Picturesque Pelling (Sikkim, November 9-12, 2008)

I arrive the evening of November 9 in Pelling, which is closer (though not as close as I thought it would be) to Mount Khangchendzonga and therefore has more spectacular views. I go directly to Hotel Kabur, which had been highly recommended to me by the American couple, and it is one of the best places I stay my entire trip. I pay only Rs. 250 for a single, and even get a towel, soap and toilet paper. The best part is the hotel's cozy upstairs restaurant, complete with wooden walls and candles on the tables. The owner, Deepesh, is in the process of purchasing a fireplace for it. Attached is an outside deck with gorgeous views of Khangchendzonga.

The owner Deepesh is a very kind Newari man who turns out to have a twin brother, Deepen, who formerly owned the hotel. Deepen now has his own construction company and is building a monastery school for local Buddhist children. The Newa people, according to Wikipedia, are the indigenous people of Nepal's Kathmandu Valley, descendants of citizens of Medieval Nepal. "They are a linguistic community with Tibeto-Burman and Indo ethnicity/race, bound together by a common language, Nepal Bhasa." The two brothers are always coming in and out of the hotel and I can never discern who I've just seen in another part of town, and who I'm now talking to. Their extended family is always coming in and out of the hotel, as is their friend, a local tour guide. All are friendly and Deepesh, Deepen and the guide are particularly helpful in my trip planning.

The first night I hang out in the restaurant. I meet some Americans (who think I am British!). The have just come from Nepal and highly recommend it. I am tempted, but decide ultimately that I'll need to save it for another trip. I order some banana porridge. Around a coffee table are 2 British men (who thought I was French!) with a local who is playing guitar and obviously drunk. One of the British men later confesses that he is their tour guide and he drinks all day long, and insists they drink with him. He's obviously a very happy drunk, if his rendition of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is any indication. After conversation with one of the British guys and a honey pancake, which I had been craving, I tuck myself into bed under two thick blankets and one thin one. It is significantly cooler here at nights than Siliguri was.

For my second day, I plan to see most of the sights so that I can finish them the next day and move on. However, I run into trouble when I need to cancel a train ticket I had scheduled for November 11th and no longer want to use so that I can stay in Sikkim longer. The ticket was purchased on the Internet, but all the Internet in Pelling is not working. The hotel owner drives me to nearby Geyzing (he drives over a rock halfway there and needs to stop, while I continue on alone). The train ticket office is not able to help me because I have an e-ticket. I find a share jeep to Tikjuk, where they allegedly have working Internet, but then the Indian men waiting in the jeep with me (they are in Sikkim for an engineering conference) suggest I contact a friend who can cancel it for me. I can't believe I hadn't thought of this earlier! I text Austin and also ask for the number of Phool Chatti Ashram so that I can cancel my reservation with the yoga program for the third time, as I will be staying in Sikkim longer.

Instead of Tikjuk, I ask the share jeep driver to drop me off at Rabdentse, en route to Pelling. Rabdentse was Sikkim's capital from 1670-1814 and is now the site of well-marked ruins. I arrive via a scenic stone trail. The tourist department has kept this site very nice (especially compared to some of the attractions in India). There are great views of Khangchendzonga framed by the ruins.

After Rabdentse, I walk to Pemayangtse Gompa (monastery), which translates to, "Perfect Sublime Lotus." Built in 1705, it is one of Sikkim's oldest and most significant Nyingmapa gompas. Unfortunately, it is getting dark and I cannot go upstairs the main prayer hall to visit Zandog Palri. According to my Lonely Planet, it is "an astounding seven-tiered model of [Guru] Padmasambhava's heavenly abode, hand made over five laborious years by a single dedicated lama" (584). I walk back to Hotel Kabur in the dark.

On my third day in Pelling I hike uphill to Sangachoeling Gompa, the second-oldest gompa (monastery) in Sikkim. I stay here for a while, into the afternoon, talking to other tourists, enjoying the views from a lookout, taking photographs of the monastery and prayer flags, and reading my latest book, "Interpreter of Maladies" by Bengali-American writer Jhumpa Lahiri.

I return to Pelling in the late afternoon. Again I try to use the Internet, but there is a line of people who also want to use it, and only dial-up is working...I go to the hotel and read a bit...then back down the street to see if Internet is working. I sit with some tourists and have a masala dosa (seasoned potatoes wrapped in a thin pancake, with a spicy, tomato-based soup called sambaar for dipping). Then I go back to the hotel. People are having dinner, but I am not hungry after the dosa. The alcoholic tour guide is playing guitar and trying to get people to sing. I leave to use the Internet long enough to learn that a month-long yoga course is, indeed, offered in December at Swami Vivekenanda Anusandhana Samsthana (SVYASA), a yoga university based in Bangalore, Karnataka. When the Internet stops working, I return to the hotel. The tour guide is still singing and wants someone to sing a Sikkimese song with him. For some reason my inhibitions disappear and I sing with him and it is a very fun time.

The next morning I wake up, only planning to go to Yuksom, but Deepen convinces me to instead spend the night at "Pala's place" in Khecheopalri Lake. He mentions Pala will teach meditation, show me some pictures...he says I'll love it...it all seems appealing, so I decide to do so...

Gangtok, Sikkim (November 7-9, 2008)

I cram into a share jeep with a bunch of Indians for the four hour journey from Siliguri to Gangtok, Sikkim's capitol city. The jeeps don't leave until they are completely full. Next to the driver there are two women in the front seat. The middle and back seats all have four people. I am in the back seat, but luckily I get a window.

I arrive in Gangtok at night. I take a taxi to New Modern Central Lodge, supposedly the cheap hotel where backpackers stay. But the room I am shown is freezing cold and the bathrooms are shared so I am skeptical there will be enough hot water to go around. I search the street it is on, Tibet Rd., for another option. After trying to bargain a decent price at a few places, I settle on Hotel Silver Line for Rs. 250 for a double. (It seems most hotel owners take pity on me, a single traveler, and give me a better price on a double if they don't have any singles.) After Hotel Maria in Kolkata and other Indian and Bangladeshi hotels, I am surprised at how immaculate this place is. They even give me a towel and soap!

The next day, I head to MG Marg (Mohatmas Ghandi Road) and try to find a good price for a tour of the area. It seems it is inefficient to try and visit most of the attractions on my own, as public transportation is not readily available to reach them. Finding a tour isn't an easy task, as I am traveling alone and it would be much more affordable to join a group and share the price. Luckily I find a travel agency that is willing to give me a driver without taking any cut of the money because his work has fallen through for the day. When I return to this agency to confirm the tour, two Americans from Hawaii show up and I invite them to join me, which they decide to do.

Walking around, I am impressed at how clean and quiet the streets in Gangtok are compared to those in other parts of India. The buildings are colorfully painted, mainly in pastels. We can see the peak of Mount Khangchendzonga in the distance.

Our tour includes, in this order: Chorten Stupa, Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, Shanti Viewpoint, Rumtek Gompa (a gompa is a monestary), Lingdom Gompa and Jankri Waterfalls.

A stupa (also called a chorten) is a mound-like structure composed of a solid hemisphere topped by a spire and containing Buddhist relics, typically the remains of a Buddha or a saint. They exist wherever there are Buddhists. As such, I saw many in Leh and Sikkim.

The Namgyal Institute of Tibetology, housed in traditionally styled Tibetan architecture, was established in 1958 to promote research into Mahayana Buddhism and Tibetan culture. It contains one of the world's largest collections of Buddhist books and manuscripts, plus statuettes, thangkas (Tibetan cloth paintings) and sacred objects, such as kapali (sacred bowl made from a human skull).

Rumtek monastery, a short distance from Gangtok, is the contemporary home of Buddhism's Kagyu (Black Hat) sect. The sect gets its name from the ruby-topped headgear used to crown the Karmapa (spiritual leader) during key ceremonies. According to legend, the hat is woven from the hair of angels and, as such, must be kept locked in a box to prevent it from flying back to heaven. According to my Lonely Planet guidebook, "Nobody has seen it since 1993 when the 16th Karmapa died. Only when the 17th Karmapa is finally crowned, will anyone dare to unlock the box and check" (578). Within the Rumtek Gompa Complex, the main monastery building, according to my Lonely Planet, "was constructed between 1961 and 196 to replace the Tsurphu Monastery in Tibet which had been destroyed during China's Cultural Revolution" (577).

Lingdom Gompa was completed in 1998, but it is just as visually attractive as older monasteries I have seen. My Lonely Planet has a nice description: "Its structure grows out of the forest in grand layers with photogenic side towers, though the exterior paintings are not especially accomplished. Th extensively muralled main prayer hall enshrines a large Sakyamuni Buddha wreathed in an expansive gilded aura. Frenetic chanting adds to the magical atmosphere" (578). Indeed, we are able to observe monks chanting and playing cacophonous wind instruments inside the prayer hall. On the day we visit, the monks are also cleaning the entire complex, an intricate task that will presumably fill many days, despite all the monks who are available to work. We watch as they pour soapy water over a ledge to watch some stairs--a photogenic moment.

Jankri waterfalls are not especially impressive, but the park that has been built near them is. The park is a testament to the environmental agenda Sikkim is pushing. There is a wall edged with solar panels to generate energy. The playground consists of a giant wheel which, when propelled by human walking or running, generates energy which is used to play music and light small LEDs. The slide has a belt that moves when someone slides down which also generates music.

I have dinner with the two Americas after our tour and stay one more night in Gangtok before heading off to Pelling.