Sikkim

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We spent about a week in the northern Indian state of Sikkim. Sikkim is a relatively new part of India and the people think of themselves as Sikkimese/Nepalise. Located between Nepal, China, Bhutan and the state of West Bengal (India), Sikkim was made a part of India with help from the Brits.

In an effort to keep it part of India, Sikkim receives relative autonomy and funding for public services. As a result, the roads are quite good despite the hilly terrain and the citizens enjoy a good quality of life. Unlike some Indian states, alcohol is made and consumed here legally. We have read that the rates of alcoholism here are the highest in India. But, hey, it keeps the people happy.

Tourists need a free but special permit to travel to Sikkim -- more evidence of the special status of the state.

We travelled along the windy roads from Darjeeling to a small town called Pelling. It appears that every building in Pelling is a hotel and we wondered how busy this place must get once the monsoon passed.

There are a few well-known treks that originate from Pelling. As the weather was still pretty rainy and hence leechy in the forest, we limited our trekking to visiting the local monasteries and did a day-long walk to a sacred lake called Khecheopalri. We stayed at a basic little family home near the lake where we did our best to support child labour as the cooks were certainly under 11. (Where's my dinner, dammit? Can't you reach the stove?)

After our mini-trek, we decided to head to the state capital city of Gangtok. After nearly two weeks of damp, we were ready for some laundry and city amenities.

The ride to Gangtok was mostly scenic, but nearly finished us both off due to the winding roads and crazy driving. We almost filled some plastic bags, despite missing lunch. The 112 km trip took over five hours.

Once we arrived in Gangtok and dropped off our laundry, we learned that there was going to be a day-long state strike in two days. Everything including shops, restaurants, businesses, schools and stores would be closed for the day.

We spent the next day doing errands around town and hoarding a water supply in preparation for the strike. On strike day, we snuck down to the kitchen in our hotel where two of the young guys cooked us and a handful of other travellers meals on the sly.

The rest of the day we spent wandering the vehicle-free streets of Gangtok. Only the occasional military or otherwise official vehicle drove by. Kids were playing cricket and badminton in the shockingly quiet streets. And locals and tourists alike were out walking. No honking today! What a nice break.

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