Page 37 - Seniorstoday November 2022 Issue

way will certainly not match those of your on both evenings that we stayed there. He
star hotels. So will the ‘dhabhas’ which shares this place with 5 dogs, 2 cats, 5 geese
would have ‘chowmein’ and momos on and 3 cows, apart from his wife, daughter
offer as staples in plastic plates. Better to Dekyi, her husband and two children.
wrap a roll from the hotel.
A stop at the tranquil Khecheopalri
Lake nestled in the midst of verdant hills
beckoned us to make a wish which would
be granted by its deity, before heading to
Yuksom, the first capital of Sikkim. It was
here that the first Chogyal, holy king, was
coronated in 1642 so we had to have a peek
at the throne of stone on which he was
anointed.

The sit-out at Biksthang Heritage Farmhouse
Khechuperi Wishing Lake
Our last halt in Sikkim was at an amazing
cluster of nine exquisite log cabins offering
modern facilities, set amidst a lush,
healthy vegetation of pine and fruit and
flower trees in a Himalayan hamlet in a
remote corner of Sikkim, called Biksthang
Heritage Farmhouse. Set up and run by
a 14th generation of Sharkaloa, a fiercely
independent young entrepreneur Dekyi
Gyatso, whilst retaining in pristine
condition the original house built by her The sit-out at Biksthang Heritage Farmhouse
ancestor, its walls adorned with their Their man Jeeves, was at our beck and call,
paintings and portraits, it is a haven of serving us breakfast and lunch on a shaded
peace and tranquility. Her agile father of 80 wooden platform and dinner in their ‘grotto
welcomed us in and regaled us with tales like’ main dining room with decorated
of his ancestry and of the history of Sikkim walls.

SENIORS TODAY | ISSUE #41 | NOVEMBER 2022 37