Sikkim & Assam

Monks at Pelling

The plan was to visit Sikkim for 20 days. But due to practical difficulties, I had to reduce the trip to 8 days.

Day 1: Home – Bagdogra –  Darjeeling

I arrived at Bagdogra airport by approx 3 PM on 22-Sep-2024. Bagdogra, is a small military airport, located in the plains of West Bengal. I plan to take a cab to Pelling today. I walked over to the Sikkim Tourism Office booth at the airport. It’s bad news. The road to Pelling has been closed due to landslides. He suggested that I stop at Darjeeling for the night.

Pelling Skywalk

I took a cab from the airport taxi counter. The roads in Bagdogra are quite good. The winding roads begin as begin the ascent to Darjeeling, There are infinite twists and turns on the road. Even a few years ago, the roads were in a terrible state of disrepair. Now, thanks to the good roads, taxi drivers routinely do 2 trips from Bagdogra to Darjeeling in a day. 

Pelling skywalk

As we get closer to Darjeeling, the railway track for Darjeeling Himalayan Railway starts running parallel to the road. The road crosses the narrow gauge track many times. UNESCO has declared this unique rail built during the British colonial era as a world heritage site. The train is very slow and is predominantly used by tourists. Collisions between the train and other road vehicles are not uncommon. As the track runs on or beside the road, widening the road has become a major issue. My driver remarked that the locals are unhappy with the train.

It’s late when we arrive at Darjeeling. I find accommodation at a hotel near the bus station. Thankfully, the oppressing heat of Bagdogra is behind us. It’s a bit chilly here. Armed with a jacket, I ventured out to find some dinner. As I walk around, I have a faint memory of this place! It was the year 2003 (I think). Sikkim was the second place that I had ever travelled to. After completing the Kachengunga trek, I spend a day or 2 here in Darjeeling. It was from this very bus station that I took a mini bus to Phoenshoeling and onwards to Bhutan. 

Pelling Kanchenjunga falls

Day 2: Darjeeling –  Pelling

 I went over to the taxi stand by 6:30 in the morning to find a share jeep to Pelling.  I am told that share jeeps do not ply to Pelling. I spoke to one of the cab drivers and we agree on the fare. He suggested that we leave early and have breakfast on the road. This way we can beat the terrible traffic jams of Darjeeling. 

Is noon when I arrived at to Pelling. We checked into our hotel. Over the years, Pelling has become a major tourist destination. Pelling is divided into Upper Pelling and Lower Pelling. I’m at Lower Pelling. Both sides of the road are lined with hotels. Thankfully, the winter tourist season has not begun. I am one of the few tourists around. 

Art inside Avalokiteshvara shaped building at Pelling Skywalk

Went for a small walk around town. When I was having lunch, the owner of the adjacent shop came up to me and asked if I wanted a vehicle for sight-seeing. He also told me that rooms are available at his newly built hotel. He took me there in his bike to have a look.  It’s a nice room. Tomorrow, I will check out from my hotel. Then I will move into this room and go for sightseeing in his car. 

Rimby waterfall

In the evening I so for a stroll. The weather is perfect. There is a slight chill in the air. It’s very quiet. I am glad I came here before the mad tourist rush of the winter season. 

Day 3: Pelling

As planned, the cab came to pick me up by 7:30. I checked into the new hotel. To visit all the tourist spots around Pelling, it is mandatory to have a private vehicle.

Pelling Skywalk is one of the modern attractions. It’s a large complex with a decent sized glass bridge. Towering over the complex in a huge statue of Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig). One has to climb quite a few steps to get there. Once there, I realised that it’s not a statue but a building shaped like Avalokiteshvara. The inner walls of the building have beautiful Buddhist paintings. The views from top of this building is quite nice. 

Padmasambhava statue at Namche

Pelling cable car: This was closed during my visit. 

The next stop was Rimby waterfall. It’s a nice spot. But bathing in the waterfall is not recommended. There is an ever present danger of falling stones. 

‘Orange Garden’ was the next stop. This privately owned garden is located beside a river. I spend some time in the fast flowing water. I did collect some stones. 

Kanchenjunga waterfall: A flight of steps will take us close to this large waterfall. But, it’s not possible to step in the waterfall to take a bath. I had lunch in a small wooden hotel beside the waterfall. 

Shrine room at Khecheopalri Lake

Khecheopalri Lake: It’s quite late when I reached here. This is my second visit to this holy lake. (Click here). I have a faint memory of this lake. It was all quiet and secluded then. Today, there are shops and hotels near the entrance. Thankfully, the lake itself has been preserved in pristine condition. Beside the lake is a small prayer room. I went inside. I notice a monk sitting in corner and praying. 

Entrance to Padmasambhava cave

When I was walking to the lake, I saw a board that said “Padmasambhava cave”. I decided to go there. It’s a small narrow walking trail. The trail even passes through the backyard of some rural houses. A lady in one of the houses gave me directions to the cave. It took me about 10-15 to get to Padmasambhava cave. The entrance to the cave is decorated with a lot of prayer flags. The cave itself is quite small and dark. There are a couple of statues inside the cave. A little beyond is a small lookout tower. Only from this vantage point can the lake be seen in its entirety. It’s beautiful. People visiting this holy lake must come up to this spot. 

I get back to my room by 7 PM. At night I met my landlord and booked the cab for next few days. He called me inside his shop and gave be a small bottle of apricot wine as a gift. It was quite nice, but the apricot wine I had in Bhutan was definitely better. (Click here)

Day 4: Pelling –  Namchi

It rained for most of the night. It’s a short drive to Namchi drive. It rained for most of the time we were travelling. We get there by noon. After checking into the room, I went to see the local sights and sounds. 

Char Dham

Char Dham: It a collection of concrete replicas of many Hindu temples including the 12 Jyotir Lingas. There is a large Shiva statue. The building under the Shiva statue is the biggest. It has paintings on the wall depicting stories from the epics. 

Rose garden: While driving down from Char Dham I stopped at this small privately owned garden. There are walking trails that leads to many parts of the garden. This garden has many varieties of plants, not just roses. There is a small café inside. It’s was definitely worth the visit.

Padmasambhava statue at Samdruptse hill 

Samdruptse hill; a.k.a ‘wish fulfilling hill’: From the car park, it’s a beautiful walk to the huge Padmasambhava statue. As I have arrived by closing time, I am alone here. Beside the Padmasambhava statue is a collection of miniature Chortens of various shapes. Each Chorten has a description underneath it that explains the symbolic meaning of its shape. Do not miss the gorgeous collection of photographs of old Sikkim from the turn of the last century at the bottom of Padmasambhava statue. From Samdruptse hill, Char Dham and Bhaichung Stadium are visible. Bhaichung stadium was constructed by the Sikkim’s government to honor Bhaichung Bhutia, one of India’s finest football players. 

The town center is walking distance from my hotel room. By 7 PM, I went out for a walk around town. There is a beautiful walking street with a central square. It’s quite nice; something more Indian cities should have. I have dinner from one of the restaurants in the central square. 

Bhaichung stadium at Namchi

Day 5: Namchi –  Charkhole

The heavy rains have not stopped since last night. In such heavy rains, landslides are a strong possibility.  We start early in the morning. We plan to have breakfast on the road. After driving about an hour, my driver pointed out that there are no vehicles coming in the opposite direction. This is a tell-tale indication that the road is blocked by landslides.  

We keep driving until we reach a restaurant. The beautiful 2 storied restaurants is located beside the river that separates Sikkim from West Bengal. From the restaurant, I can see the traffic jam on the other side of the river. The waiter told me that traffic has been stationary since he woke up in the morning! There is nothing much to do. We wait at the hotel for the traffic to start moving. Thankfully, about an hour later, I noticed that the traffic has started moving in one direction. We resume our journey. 

My homestay at Charkhole

As we arrive as the river, there is a large backlog of vehicles. The traffic is moving, but very slowly. I cannot get out from the car because it’s raining heavily. From the bridge that separates Sikkim and West Bengal, the massive landslide comes into view. Diggers are working furiously to remove the mud and stones that are continuously falling down. It took a while before we cleared the landslide area. 

Around Khecheopalri Lake

Stopped for lunch at Kalingpong. It’s still raining heavily. As there was no parking, my driver dropped us in the main market area and drove away. I enquired around and I am directed to a restaurant that’s famous for rice and traditional mutton curry. Located below the main road, the small local restaurant is easy to miss. It was quite crowed. The rice-dal-mutton lunch was as quite good. 

We resumed the journey to our homestay in Charkhole. I had booked this place online. My driver spoke to the owner of the homestay. In a happy tone, he told me that the property belonged to his uncle. He had not met them in a while and was going to stay with them. When I told him that it’s his lucky day, he replied that this uncle is a “Shakuni-wala mama”!!! 

The homestay was off the main road. Through a narrow dirt road, we reached the homestay. It’s a secluded old fashioned building. The driver dropped us and went off to his uncle’s house. In West Bengal, the cost of meals is included in price of the homestay. The caretaker bought us tea and snacks in the evening. He said that the beautiful views are hidden by the rain clouds. It did not stop raining until we went to sleep. 

 

Day 6: Charkhole –  NJP –  Guwahati/Kamakhya 

The rains have not stopped for the last 2 days. My cab came to pick me up at 07:30. He informed me that the traffic on road we travelled yesterday has been closed due to landslides. The original plan was to stay in Sikkim yesterday and then travel to NJP today. Thankfully, I made the right choice. 

I reached New Jalpaiguri railway station by noon. Due to the construction activity, one has to get off the vehicle and walk quite a bit to reach the station. It’s raining cats and dogs. I’m drenched in the rain when I reached the station. The train arrived 1.5 hrs late. It’s 2000 when I reached m rom at Kamakhya.

Day 7: Kamakhya

Went to Paltan Bazaar by 11. Did the circuit around Nilanchal hillock.

Day 8: Kamakhya – Home

Took the evening flight back home. It’s raining heavily. The Uber driver who was driving me home turned out to a part time author. He gave me a free copy of his latest book as he judged be a “traveler”. Now, that’s a compliment worth living for! 

Kacheoperi lake