SCINTILLATING, SENSATIONAL, STUNNING, SOLEMN, SERENE SIKKIM......Part IV

On our return leg, we reached Gangtok the State’s Capital and stayed in the Mewa Regency on our way to Darjeeling.

To cover the time, we took the Cable Car which takes you from one end of the City to the other.

The market area here is so neat and clean.  As usual, I picked up some Ganeshas.

Talking about food, we enjoyed ‘’MOMOS’’ which is specific to the North East.  This is similar to our ‘’salted pillayar kozhukattai (modak)’’ which is made of Maida flour and filled with Cabbage or Cauliflower most of the time.

The Sikkimese are very friendly and hospitable and converse freely in English and you can see a lot of foreigners visiting this place.

Hope you enjoyed a short tour of Sikkim with me !!

                                  THE END

SCINTILLATING, SENSATIONAL, STUNNING, SOLEMN, SERENE SIKKIM......Part III

Our next halt was at Chungthang which is in North Sikkim and is a Confluence of Lechen and Lachung Chu rivers. This is where the Teesta River starts. What a beauty to see the glacial water passing through,,,,,,

Teesta River is the lifeline of the Indian State of Sikkim. It was so wonderful to travel along with the river while climbing up and down the numerous hills of Sikkim.

We proceeded to Lachung next where we halted in the night.  Lachung is also winter haunt for skying. Unfortunately that night I took very ill and the next day could not go to Yumthang Valley,  the valley of flowers and fauna.  We heard that there are more than 20 varieties of Rhododendrons in the valley.  Yumthang ‘’Tsa-Chu’’ is a hot spring and noted for its curative and healing power.

There are so many natural waterfalls and we always used to stop the vehicle and taste the cold water. The Kyongnosla waterfall and the Seven Sisters waterfall were just amazing and a sight to behold !! (especially for us Chennaites where there is scarcity of rain and water !!)

(TO BE CONTINUED.......TOMORROW)

SCINTILLATING, SENSATIONAL, STUNNING, SOLEMN, SERENE SIKKIM ..... Part II

We also had the taste of a lot of gardens like the Saramsa Garden and the Jawaharlal Nehru Botanical Garden where there are a lot of artificial waterfalls and excellent recreation and picnic spot. 

Coming to Tsomgo Lake which is situated at an altitude of 12,500 ft. is 40 kms from Gangtok city. The lake is about 1 km long, oval in shape, 50 ft deep and regarded as a holy place.  When we reached there the lake was fully covered with fog and mist and so cold (about 2/3 deg) and there is a climb up on the hill adjacent to the lake where there was snow (0 deg) and we played like kids.  You can have Yak rides to go further into the lake in the snow ……..though I did not venture climbing on them (my SIL did).

There were ‘’n’’ number of Monasteries which we deferred to see owing to time and rides up and down the hills.

Our next stopover was at the Khecheopalri Lake, a sacred wish fulfilling lake for Buddhists and Hindus in the North West Pelling town of Sikkim. There is a small worship place and from there one can reach the fence of the lake and can throw coins into it after prayers.  The belief is that what one wishes is fulfilled if we pray to the goddess Tara of this lake.

Prayer Flags are a common feature all over theState and this is a tradition of Buddhism. Prayers are written on individual flags for various reasons like prosperity, good health, weddings, to ward off evil eye etc. The Priest at the Monastery will chant prayers with the flags at the altar.  These are then handed over to the person who has requested them. Each flag is then hoisted on a bamboo pole and placed outside the house or wherever required. In this picture you can see the flags hoisted around the lake.

(TO BE CONTINUED......... TOMORROW)

SCINTILLATING, SENSATIONAL, STUNNING, SOLEMN, SERENE SIKKIM .......Part I

Sikkim is a small Himalayan State in the North East of India. Its capital is Gangtok.  Since it is bordering China there is a lot of army presence in the State and one needs special passes to travel within the State.  Fortunately our travel agent had made all arrangements for us including the passes, transport and all hotel arrangements.

Since Sikkim is in the Himalayan Ranges, it can only be reached by road transport.  The nearest Airport is Bagdogra in West Bengal and the Railway Station is New Jalpaiguri also in W.B.

There are 2 Seasons to travel:

1.              Spring/Summer – April to June

2.           Fall/Early Winter – September to December.

We had the opportunity to travel to Sikkim in April 2009 since we had a wedding to attend in Kalimpong, W.B. We decided to combine the wedding and a small vacation for ourselves.  The entire trip was for 12 days, 3 days in Kalimpong, 6 days in Sikkim and 3 days in Darjeeling.

Since we were transitting in and out of Gangtok we decided to taste the hospitality of 2 hotels there.  We checked into Orange Valley Resort on our way in from Kalimpong. 

Our first visit was to the Enchey Monastery meaning solitary temple, 3 kms from the city of Gangtok. The place was so silent and serene and situated at such a beautiful spot that one does not feel like coming away from there. 

We visited the famous Nalanda University which is just above the Rumtek Monastery in Eastern Sikkim 24 kms from Gangtok. We could see the monks of all ages mainly from the Himalayan Region. 

These pictures of Orchids are taken at the Flower Show that is always held at the famous White Hall just below the Palace Ridge Park which is the office of the Sikkim Government.

Our next visit was to Ganeshtok which is a small temple of Ganesha situated on the Gangtok – Nathula Road.  We took some pictures dressed up in their traditional Sikkimese outfit.

Tashi View Point is another famous tourist spot which is a small climb of steps from where one can see the opposite hills very clearly. We bought some cushion covers from there depicting the Tibetan Origin and their Culture.

(TO BE CONTINUED.....TOMORROW)

 

2 More Awards !!

I had been travelling for the last couple of months and had not had the time to sit and pen a few lines on my blogs and emails.

Today I take the opportunity to thank 2 people who have given me these awards.

Thanks a lot Leela of http://leelashobbies.blogspot.com/ for presenting me with this award.

Thanks a lot Vijaya of http://bunnyvj.blogspot.com/ for presenting me with this award.

I am so sorry for the delay in thanking you both !!

Coming to me:
1.  I love travelling.
2.  I love to teach people what little I know in the way of crafts.
3.  I love Jewellery Making.
4.  I like meeting and making new friends.
5.  I always encourage people in whatever they do.
6.  I love eating and
7.  I love photography.

Now it is my turn to pass these 2 AWARDS on to some more talented bloggers:

1. Deepa Seshadri of http://deepsesh.blogspot.com/

2. Nityakalyani of http://nityakalyani-kalmat.blogspot.com/

3. Lakshmi Sadala of http://sadalas.blogspot.com/

4. Zova of http://zovascreations.blogspot.com/

5. Viji ma of http://viji-crafts.blogspot.com/

To accept the awards please link back to me.
Wish you all the very best in blogging !!!!!!