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    • The Great India Adventure
      2232432
      Day 20

      Exploring Gangtok

      April 23, 2023 in India ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F

      We enjoyed the luxury of a leisurely morning today and then spent the day walking around the heart of Gangtok.

      We discovered that our lovely, peaceful hotel is unfortunately not very conveniently located for getting into town easily, but our hotel arranged for a taxi to take is in, which showed up eventually. A lot of the roads surrounding the city itself are horrendous. The worst we’ve encountered on our trip. So it’s a slow 30+ minute drive into town on rough, twisty roadways.

      Despite that we enjoyed poking around Gangtok. We rode a gondola that we honestly thought might take us to a higher viewpoint than it did, but it was a handy way to easily get elevation in a city built on a hill. In the heart of the city is a mall/street closed off to cars that was full of shops and people. Even the grocery/department store that we visited had a stunning view.

      We came upon a fire engine in the middle of Gangtok that was filling water bottles for people out of its tank. Later we learned that the main water line/source to the city was damaged by a mud slide 7 days ago. I guess we are lucky to be far out of town after all, where the water system is fine.

      We have booked an auto tour for tomorrow to Tsongmo Lake with a couple of other Rickshaw Run participants who we ran into in town. It’s about a 2 hour drive higher up into the mountains. We had to apply for a special travel permit in order to go on this trip tomorrow because we will be within several miles of the Chinese border! Wow!      Read more

    • The Great India Adventure
      2
      Day 23

      Flying from Pakyong airport on SpiceJet

      April 26, 2023 in India ⋅ ☁️ 72 °F

      (You know I want to call it SPICYjet!). Whew, we made it out of Sikkim!

      Visiting the state of Sikkim was in interesting experience for sure, not only because we ended up inadvertently staying in a hotel where it was tough to get a taxi to go anywhere, and everything was way to far away to walk.

      Having to get a permit and essentially a visa to enter the state when we drove in and then having to sign out again at the airport was unique. And we threw the officials off by staying an extra day than we had initially planned when we got our permit. It flummoxed them despite the fact that our permit was good for 30 days. Luckily the official’s superior, reached by phone, said it was fine to let us go, haha!

      This airport is one of the 5 highest in India and was opened in 2018. Only one flight leaves this airport a day, 5 days a week, and they just go to Delhi. I swear there are as many employees at the airport as there were passengers on our full airplane!

      (Edited to add a video of our take-off that Eric took)      Read more

    • The Great India Adventure
      15541
      Day 19

      WE MADE IT TO GANGTOK!!

      April 22, 2023 in India ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

      We did it! With an hour to spare!

      We had to stop at the border of the state of Sikkim because they are not open to anyone just coming in. What we were told would take 10 minutes actually took 2 hours waiting in two different lines, so we were very glad that we left Darjeeling earlier than we originally planned. The up side is that we had a wonderful conversation with a Nepalese mountain guide who was in line behind us.

      We are staying in a gorgeous hotel away from the center of Gangtok. I’ll share pics of it tomorrow. Now we are off to the finish line party!      Read more

    • The Great India Adventure
      226
      Day 21

      Kirat Rai Cultural Center

      April 24, 2023 in India ⋅ 🌙 57 °F

      We learned that the hotel we are staying in near Gangtok is actually much more than a hotel. It is part of an integrated complex that includes an active temple and a cultural center for the Kirat Rai community, which is one of over 33,000 sects within the Hindu religion.

      Since day 1 when we showed up here, a particular person has been sort of a guardian angel to us. His name is Sanjai, and he has helped us get situated when we first arrived, gave us his number and said to call if we had any issues (we have done so many times to help with communication and logistics), and has just been super friendly and helpful. Well, he does not even work for the hotel, he works for the cultural center!

      It turns out his Hindu community, backed by the state of Sikkim, built the entire complex to preserve, promote, and keep alive their cultural history and traditions. The hotel (the nicest we have ever stayed in, no exaggeration) was built both as an income-earning property and a guesthouse for visitors to the center.

      So when Sanjai was done with his official work for the day, he gave us a detailed tour of the entire facility. Along the way we got an incredible lesson in the culture, history, and traditions of his Hindu community. This community numbers about 2 million worldwide.

      The place has amazing architecture, artwork and displays which walk you through the formative stories of his religion. We even got to visit the inside of the temple, and see some textiles made from nettle fiber (traditional to his group).

      It was such an incredible and meaningful tour. After which we continued to be completely spoiled by the hotel staff!      Read more

    • The Great India Adventure
      1833112
      Day 21

      Tsongmo Lake

      April 24, 2023 in India ⋅ ☁️ 39 °F

      What an interesting experience visiting this lake was. Unfortunately the clouds prevented us from having a distant view of mountains, but the lake was beautiful. Our trip was timed well - there was wet snow and hail falling as we started back down.

      The area up and down the road is populated periodically by the military and their support services, AND people who support the tourist industry. There are areas along the road where photos are prohibited, where soldiers are up in lookout towers.

      Our guide stopped us at a little shop for tea and breakfast (Bread Omelet - yum!) and rubber boot rental. I wished later that I’d stuck to my hiking shoes for better traction in the slushy snow.

      At the lake there is a ropeway (gondola) that usually would take people up higher, but it was closed for maintenance. So we walked along the lake a ways, and Eric rode on a yak!!      Read more

    • The Great India Adventure
      221481
      Day 22

      Namgyal Institute of Tibetology

      April 25, 2023 in India ⋅ ⛅ 72 °F

      We planned with the man at the front desk of our hotel to have a driver all day today who would take us to the Institute of Tibetology in Gangtok proper, drive us to the pedestrian mall for lunch, and then take us to a monastery about 15 minutes past the hotel before delivering us back to the hotel. I think a red flag was that this morning we had to pay the guy at the desk instead of the taxi driver, and it was a bit expensive. Come to find out that a middle-man had told the taxi driver that he was only driving us to the Institute and back, and the taxi driver wouldn’t budge when we realized this after our visit to the Institute. He finally relented and did take us to the monastery past our hotel, but it was the first really sour experience on our trip, so I think we are doing pretty well!

      The photos are from the Institute (a repository for artifacts of Tibetan Buddhist culture and a library of history and teachings going way back), plus a Buddhist monastery near it in Gangtok and then the monastery near our hotel. Photography was restricted in some parts of places we visited today, unfortunately.      Read more

    • TravelerBhutan 🇧🇹 2024
      Day 7–8

      Klöster auf den Höhen und Häuser am Hang

      March 30 in India ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

      Nochmal ein kleines bisschen mehr Sonne bis zum frühen Nachmittag. Anschließend blieb wenigstens der Regen aus. Eindrücke von vier buddhistischen Klöstern machen klar, dass zu den Besonderheiten von Sikkim auch die große religiöse Bedeutung in der Himalayaregion, nicht nur für die verschiedenen Richtungen des Buddhismus, sondern auch für Hindus, Sikhs u. a.
      Dass Politik und Religion dabei eng ineinander greifen, wird durch verschiedene geschichtliche Phasen, bis heute im lfd. Wahlkampf deutlich.
      Da sich die Klöster oben auf den Bergen, befinden, war mal wieder viel rauf und runter angesagt. Dabei waren immer wieder die Orte sichtbar, die an die Berghänge hingekleistert mit ihren Gebäuden in die Höhe streben. Dabei kann der eine Eingang im Erdgeschoß und der zweite im sechsten Stock sein, bei nächsten Straße am Hang. Dass da auch einzelne Seilbahnen zum Stadtbild gehören, versteht sich von selbst.
      Noch zwei Details zum Straßenverkehr: an vielen Stellen sind Teerflächen durch eingelassene Steine rutschfester gemacht. Wahrscheinlich kostengünstig, aber mühsam.
      Der Verkehr ist sehr chaotisch, aber hier in Sikkim von der Polizei ganz angemessen geregelt. Unsereins erwartet alle 20 Sekunden einen Zusammenstoß, doch es scheint kaum was zu passieren... Ich fühle mich an Sri Lanka erinnert... 😉

      und wieder die Hälfte der Bilder von Harald      Read more

      See translation
    • TravelerBhutan 🇧🇹 2024
      Day 8–9

      Ab und hoch nach Kalimpong

      March 31 in India ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

      Auf dem Weg von Gangtok (Sikkim) nach Kalimpong (Westbengalen) kreuzen wir nochmal den Teesta und sehen die großen Zerstörung der Blitzflut von Oktober 2023. Beim Anschauen eines entsprechenden Videos https://youtu.be/CDSv16-tL-E?si=cDssWqkl7HGdC_Wo fällt mir die Ahr ein...
      Die steile Fahrt aus dem Flusstal zu unserem Tagesziel unterbrechen wir mit ein paar Kilometern zu Fuß. Wir sehen viele Blumen und einen kleinen Hindutempel. Das Mittagessen bereitet heute eine Familie für uns zu und wir essen bei sonnigem Wetter mit Kindern und Ziegen draußen.
      Hindutempel und Buddhaklöster säumen unseren Weg auch heute, mit der Besonderheit, dass wir heute eine buddhistische Gebetszeremonie, ein Puja erleben durften..
      Ein paar Meter Fussweg durch ein Einkaufsviertel und ein erstes buthanesisches Abendessen (sehr lecker!} runden den Tag ab.

      Dank an Harald für Bilder und Film.      Read more

      See translation
    • Indien
      Day 8

      Gangtok - Waiting for better roads

      October 10, 2022 in India ⋅ 🌧 19 °C

      We arrived in Gangtok! The biggest city in sikkim. We start to enjoy the trip a lot more because the people are really kind and the mountainscapes are just mindboggeling. We try to organize some trips to the nearby lakes and figured out we need for everything a guide around here. might be a workaround to support the local economy but we don't mind. Our guide is a nice young guy, he shows us around and cares for permits which you need as a foreigner for nearly everything. We are able to visit a nearby mountain lake at 3.400m altitude and find some grumpy yaks. We enjoy the cold humid weather and some momos with milktea 🥰. Its amazing that you can buy these tasty little snacks at each corner. you will sit in a metal shack on plastic chairs but still think there is nothing better on earth right now.

      Our plan is to try to reach a high altitude hotel which is hard to reach. We get the information that the roads are closed because of heavy landslides. So we wait and hope the roads gets clear soon.

      In the meantime we discover gangtok and its food. There are dogs which are very friendly and we met our friend from switzerland again. what are the odds!      Read more

    • Loop-da-Loop in Sikkim

      Auf ins Himalaya!

      July 29, 2023 in India ⋅ ☀️ 39 °C

      fp — Wieder einmal Lust auf Indien. Diesmal hoch in den Norden - in den Himalaya. Aber wohin genau? Ans andere Ende Indiens im Vergleich zu 2015. Nach Uttarkhand - oder nach Ladekh oder gar nach Kaschmir? Uttarkhand kennt Mila schon. Ladakh ist natürlich eine gute Möglichkeit. Kaschmir zur Zeit instabil. Oder tief in den Osten, zu den Seven Sisters? Von dort gibt es heiße Reisetipps von coolen Freunden. Wo es allerdings einen akuten Mangel an hohen Bergen gibt. Dafür warten einige ethnokulturelle Highlights sowie Tiger und der roter Panda. Oder vielleicht ein Kompromiss, man täuscht die Route zu den Seven Sisters vor, biegt dann aber bei Darjeeling Richtung Sikkim ab.

      Sikkim, das bis 1975 ein mehr oder weniger souveränes Königreich war, bis es als kleinster Bundesstaat Indiens einverleibt wurde. Soll ähnlich schöne Berge haben wie Ladakh. Man kommt an Darjeeling vorbei (wo es neben tollen Teeplantagen auch eine Dampfeisenbahn geben soll). Den roten Panda und den Tiger kann man mit etwas Glück auch sehen. Und etwa ein Drittel der Einwohner sind Buddhisten. So tauchen wir auch ein wenig in die tibetische Kultur ein. Spannend! Sikkim soll es sein. Umrahmt von einer Ankunft im magischen Varanasi und einem Abschied in der bengalischen Stadt der Paläste: Kalkutta. Top - wir haben einen Plan!

      Ach ja, ein kleines Detail: Regenzeit. Alle Klimatabellen sagen für den Reisemonat August Monsun voraus. Wir fragen uns, ob man diesen Tabellen trauen kann? Regenzeiten verschieben sich doch sowieso! Wird schon gut gehen.

      EDIT: Regenzeiten scheinen sich nicht zu verschieben. Allein im Monat Juli 2023 fällt in Sikkim eine Niederschlagssumme von 1022mm. Vergleichswert Gesamtniederschlag ganz Deutschland 2022: 670mm. Mal sehen, was das vor Ort bedeutet...      Read more

      See translation

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    East District

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