Advertisement
Published: November 18th 2014
I recently visited
North East (India), covering
Gangtok – Pelling – Darjeeling over a span of around 9 days. It is a ‘must visit’ place for all of us who appreciate the simpler & finer things in life.
Gangtok is a modern city with
well laid out infrastructure,
sorted public transportation &
stylish market places. What instantly attracted me to the city was its
cleanliness! Some of the main places to visit around
Gangtok are -
Tshangu Lake,
Baba Mandir &
Nathu La (
Indo China border). Taxis are easily available to all these places. However, be ready for a long jolting drive dangerous enough to scare the shit out of you, unless you are an adventure freak like me! The roads connecting
Gangtok to all these places are very narrow (
at specific places), slippery (
during rains) & also under construction (
at least they were till a couple of months back). However, the drive was beautiful & not one to be missed.
The downpour here will scare you & the city becomes spooky during late evenings. I would recommend every traveler to walk the roads of
Gangtok post sunset; especially if as a teenager you have visualized yourself as part of ‘The Famous Five’ adventures. I lived the book here! This was one experience that will stay with me forever.
My next destination was
Pelling. The drive from
Gangtok to
Pelling was enchanting & seemed endless! But it was the most beautiful drive ever! & you must count the number of waterfalls on the way, irrespective of the size, of course! You will be amazed. The waterfalls on the way to
Pelling together can fill up an ocean!
Pelling is a place for self-adventure. It is not as commercialized as
Gangtok or
Darjeeling. Tourists are far lesser & it is quiet & serene. It is one place where you can go anywhere & walk any road! I went on several self-treks with my husband, during the wee hours of the morning, which is the best time to get lost in the beauty of the place! During one such trek, we wandered into an enclosure of thick bamboo trees where we heard a bird singing or whistling actually. It was the most melodious whistle ever. I was so enchanted by it that I sat there (
not sure for how long!) recording the bird’s whistle. I also attempted whistling back to the bird (
stupid I know!). Every time I whistled the bird replied back with its unique whistle, or so I felt! It was my first conversation with a bird & hence I did not know what to make out of it! Nevertheless, it was the best conversation I have had with anyone so far!
While the local site-seeing guys will tell you several places in & around
Pelling worth visiting,
‘Rabdantse Ruins’ is one of the best places to go. You will have to walk up to this place (
quite a long walk) but the ruins are worth it. From the top of the ruins look down at the thick trees & valleys & look up at the clouds & sky & you would feel you are hanging in the middle of both with no earth under your feet!
Darjeeling was my last destination. The drive to
Darjeeling was another one of ‘never-to-be-forgotten’ drive with ‘greener-than-green’ tea gardens! However, the condition of some part of the roads connecting both the places was quite pathetic. The first sight of the hill station was quite chaotic with narrow lanes full of people & taxis with shops on both sides. I hardly believed that it is a hill station! However, as I moved up leaving the bustling streets & shops behind me, I realized that it is indeed one of the most beautiful hill stations I have ever seen. That’s the beauty of
Darjeeling. It’s not seen instantly. You have to work hard to see it. But it’s worth all the effort. I found my own secret corners in the streets of
Darjeeling, from where I appreciated its beauty. From one such secret corner, I saw clouds moving towards me slowly covering the entire valley. I felt those clouds on my face & I also felt them getting converted into tiny droplets of water. I saw the creation of rain. It felt like talking to God. That moment was heaven for me, one which will stay with me forever. I would recommend to all travellers, go find your secret corner there; one that you would not have to share with anyone!
The tea estates are the main attractions of
Darjeeling, which are found mostly on the way, other than that the
Ghoom Monastry & Batasia Loop trip by
Toy Train is another excitement. However, the toy trains are extremely slow. If you can beat that, it is a must-try!
This trip of mine was more about the journey & less about the destinations. I think I did not even care much about where I was going! Because the journey was way too enchanting & beautiful! It is a ‘must-go’ place for every traveler who enjoys living the journey.
Should you have any questions / require any details or need help planning this trip, drop in a message. I would love to help.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.084s; Tpl: 0.009s; cc: 6; qc: 44; dbt: 0.0517s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Prachi
non-member comment
Accomodation
We are two young women backpackers (aged 23) visiting Gangtok for 3 days and looking for a place of stay in low yet safe budget hotels. Are there any women hostels in the city ? I got some information about a backpacker’s women’s hostel at Deoralia bazaar. However, I could not find any contact number. Are there any government information centres or website for tourism from where I can get information about this hotel. Or if you have any idea of such places, do let us know.