Sikkim diaries

by Sneha Kerketta (India)

A leap into the unknown India

Every year unwraps itself with lots of fun and surprises. Everyone loves travelling and visiting new places. Many plans are just bound to the imaginary minds of the friends circle. People who really want to explore give their plans the ticket to freedom. This year I got one of my bucket list fulfilled. The plan was to explore the Indian State of Sikkim. Sikkim is a north eastern state covered by Bhutan, Tibet and Nepal. We decided to travel to Gangtok and the rest of Sikkim. Since, the temperature is cold there, we had enough warm clothes, food and medicines to be occupied with. We boarded the train from Sealdah, Kolkata, West Bengal to New Jalpaiguri, West Bengal which was the nearest station to Gangtok. We reached there around 10 in the morning. Gangtok is at a distance of 120km from New Jalpaiguri. So, after breakfast we booked a cab for the group and started off Gangtok via Siliguri. The place is so beautiful that one can never be bored. On the way is the Great International Tashi Gomang Stupa at Siliguri and many more temples and beautiful scenery. Music and window seat always makes the travel more enjoyable. After travelling for a few hours we halted at a restaurant to have lunch proceeding towards the rest of the journey. We reached Gangtok in the evening. The whole package was booked, so there was no problem for hotels or anything. We checked in, and after refreshment headed on towards MG Market, the famous market in Gangtok. Gangtok is a mountainous city so the feeling of being at the top is a different feeling for someone who has lived their life in plains. The market comprises of many small shops, the whole being beautifully designed provides a good arena. As the whole city is on mountains, one thing I noticed is one can either go up or down the road or stairs the whole way. We explored the market area. Later, after dinner we went back to our hotel to wake up the next morning for an amazing day ahead. The next morning, we were taken to Nam Nam view point. It has the legislative assembly near the point. We entered the ropeway and were benefitted of the beautiful soothing surrounding that was infront of us. The mountains, the greenery, the colourful houses everything looked so beautiful. After enjoying the view and strolling there, we moved towards the Ganesh Tok, a temple of Ganesha. We tried on the traditional attire of Sikkim which the ladies had kept for rental purpose. We enjoyed the scary house experience which is beside Ganesh Tok. There are many small waterfalls on the way which one can see on the visit. We visited the Gonjang monastery, which is near to Tashi view point. After a rope adventure at Bakthang waterfall we ended our day. The next day we woke up to travel to Lachung which is in the north east Sikkim. It took almost 8-10 hours for us to reach there. On the way, we had Teesta river with us almost everywhere which is so beautiful and calm. This river could be seen from anywhere. It was almost dark and it was too cold for us already. We checked in the cottage and slipped into the blankets as soon as possible. The next day, it had started snowing in the early morning. It was such an overwhelming experience to have the view for the first time. We headed on towards Mt. Katao to experience more of the snow. There are many beautiful places like Gurudongmar lake, Baba Harbhajan mandir, and many places to visit. The next day we visited the Char Dham at Namchi which has a very big idol of the lord Shiva. Sai Mandir is a white temple with Golden work on it which gives an appearance of Golden temple of Amritsar. The Buddha Temple at Namchi is another such beautiful place to visit. After having this wonderful experience we heade on towards New Jalpaiguri to get back to Kolkata. This is trip will forever be in my memories to be cherished. I would soon be on another trip to wander and capture again.