2 May
I have a new stamp in my passport, and I did not have to cross any international borders to obtain it! Sikkim, independent prior to 1975 and situated North of Bengal, bordered by Nepal, China and Bhutan, is a protected state, so my permit is endorsed and my passport chopped to match.
But first I endure a typical, tedious journey on a delayed train with the minimum luxury afforded by a short side-bunk closest to the urinal. My ticket says Jalpaiguri instead of New Jalpaiguri, so at the end of the tracks I share a local train with baskets-full of chickens, uncertain of my destination!
Finally the shared jeep heading towards the capital of Sikkim breaks down... but eventually I am on the road to Gangtok, following a river like a snake through the mountains, entertained by the signs posted along the way, such as, “On my curve, check your nerve,” and “It’s not a rally, enjoy the valley!”
A cooler breeze strokes my skin as we approach Gangtok with its six-storey buildings, the height due to the slope. Andrea, the first European person I meet in days, directs me to the Modern Central Lodge, a hotel geared towards backpackers, where I crash like a log.
3 May
Andrea, from Italy, knocks on my door wondering if I would like a wander with him, since he too has just arrived. Only a couple of kilometres up the mountain, we reach Enchey Monastery, of the Nyingmapa sect of Tibetan Buddhism.
The monks’ burgundy and yellow robes are striking on this grey day, while the smiles on their little faces are as good as sunshine. Here, children as young as five are learning and practicing life as Tibetan Buddhist monks.
I spin the yellow prayer wheels with Om Mane Padme Hum – the mantra of compassion for all sentient beings – printed in Tibetan script, thus sending the essence of the mantra into the ether. In a similar way, blue, white, red, green and yellow prayer flags with printed prayers are hung so that their fluttering in the wind has the same effect. They commonly brighten even the most remote areas of the Himalayas imaginable.
Down the mountain, we visit the Flower Exhibition Centre displaying several varieties of orchids and Himalayan flowers set around some water features – I am exhilarated by the colourful beauty surrounding me this first day in Sikkim!
4 May
Andrea and I share lunch: Veg-Thukpa, a Tibetan vegetable noodle soup, and some Veg-Momos, another delicious Tibetan food resembling ravioli stuffed with spring-roll style vegetables. Actually Gangtok has a high concentration of “Veg and Non-Veg” restaurants, while the usual “Pure Veg” is quite uncommon!
The regular Indian face I know is also uncommon. I observe a man sitting in a corner, taking in his beautiful Tibetan face – flattened, with sharp features, almond eyes and high cheek-bones. But Nepali people are the majority here, hence the Nepali local language.
Andrea and I stroll along MG Marg, the main bazaar. The shops and the people’s dress reveal a modern lifestyle quite similar to the Europeans’. Simultaneously, we feel a strong presence of traditional custom and religious culture pertaining to Buddhism, Christianity and Hinduism.
Gangtok offers a higher standard of living, it is clean and, despite the large number of Indian tourists in this peak season, relatively stress-free. Its inhabitants are well-educated and friendly... and not a beggar in sight! There are several healthy and happy-looking dogs and cats about too.
Actually, Sikkim hardly feels like India at all!
5 May
Saturday night I join the friendly hotel staff dancing. The nightclub is a trip back to my Paceville days – a dance floor pumping hip-hop music and lush sofas around another area, with couples flirting in dark corners.
Gangtok has something of city-life without the hassle and pollution of a city. Everything here is possible without a blink of an eye.
8 May
I join a trip to Tsanghu Lake – a natural, clear lake at an altitude of 3,753 metres. Two hours from Gangtok, it lies on the former Lhasa-Gangtok trade-route, just eighteen kilometres from the Tibetan border.
I love the Yaks, with their long, woolly coats and long, curled horns decorated with brightly coloured warmers.
We start to climb to the view-point but Bikash, our guide, is a little disheartened due to the low clouds and the risk of rain. Unattached to the expedition, we descend, happy to simply relish the particular atmosphere created by the drifting wisps of cloud.
On the other side of the lake, away from the dozens of shops, Indian tourists and honking horns, I join a snowball fight with some cheeky Indian boys, who gang up and bombard me mercilessly!
Further along, I find a little path and follow it... followed by Bikash and Mr Bean, our funny French friend. There is nobody. I climb towards the melting ice-block creating a stream towards the lake, delighted by the yellow rhododendrons, the colourful birds and the relative peace.
Meanwhile my bright pink socks peeking through my Birkenstocks are the joke of the day. Furthermore, wearing all my clothes beneath my track-suit (I hate the cold!), earns me the nickname “beautiful sausage” by Mr Bean! I take it graciously... any day with laughter must be considered a good day.
10 May
Mr Bean and I make an early start, and an hour’s shared-taxi ride through green hills brings us to the gate of the Rumtek Dharma Chakra Centre, the seat of the Kagyud order (one of the major Tibetan Buddhist sects) which houses some of the rarest scriptures.
I am surprised that my passport and permit are requested at the entrance, and I am sniffed by a dog. Tibetan monks in their burgundy and yellow robes holding prayer beads walk beside soldiers clad in olive-green and bearing rifles!
The monastery – a replica of the original Kagyud headquarters in Tibet – is of astounding beauty. The intricate designs, patterns and iconic paintings – typical Tibetan monastery décor – are marvellous, while the interior is equally awe-inspiring.
This monastery was established by the XVIth Gyalwa Karmapa Lama and a golden stupa retains his remains within the complex. Nearby is the Karma Shri Nalanda Institute for higher Buddhist studies that he founded, an equally striking building, but oh for a lick of paint on the interior!
12 May
I head two kilometres down from MG Marg along a scenic road to Deorali and its traditionally decorated Institute of Tibetology. The museum explains the items on display and the history of Buddha’s appearance on earth so I exit feeling like I have just had a crash-course in Tibetan Buddhism.
Among the items on display are several Thangkas, religious iconography hand-painted on silk; wood, metal and clay statues; antique religious manuscripts, objets d’art; religious accessories... and objects made from human bones and skulls!
Just a few metres uphill, the imposing white Dro-Dul Chorten stupa capped in gold and surrounded by its 108 prayer wheels is attractive, but I am more attracted to the window of the prayer-hall where rows of young monks are sitting low at their wooden desks solemnly chanting mantra from printed strips of card.
I crouch at the doorway, keen to savour the moment, but an invitation allows me to attend three full hours of ceremonial chanting, occasionally interrupted by the playing of Tibetan wind-instruments and drums, giving me goose-bumps.
Some ritual is going on, and sometimes the monks perform some hand-gestures in unison. My attention is divided between observing the food offering with the monk bowing three times in front of the deity of Buddha, and the child monks in the back row picking on each other like naughty kids in school.
Finally, a monk approaches me with one of the main offering plates – I feel humbled by the honour! Three chunks of meat top my plate like cherries on a cake. I feel confounded. A drop of “nectar” from the offering surprises me by its spirit flavour, while the human skull-cap bowls taken from the altar to the kitchen challenge me...
I remember reading in the museum about the impermanence of this body, hence the importance of pursuing that which is relevant to our permanent spiritual nature. Still the experience is intense – sometimes beautiful, sometimes challenging, and certainly memorable!
14 May
Several days have passed and I am still in Gangtok. With so much of beautiful Sikkim still to discover, I decide to extend my permit despite the clouds!
15 May
I can see Mount Kanchenzingo, white and majestic against a bright blue sky! Finally the snowy peak is looming behind the other two mountain ranges, which I have observed in various degrees of visibility over the past days.
Energised, I walk through roads, staircases and narrow mountain paths cutting shortcuts up the mountain for three kilometres. When I get to Ganesh Tok, the clouds have already closed in a little but I can still see the peaks and gladly stop and absorb the view.
Ganesh Tok is a small Hindu temple dedicated to the elephant god, Ganesh, the remover of obstacles – but interestingly the place is flooded with Tibetan (Buddhist) prayer flags.
As the clouds continue to gather, I decide to check out the Himalayan Zoological Park across the road. This is different from the average zoo, where 205 ha of natural mountain habitat have been enclosed so that the animals have freedom to roam in a semi-natural environment.
As I continue up several hundreds of metres of winding road and footpaths branching off into the wilderness, I quickly discover that this does mean, however, that the chances of spotting the animals within the thick growth is rather remote.
Nonetheless, the natural beauty of the trees and flowers, the strawberries peeking through the ground and the colourful birds with their array of beautiful song are enough to lift my spirits higher than the mountain, and energise me to proceed despite my lack of fitness.
Some smaller pens allow me to see a variety of smaller Himalayan animals and birds, including the incredibly cute Red Panda, which is also Sikkim’s state animal and protected species. In fact there is a breeding centre within the park.
Exhausted by the time I finish my tour, I hail a shared-taxi towards the town-centre. Today my mountaineering mission is complete. I wonder what tomorrow has in store!
Permits
Two-week permits can be obtained from Sikkim Tourist Offices in Kolkata and Siliguri or directly at Nagpo, the border post between Sikkim and Bengal.
Two passport photos and photocopies of the passport and Indian visa are to be submitted with the form.
The permit can be extended for a further two weeks at the Foreigners Registration Office in Gangtok at least two days prior to expiry.
Some areas are restricted, requiring further permit applications, normally handled by the tour-operator. Some of these areas are not open to foreign nationals.
Getting there
Airport: Bagdogra in North Bengal (124km from Gangtok).
Railway Stations: New Jalpaiguri (125km from Gangtok by shared jeep) and Siliguri in North Bengal (114km served by buses and shared-jeeps).
The first eight episodes of Melanie Drury’s diary of her visit to India were published on 22 January, 5 and 19 February, 5 and 26 March, 9 and 23 April, and on 7 May.