How much steep walking is needed to reach Permayangste & Tashiding monasteries?

tacita

yes, DJ is quite a contrast to the chaos of the big cities--so long as you avoid the frenetic, labyrinthine bazaar!

there are several buddhist monasteries sprinkled around DJ, e.g., the ghoom monastery. i went to tiger hill in the wee hours by jeep and, after a disappointing non-sunrise, walked back to DJ, stopping at a few monasteries along the way. also worth visits are the japanese peace pagota, the tibetan refugee self-help center, and basta busti (sp?). any decent guide will identify these places, among others of interest. seasonally (when the days are long), there are traditional dance performances in the nightengale park in the evenings. not sure if the season is right now, but it's worth inquiring or taking a walk down there at around 5pm.

while in DJ, you may want to pick up a tiny pocket guide to sikkim, available in the bookstore and the the nearby photo shop (just off the main square--the names escape me now). i found it to be an excellent after-the-fact summary of sikkim's highlights in a much simpler and better informed presentation than the usual guidebooks.

i didn't trek in sikkim (i was there in february). however, many members here have and you can find information about in by perusing the sikkim forum. for peaceful contemplation, i recommend the mountain views from pelling and from the dubdi monastery in yuksom.

hope this helps.

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patrickday

the book is in darjeeling bookshop 695 rps... as for the clothes i am in sikkim in 3 days i will tell you than

SilverMaple

Thanks for your good wishes & the info on Sangachoeling, which is a place I'd been wondering about visiting. If we do get to the Kewzing Bon monastery, I'll ask them about your photos & see if I can clarify a postal address.

I'll give some feedback in this forum from the trip.

Ambasagou

Thanks Patrick! Can't wait to hear about the weather and your impressions of Sikkim. It's hard to know how many warm clothes we really need to pack. I'm hoping to get away with a pair of jeans and a fleece, as we are also doing Goa in the same month long trip! No need to carry around too many bulky clothes.

Are you visiting the Yangsum farm in Rinchenpong?

Ambasagou

Janice, I would be glad to ask at the school if they received your photos. How far is Yuksom from Tashiding? I think you may have confused Yangsum with Yuksom. We've reserved a place at Yangsum farm in Rinchenpong, which is in Western Sikkim and not too far from Tashiding.

How much did you pay for your car and driver/guide? We may want to do this for our last three days in Sikkim, after spending 3 days in the environs of the farm in Rinchenpong. The farm homestay is charging 2,500 INR just to pick us up at the train station in New Jalpaiguri and bring us the 4 hour trip to Yangsum. That seems steep compared to things I've read in guide books, but these books can be outdated too, which is why I'd like to hear from someone who has been there recently.

I mention this, because at that rate, we may do better to not book the 3-day driver/guide through the farm homestay, but to do it elsewhere, once we've finished our stay there.

We only have 6 days in Sikkim/Darjeeling. this is our current plan:

Day 1 - Arrival in New Jalpaiguri. Transfer by car to Rinchenpong - Yangsum Farm Homestay.
Day 2 - Yangsum Farm Homestay. Hiking in vicinity
Day 3 - Yangsum Farm Homestay. Hiking in vicinity
Day 4 - ??
Day 5 - ??
Day 6 - ??
Day 7 - Fly from Bagdogra Airport to Mumbai via Calcutta

Could anyone make suggestions for us for days 4,5,6??

tacita

thanks!
yes, i thought it was an alternate spelling of yuksom; however, it is nonetheless the same place i was originally going to stay. yuksom is also not far from tashiding--"not far" being relative, of course.
you can find some cost particulars for my trip in post #7 in this thread.

patrickday

i am in sikkim (gangtok) today weather is okay its evening and a light jacket''however road into sikkim takes longer than usual i hear but passable.. no i visit rumtek tomorrow . will make my way to pelling then the monestry trek which takes inPEMAYANGSTE/SANACHOLING/KHECHOPALRI LAKE AND MONESTRY/ DUBDI MONESTRY AND LEGSHIP..

Ambasagou

Patrick, I hope you're having a nice time in Sikkim. Where were you coming from before arriving in Gangtok? New Jalpaiguri? If so, I'm curious how long the journey took. Are you doing all of this along, or through a local agency (car/driver) etc...

Have a wonderful time.

patrickday

i went njp darjeeling takes 3hours (worth a viist), darjeeling gantok jeeps leave every hour at least takes 4 hours... do not use local agency i know some people use them , but really no need ...... believe more fun doing it the local way . ganktok to pelling two jeeps a day 7am and 12 or 1 (depending who you ask) in afternoon 160 rps ...as for pelling do not know on my way in 1 hour....... rumtek monastry my favourite in gangtok however i walked there so as to take in a more local atmosphere of sikkim however its 24 km and last 14 up hill or 30 rps and less than an hour in shared jeep.

Ambasagou

This is so much fun to track your journey through your short messages. It's almost as if I've been able to leave for my own trip a couple of days early!

Can't wait to hear about Pelling. I hear the views from there are stunning. Have the skies been clear during the day? Do let me know where you stay in Pelling. Continue having a great and safe adventure! Since our journeys are only about 3 weeks apart, let me know of any particular places to stay, restaurants, people, sites not to be missed.

But don't be on the computer too long! ENJOY SIKKIM~!

robotvoice

I am also curious as to the views/weather in sikkim. i will be leaving for pelling in a couple of days, hoping for better views. right now darjeeling is under a blanket of clouds...

brownboy66

puchoo

would this include baby-sitting as well...

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Sidharth

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