Welcome to my blog. My first attempt to log my experience of whatever minimal travelling experience I have. One of the most memorable trips of my life till date has been to Sikkim. The state which I have visited twice and found to be absolutely picturesque. I have planned to write separate blog posts for different locations of the State. I hope you will be able to visualize Sikkim through my eyes. I am sure many of you must have been there and many are on the way of planning; however, the experiences of yours and mine are cherishable in whatever form they are. So lets begin !
Mumbai to Gangtok
The planning to visit Sikkim begun in late December 2017 and eventually it took four months to put all the things together in place. We were a group of 9 members and among them only I was the one who had a prior experience of visiting Sikkim. My friend Dushyant prepared all the itinerary while I assisted him in few of the bookings and plannings. Its always better to plan 2-3 months in advance as April to May and October to November are considered peak season there. Also, if your itenerary includes North Sikkim then a little bit of more preparation is required. We planned to go in the month of April and did all our bookings including travel and hotels in advance.
We took an early morning flight to Kolkata from Mumbai, stayed for a few hours in Kolkata for sightseeing and then boarding the train from Sealdah to New Jalpaiguri for an overnight train journey. Next morning, upon reaching NJP, we boarded our pickup vehicles (prebooked by the hotel in Gangtok) and begun our journey. NJP to Gangtok is an enjoyable 6 hrs scenic drive along the curvy and beautiful Teesta River. It is advisable to keep a light warm cloth with you while you travel upwards the hill station. It will help you in getting adjusted with the changing temperature. By late afternoon we reached Gangtok.
Day 1 : Gangtok (Half day)
We stayed at Hotel Sonam Delek as their super deluxe rooms are super spacious with huge balcony and amenities. Their managers are very friendly and helpful. I knew them since my last visit so we got preferences in choosing rooms as well. The rooms on the 3rd floor are the best for an uninterrupted view of the valley. After getting freshed and ready, few of us went for a stroll and reached the Flower exhibition centre. The place was beautifiul and has loads of variety of flowers in display. You can click pictures and have a good time there. Later that evening we joined our rest of the friends on the streets of the famous M.G. Road. Its always tempting for me to taste the street foods or the local cuisine of the place which i choose to visit. The evening looks beautiful on MG Road with the decorative street lights and multiple variety of food stalls and other shops. The market gets crowded and lively so if you love street shopping then this is the place for you. We had Momos & Noodles as our dinner. The weather in hills is always unpredictable so its advisable to carry a small umbrella with you all the times (we witnessed a good amount of rainfall in the evening). Later at hotel, all of us sat together and enjoyed talking and chit chatting savouring the hot chocolate which was being ordered from the Hotel Kitchen.
Day 2 : Gangtok Sight-seeing
The next morning I witnessed the most beautiful view that I could dream of. The majestic Kanchendzonga range was visible through the valleys. I decided to take a morning stroll with Dushyant while the others got ready for the local sightseeing.
For local sightseeing, I believe a single day is enough in Gangtok. There are various view points which I conveniently ignored as they are generally crowded and chose a few selective ones to visit. Rumtek Monastery, Japanese Temple, Tsuk La Khang Monastery, Gangtok Ropeway etc. We didn't choose so many points as to keep time in hand to explore the spots.
If you love tranquility and want to have some me time away from people then visiting the monasteries is a good idea. Else you can spend time by viewing different view points, a few waterfalls, artificial parks, shopping and exploring local cuisine.
Rumtek Monastery is a bit far from city so we hired a cab to reach and come back to Gangtok. The first half of the day was well spent in monastery. We left the cab after returning and decided to explore the local cuisine in lunch. We walked across a few small hotels across the busy roads of the city until we found a very small local restaurant which offered freshly prepared local food of Sikkim. Unfortunately I do not remember the names of the food items but if you know about those then please mention them in the comments. As far as I remember it had rice, lentils, some local leafy vegetables and few more items. The food was absolutely delicious and our appetite was satisfied to the core.
The second half was equally delightful as we took the ropeway ride seeing the ariel view of the hill city. The ride was fun and I enjoyed a lot. That evening I didn't do much except spending time on MG road and hopping various shops for souvenirs. I bought a few show pieces and some hanging bells for my car. I had the evening tea at 'Golden Tips'. They have a good variety of tea so you can check that place. Also they have some beautiful and traditional tea pot sets and other crockery items which will definitely attract you. The dinner was done at a small shop in one of the congested lanes beside the MG road. I had Thukpa with pork chilli.
Overall the trip this beautiful and clean city of Sikkim was a successful one and I got the opportunity to explore Gangtok by walking also. Walking in the hills is always a positive feeling.
I will be back with more travelogues and experiences. Thank you for taking your time out for reading this.
Stay Happy, Stay Blessed!
You are an amazing blogger👌 beautiful narratio.
keep it up ✌️