Back to Kolkata ..

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We made it back to Kolkata half an hour before the planned arrival time; immigration and customs were quick (well – for most) and we were soon picked up for the transfer to the hotel and the rest of the day was in our hands.

Together with two fellow travelers I was now on a quest for a traditional High Tea. Unfortunately the go-to-place for that – the Oberoi Grand – was closed for renovation, so our destination was another high-end luxury hotel with an attached tea lounge. It took as more than an hour to walk the 3.5km, first following Park Street (passing by the seat of the archbishop) and then through the market along Chowringee Road – what a culture shock after our quiet time in Bhutan. When we arrived at the hotel, we were quick to realize that the tea lounge had survived only in name – and not as a place for a traditional cuppa with cucumber sandwiches and scones. A bit disappointed we gave the hotel’s restaurant a go – had a cup of tea along with some sandwiches – followed by cake in the hotel’s bakery … essentially a DIY High Tea. This was all washed down with a nice local orangy Gin & Tonic, before we hit a taxi, to get back to our hotel.

We left Kolkata in the early morning of the next day for our flight back home.
This has been another great trip, a great itinerary, an superb group and outstanding tour leaders – combined with the best weather, natural beauty all along and fabulous views. A clear recommendation!

Along the Teesta River into the Lowlands

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Today started with an orchid tour around the hotel premises – after which it was back to the cars for a final long drive of about 170km, now heading into the lowlands of West Bengal towards Jaigaon and the border crossing into Bhutan.

As yesterday we were initially following the Teesta River, until we used the Coronation Bridge to cross the river and continue East towards the border. Soon the scenery changed – instead of a mountainous forest we were now driving through more of flat bush land (well, some of those bushes turned out to be tea gardens). We made it to our hotel near Jaigaon in the late afternoon, with little to do around.

Downtown Kalimpong

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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.

On the quest for Blueberry Cheesecake

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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 😉

On to Gangtok

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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.

East of Pelling …

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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.