http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , India , Sikkim en-us Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:16:02 +0000 Wed, 30 Dec 2009 08:16:02 +0000 After three months already spent here in this Incredible India we realise that 6 months is definitely not enough and that we are for sure coming back for a second round.ldquoIf you think you can you can. And if you think you can't you're rightrdquo First stop Kolkata with hundredandninety percent humidity and monsoon rain. We mingled among the people cows chickens goats drinking chai http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/Kangchendzonga/blog-453292.html I went to Sikkim again this year. I seems that this place is calling me now and then. This is the 4rth time that I have came here.But this time my rout was different. My first halt is at a place called OKHREY.Then I trekked to BARSEY next day from HILLEY.It was a great experience. After staying on day at GURUDZONGMA LODGE in BARSEY I went to RINCHENPONG.This place has a great veiw of KANCHANDZONGA http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/blog-419934.html I went to sikkim in 2006.THis was the first time I went to north.It was the year end.So as I expected I found quite some snow their.Lachung was the most beautiful place that I have ever been to.I went till O point.It was above 19000 ft and all I can see is just snow everywhere. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/blog-419912.html November 2006 I made my first big solo trip. All my savings and years of scheming were directed at one thing to see...no to walk in the Himalayas. I chose to do it the grand way by joining the Himalayas Institute of Mountaineering. A 28 day course with lodging food and the best guides possible and 10 days of roughing it out in the real mountains for Rs. 5000 500USD for foreigners is a deal ha http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/Kangchendzonga/blog-411399.html esta semana estuvo super rica. sikkim tiene un paisaje como elde darjeeling montagnas y verde muy lindo pero a diferencia dedarjeeling anduve en pueblitos muy chicos y pintorescos. he sacadohartas fotos. estuve 2 dias en pelling 3 dias en kecheopari lake y 2 dias enyuksom. ultimamente he conocido mucha gente por aca hay mas ambientehostal versus los hoteles en donde uno esta metido en su pi http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/blog-409718.html Having bid a sad farewell to Jess and Bert we caught the overnight train to Siliguri in West Bengal. This was the end of the railway line and from then on it was to be jeeps or buses. Our next stop was to be Kalimpong so we booked our seats beneath a sign announcing ' Buses to the Hilly Regions'.Kalimpong is a smaller quieter version of Darjeeling on the Sikkim border. It was used as a hill st http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/Kangchendzonga/blog-407225.html Never forget that most generalities have exceptions. For instance the fact that summers in India are really hot does not mean there cannot be snowstorms in May in the mountains. Sadly I'm not speaking hypothetically. Of my seven days of trekking in Sikkim it snowed on four and with the wind chill factor was below freezing on five of the nights. Perfect camping weather Actually the tre http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/blog-399976.html Today is my last day at the Taktse International School a community that in some ways feels so familiar to schools at home it's hard to believe the distance that separates this place from home until I look out the library window at a 15000 foot mountain range. A school in its infancy Taktse began four years ago as this quiet state of Sikkim became inundated with factories and controversial hy http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/Gangtok/blog-399097.html I'm now writing from Sikkim India I came here yesterday leaving the house at 730 and taking a cab to the airport. I packed my bags that morning I'm getting good at doing it quickly keeping all vital items in my day pack i.e. those items that cannot be replaced if loststolen these included wallet all electronics and my Red Sox baseball cap. The domestic section of the airport is re http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/Gangtok/blog-396710.html The main idea haikuUp in the mountainsThe air's cool as am I butHurting after hikeFor those with a little more timeI hope this finds you well. Today marks two full weeks on the other side of the world. My guidebook has been temporarily shelved and my belongings have slowly strewn themselves across the floor of my temporary residence the Chan Bari Guest House in the small city of Gangtok in the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/Gangtok/blog-394573.html Glorious trees of every color of rhododendrons out of a fairy tale sceneYumthang Valley is a valley of flowers. Amazingly gorgeous. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/blog-392050.html The lake that never freezes right across China Gurudongmar North Sikkim Gurudongmar offered surrealistic views with vast tracts of barren land on which wild yaks roamed searching for frozen roots to pull out and chew. Across the plain land was a barren set of mountains which nothing on them except hidden bunkers in which hid Indian soldiers as they guarded against Chinese activities. Sinc http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/blog-392039.html The beautiful village of Chatten near the tiwn town of LachenI remember Chatten was this total surprise of a villagetown. It was far away from the madding crowds needed a authorised tour guide to get us through Chatten Lachen into the north Sikkim had a military base since China is around the corner and was straight out of a movie or a book. Unreal actually. Non touristy. http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/blog-392033.html SUEDSIKKIM......NAMCHIVON RAVANGLA jeep'n wir nach richtung sueden wir sind auf dem weg sikkim langsam aber sicher wieder zu verlassen jedoch nicht ohne in namchi der distriktstadt eine pause einzulegen diese stadt konnten wir ja schon von darjeeling aus sehen und wir haben uns damals gefragt was das riesige leuchtende goldene etwas in weiter ferne weit ueber namchi sein soll IN NAMCH http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/blog-389254.html Sikkim was probably worth a lot more time than we gave the place. It wasn't on our original list probably being knocked off because it needed a special permit is a bit out of the way and seemed really all about temples and gompas which don't really hold that much of an attraction for some of us. There are some excellent looking treks that leave from here and it would have been nice to try one http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/Gangtok/blog-387557.html HelloHere are some pictures of amazing SikkimChristophe http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/blog-382465.html Last year I went to Yamthang for trekking which is located at a distance of approximately 150 Kms from Gangtok.Gangtokcapital city of Sikkim. A hot spring located on the right side of Yamthang river is a popular tourist attraction and in a small distance there is also a Shiv mandir.Yamthang is considered as a valley of flowers and a drive or trek to this place is very refreshing and exciting expe http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/Gangtok/blog-378656.html Yamthang situated at a height of 11800 feet is popularly known as ldquoValley of Flowers.rdquo Located at a distance of 148 Kms from Gangtok it is a paradise for nature lovers with a fascinating blend of flora and fauna and breathtaking scenic beauty. In spring season wild flowers such as primulae and rhododendrons bathe the landscape in rich colours making it a tourist hot spot. The Shingb http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/Gangtok/blog-376376.html Initially Irsquod wanted to take the scenic narrow gauge railway to Darjeeling yes I think Irsquom becoming an anorak but that was before Irsquod been ill in Kolkata. The scenic train would take another 7 hours assuming it didnrsquot come off the rails again and having just about managed 10 hours on the overnight train from Kolkata without being sick I decided not to push my luck http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/Pelling/blog-369937.html The Tsomgo Lake in Sikkim is a holy lake worshipped by the sikkimese. Tsomgo Changu lake is hardly 20 km away from the famous Nathula Pass and about 400 km from Lhasa. A small temple of Lord Shiva is built on the lakeside. Primula flowers and other alpine plantation grow around the Tsomgo Lake which has an average depth of 50 ft provides a pristine beauty to this place. A footpath along the Ts http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Sikkim/Gangtok/blog-363971.html