Blogs from Sikkim, India, Asia - page 4

Monday morning I find myself dragging my suitcase back down Gandhi Road in Darjeeling, to the pickup point for my ride to Gangtok in the neighbouring state of Sikkim. A Permit is required for foreigners travelling to Sikkim, as it is a restricted area, and I got mine sorted yesterday. They cost nothing, but you do need a photocopy of your visa/passport and a passport sized photo. I had bought myself two seats in the share jeep for 200 rupees each ($3.75), one for me and one for my backpack, to assure myself of some elbow room. There are usually four people squashed in across a seat where we, in Australia, would legally sit only three. But who cares for legalities here? If four people fit, four people it is! And just for the record, there ... read more

Nous poursuivrons notre visite de Sikkim. Toujours des routes qui descendent vertigineusement en lacets pour traverser les rivières et les remonter de l'autre coté en serpentines nauséantes! Des routes qui contournent les montagnes en découvrant des perspectives époustouflantes sur les vallées. La grande majorité des chauffeurs sont extrêmement jeunes mais ils sont très bons conducteurs, très prudents, avec un grands sens civique. Nous n'avons jamais vu des chauffeurs s'engueuler ou se faire des signes désobligeantes ou sacrer!!!! Pour eux la route se partage vraiment et la politesse est une question de survie. En plus ils sont pas mal zen quand des pepins arrivent: un de nos chauffeurs a eu une panne de moteur et une craiveson - jamais un mot, jamis une grimace, il a tout regle sans aucun commentaire! Nous sommes souvent étonnés par le ... read more

I am into corporate industry by force but an avid traveler and nature enthusiast by choice. My heart always belongs to Mother Nature where I travel to far away from maddening crowd to soak myself into the raw beauty of God’s creation. I have traveled many a times to lesser known places in North Bengal and Sikkim hills due to my fascination of Mount Kanchendzonga and unknown villages and my passion of lifestyle and travel photography, where I try to create travel stories and promote those unknown places through my photos and in return I get enormous warmth and mental peace from the people I meet during my sojourn. I think that the only way we can return some happiness to others is by spreading it. This time around, I planned for a small hike along ... read more

A peculiar sound far in the wild woke me up in the middle of night. I was not deep asleep but the exertion of the 21 km trail was taking a toll on me and I was not able to move my muscle and the reflexes were going weak. The sound repeated and this time it seemed like a sharp cry of some wild beast not very far from our two person’s tent. Santanu on the other hand was already into the world of dreams and somehow managed himself into the sleeping bag. The solar lamp was also almost in the verge of calling it a day and in its twinkling light; Santanu seemed to me like a 6 feet anaconda peacefully sleeping beside me. Well, the day started on a different note when we started ... read more

Wednesday 7thNovember We arrived in Sikkim yesterday. We have to provide passports and visas again here and be stamped into Sikkim even though it is still India. Chinese and Pakistanis are refused entry to Sikkim for political reasons. The roads were blocked for about an hour and a half today. People milled about along the side of the road and the monkeys jumped all over the cars . At one stage a very brave monkey reached into a car and grabbed a packet of chips from the hands of a child, and took off to enjoy his spoils. Very funny indeed! I couldn’t even write this yesterday I was sooo disgusted in our hotel. On the surface it was ok and then I saw the bathroom! Just a big room with a shower nozzle coming out ... read more