SIKKIM - DAY NINE : AROUND GANGTOK

      I slept well and woke up late around 8 a.m. After freshening up, I packed my bags and headed down. Without any firm plan in mind, I got talking to the hotel manager about trips to Changu Lake, Nathula Pass, Yumthang and Gurudongmar Lake. He said passes were required for all these places and would take at least a day to obtain.

Flora Fountain

     I rushed to the nearest Tours and Travels Agency and asked them if they could accommodate me the same day, being a single person. It turned out that I was an hour late and now would have to wait till the next day to head north. They had a three-day-two-night North Sikkim package that included visits to Gurudongmar Lake, Yumthang Valley, Lachen and Lachung villages, which I signed up for. With no point cursing my luck, I decided to make the most of the free day that had unexpectedly arisen and go sightseeing around Gangtok. Hiring a small car (share-taxis were not available for this), I set out. 

HD Colour - Gangtok Flower Show

        The first place was the Gangtok Flower Show. Thousands of flowers of scores of varieties adorned the greenhouse. Many famous people had visited and judged the Gangtok Annual Flower Show over the last few years. It was a vibrant place, alive with colours and fragrances. From here, Simon the driver took me to Tashi View Point. To the north-west, snow clad peaks towered over the lesser mountains that surrounded them. A couple of shops were selling curios and mementos but they were terribly overpriced. 

A view of the city from Ganesh Tok

        Our next stopover was Ganesh Tok at the top of a hill. A tower had been erected housing the temple and a viewing balcony at the top. Much of Gangtok was visible from here, spread across the foothills of the mighty mountains that loomed into the sky beyond.

Gunjang Monastery

        From here we took a different route to descend into Gangtok. Simon pointed out the road that led to Changu Lake and Nathula Pass. Our next top was the Gunjang Monastery. It was not very different from the other monasteries I had visited; the only interesting bit was the group of young monks playing football in the courtyard.

Monks playing Football on the Roof

        Moving on, we passed a couple of nearly dried up waterfalls that Simon assured me looked a lot better in the rains. Finally, we came to the Nam Nam View Point and Ropeway. The cable car only went down a couple of minutes before returning, that too over built up areas. Thoroughly disappointed in the visit around Gangtok and kicking myself for having wasted money on it, I asked Simon to drop me to the Lal Market. 

A Peripatetic Day around Gangtok

         The market was housed in a large open building. The whole ground floor was packed with vegetable stalls while the first floor had clothes and shoe shops. With every shopkeeper vying to get customers' attention and constant bargaining going on, it was slow progress through the market. Exercising great restraint, I managed to resist from buying anything I did not need. I had bought myself a thermal inner the previous day which I hoped would serve the same purpose as an expensive and bulky jacket in the cold wastes of North Sikkim. Also, the opportunity to wear a jacket in Mumbai almost never arose, making it a waste of a purchase.

Pork Yammein - Out of this World

        Slowly, I made my way up to M G Marg where I was staying. Arthur and Hanna had recommended a restaurant named Taste of Tibet, so I decided to try it out. Finding it took some time and when I entered, it was quite crowded. Finding a seat in a corner, I busied myself with taking in the interesting names of Tibetan dishes that I had not heard of before, as well as mouth watering aromas that filled the air from the wide assortment of delish treats being served around me. I finally decided on Pork Yammein, a bowl of noodles soaked in pork sauce. It was exceptionally tasty and finally I was glad I had found something worth its weight in culinary gold.

      After walking around the marketplace a while longer, I headed to an Internet café to book a couple of tickets. This took a while and by the time I re-emerged outside, it was getting dark. Deciding to get a bite to eat before returning to the hotel, I walked into a karaoke bar and restaurant that had caught my eye the previous evening. A young crowd sat around the place, each group vying for the karaoke mike one after the other. Ordering a beef fry, I did contemplate singing but the mike never had a free moment with almost every person present keen to sing. Once I was done with dinner, I headed back to the hotel, had a refreshing hot bath, and settled in to bed. Though not as productive as I wished it would have been, I was tired and began writing about my experiences of the day before falling asleep, pen in hand yet again.