If someone claims to be old after hitting 70, I will beg to differ. My husband Hosi and I celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary three years back and it has been a joyous journey all along. We party hard, shake a leg at the drop of a hat and travel big time every autumn, until this wretched Covid reared its ugly head. Hoped to commence again this autumn of 2022 but the visa issue stumped us.
So, not to be discouraged, we went local. Aimed for Sikkim with West Bengal thrown in, we came up with very pleasant surprises. Hosi has always booked all the details of travel himself when we head abroad, where we mostly use the public transport. That would have been a challenge in Sikkim so we had to take the help of an agent who looked after all the details meticulously including the car, driver and guide and luxurious hotels.
Driving from Bagdogra airport to Kalimpong, we whizzed past amazing vistas which went from beautiful to spectacular. The Teesta glided along with us for most of our journey, which now unfortunately has turned a bit grey in parts due to the construction of a tunnel. Hope the political jug fest over its waters between M/s. Banerjee and M/s.Haseena does not damage it further. When not Teesta, river Rangeet or its tributary Rimbi would meander along the gorges.
Our hotel Elgin Silver Oaks had an old world charm juxtaposed with luxurious facilities. We woke up in the morning with the soft sunlight brushing our faces and were struck by the stunning view out of the window. Its beautifully manicured gardens below rolling into undulating green pastures, onto glistening green mountains on the horizon with majestic snow-capped Khangchendzonga blinding us with its beauty. As the sun’s rays glide over the mountains, the picture gets more dramatic. With the powdery mist wafting by, it was ethereal. If we did not have a bumper breakfast beckoning us, we would have stood there transfixed endlessly.
Our enthusiastic guide Bunty made sure we made the most of our visit. Would pull us out of the hotel first thing in the morning and take us not to just the most beautiful of places, but also gave us a feel of the local life, walking along the snaking alleys, stepping into people’s homes making agarbatti, gingerly treading through a market, so akin to our Crawford Market, making us purchase delightful avocado, strange bananas, et all.
On the tourist trail we drove to a quaint village of Rishop of Neora Valley National Park where we enthusiastically started tramping up a steep incline into the dense forests. It was so exhilarating, the crisp, cool air and the heady fragrance of moist leaves of the pine trees, but we had to bow to our shortcomings. One replaced hip and one rod inserted for a broken femur warned us of the danger of slipping over loose gravel on the way down, so we had to beat a hasty retreat.
A visit to Deolo Hill, the highest point in Kalimpong was a delight. We never tired of the grand Khangchendzonga within our sight all the time. From this point it was a breathtaking canvas of colours all around us, the eight- acre lush park with blushing flowers and the hills and mountains all around. Tourists of all ages were on high octane, unable to contain the beauty of the place blowing their breath away, interacting with one and all amidst this bounty of nature.
A visit to a monastery subdued our exuberance a bit. The hypnotic chanting of the monks donning magenta robes placed us in an involuntary mesmerising trance from which we had to pull ourselves out due to constraint of time. We were pained to see the decrepit state of Tagore house but elated to see the well maintained one of the star of yesteryears, Devika Rani.
On to Gangtok, the present capital of Sikkim, had nothing much to offer except M.G. Market, a walking street dotted with shops and restaurants. However, our hotel Denzong Regency once more afforded us dazzling views, complementary foot massage and an array of delicacies at breakfast and dinner. Waddled in warm clothes on a trip to Changu Lake nestled at a height of 12,000 feet, we once more drove through picturesque landscapes where we did not dared to take even a ‘cat nap’ during the drive, lest we missed out of any of its beauty or the sight of thunderous waterfalls rolling down the mountains.
Driving further up to almost 17,000 feet, we reached Baba Mandir, a shrine to a soldier who had died, yet who seemed to visit it in person every night to don his soldier’s gear and feed on the delicacies laid out for him! It was a place teeming with tourists come to pay obeisance to his spirit and to try to cure themselves of their ailments with holy water served to them!
A drive to Pelling, a quaint hill station tucked in the mountainous folds of West Sikkim once more afforded us spectacular views, but as with most of these narrow mountainous roads which would put to shame the craters of Mumbai’s monsoon roads, be prepared to be jostled around, holding on to your dentures and spinal discs, sometimes waiting patiently whilst two huge vehicles try to maneuver past each other without a scratch. Keep your bladders light too as the toilets along the way will certainly not match those of your star hotels. So will the ‘dhabhas’ which would have ‘chowmein’ and momos on offer as staples in plastic plates. Better to 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.
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 ancestor, its walls adorned with their paintings and portraits, it is a haven of peace and tranquility. Her agile father of 80 welcomed us in and regaled us with tales of his ancestry and of the history of Sikkim on both evenings that we stayed there. He shares this place with 5 dogs, 2 cats, 5 geese and 3 cows, apart from his wife, daughter Dekyi, her husband and two children.
Their man Jeeves, was at our beck and call, serving us breakfast and lunch on a shaded wooden platform and dinner in their ‘grotto like’ main dining room with decorated walls.
With great pride he took us all around the property, pointing out each tree and plant, tramping over original cobbled stones which would need a heavy pair of shoes to walk on. Food was cooked with their home grown organic produce and served in traditional as well as Western style. It is an experience not to be missed.
I am not sure if ratings of hotels can go up to a 7 star too. If so, Mayfair Tea Resorts in Siliguri would certainly stake a claim on it. Built around a glistening tea garden, its endless long corridors are adorned with magnificent statues and carved wooden cabinets. Its normal rooms would beat the size and luxury of any suite in a ‘starred’ hotel. Its array of dishes served at dinner and breakfast would also win the race. I would need another chapter to talk about the grandeur of this modern palace. Suffice to say, that not only the hotel, but even its owner, who owns eight more hotel properties, left his lasting impression on us, whist taking us around the Director’s lounge housing rare antiques and artifacts.
Am wondering if we should now change our mindset about tramping around Europe and stick to exploring the bounties of nature of our own country. So …. Kashmir here we come! Or may be Kerala …. Or ….
Jai Hind!
Paradise known as Sikkim!