Sikkim trip reflections

mjbroz

I went on a 4 week trip to Sikkim in 2005 (late April thru late May) and thought it might be helpful to post some of my impressions, and suggestions.

1. If you are going to trek with a company, trekking with Khangri Tours is highly recommended (www.khangri.com). T. Dorjee (owner) is simply fantastic and our main guide (Chumba) was a true friend while we were there. Great food, personalized itinerary, and good recommendations for other services all came out top notch (tranportation, hotels, etc.).

2. Goechela trek is great (we took our time: 9 days). Eventhough we had lots of rain (usually every night), it was a fantastic trek. Our food and accomodations were definately better than most with the help of the Khangri tour guides. Also, having guides that are flexible is important as we definately took our time about getting to camp every day. I found that hiking slowly worked very well. It took much longer than "normal" to get into camp every day, but usually the trail was much nicer than the camps, and we had the tour guides to go fast and stake our camp spots, so there was really no reason to go faster (unless the weather was poor). Sitting around camp was kinda boring, especially because the clouds rolled in by 3-4pm every day, so there wasn't a view from camp until morning anyway.

3. Car tour (at least) of Lachung and Lachen valleys was also very good. Would have preferred to be able to do the Lhabha-Tarum trek instead, but snow levels made that impossible, so we just took the jeep tour of the area for 3 or 4 days.

4. I enjoyed Gangtok more than I thought I would. The Sonam Delek hotel in Gangtok is a good mix of price and value. Location was excellent for seeing the rest of Gangtok on foot or by a quick taxi. Food was very good there as well. We ate several times at the Snow Lion for some great dinners (but pricey for Sikkim).

5. Kalimpong was a good first nights rest after the long travel from the US before entering Sikkim . We actually spent 2 nights at the Holumba cottage: www.holumba.com. I can't remember the name of the fellow that runs the place but he is an amazing host full of info and stories about the area, and food was great. The monestary in Kalimpong was very nice and one of the few that allowed photos inside.

6. Darjeeling is also a good destination. Didn't do much there except relax (last few days before heading back), but the zoo, the himalayan climbing institute, and monestaries were worth checking out. Lots of places to eat, etc., but for a little western culture the food and music at Glenary's was a great treat.

7. Be prepared for long and somewhat exhausting travel times between destinations. We went as high luxury as you can (all private jeeps at about $10 US per head for a 5 to 7 hour drive) and for me it was worth it. I would estimate our average travel speed to be 15 to 20 kph (maybe 10 mph). Roads are windy, steep, pitted, in constant repair, and crowded. If you have trouble with motion sickness, be prepared to fight for that front seat!

8. For the most part, we found everbody in Sikkim to be very friendly (as compared to Kalimpong or Darjeeling, which are definately different cultures).

9. Rumtek and Yuksam are definately worth visiting as well.

If you are interested in viewing a bunch of photos, feel free to check out the following link:

http://www.mjbroz.com/Photos16.asp?F...y%202005&Desc=

Tomi

Your post is very much appreciated and I am definitely printing it and adding it to my travel "guide." I'll check out the photos after I get back home from my mom's SLOW internet connection!

10zing

Hi ,
U have described it so well. Thanks for same.
I am curious to know whether you have any idea about Thangu and gurudongmar.
Thanks !

clawhammer

Nice avatar Mjbroz!!!
I guess that's yak at Tsomgo lake?
As far as Gangtok is concerned,I was impressed by its cleanliness (as compared to other Indian cities).Off course,the people are friendly and very smartly dressed too!!
Glenary's at Darjeeling was great-especially the pastries and chocolate.
The rates for travel by car are cheap indeed considering altitude and the complicated nature of the roads.
When you travel on these roads you can't help thinking about those who risked their lives to consturct these roads and maintain them-hats off to Border Roads Organisation.

mjbroz

10zing -
Sorry, no info on Thangu or gurdongmar. There is so much to see there...I'm sure I missed a lot eventhough when I was there it felt like we never stopped!

clawhammer - nice work...you deserve a prize!...that is a yak at Tsomgo lake..we went up there for a quick "get used to the altitude" trip the day after we got to Gangtok.

You are right...the roads are truely impressive. It was amazing to see the women whose job it is to "make little rocks out of big rocks"...they must have hands made of steel. The best part of the "BRO" were those funky signs everywhere...I kept meaning to take pictures of all the funny sayings, but always forgot (probably trying to avoid looking sideways out the window :-). I didn't spend any time in other parts of India, but my girlfriend who met us for the Sikkim trip had just spent 4 months throughout India and said the same thing...it's very clean compared to the rest of India...actually, she kept saying "this isn't India...this is some other country"...which always made us laugh because of all the Indian military guys around...they sure thought it was India :-). Anyway, we had a good time, no matter what country it seemed like we were in!

k9healer

Awesome post - thanks!
I just discovered this part of the board....it gets better and better! :-)

papertiger

LOL.. you can't help thinking that 'cause they write it. On the way to Tsomgo Lake, I remember seeing a sign that said something along the lines of "Ever wonder who defies death to build these roads? BRO does."

I wish I started a collection of BRO quotes.

blackbird

I can remember a few of BRO's pleas for safe driving in Sikkim...

IF MARRIED, DIVORCE SPEED

BETTER MR LATE THAN THE LATE MR

BE GENTLE WITH MY CURVES

RAW HASTE IS HALF SISTER TO DELAY

aterciopelada

Can't remember if this one was in Sikkim or Darjeeling, but my favorite was:

GIVE BLOOD TO THE BLOOD BANK, NOT TO THE ROAD

aterciopelada

If you go to Khecheopalri Lake, check out Pala's Guesthouse by the monastery at the top of the hill. Pala is a sweet old man who also runs the adjacent monastery and cooks the food for the guests. He's rumored to have once been the Dalai Lama's personal chef -- not sure if it's true, but his food was really excellent. (My favorite meal was sauteed fiddlehead ferns with carrots and yak cheese!) Guests stay in rooms owned by his daughters and son. This is the most bare-bones place I stayed in India, but one of the most beautiful and tranquil. Drinking tea in the mornings atop a hill with a 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains was something I'll never forget.

Room, Rs150
Breakfast, Rs40; lunch/dinner, Rs50

http://parchita.typepad.com/bewilder...y_we_had_.html

arunchs

10zing: Gurudongmar is a full day's journey from Gangtok. You need to hire a travel agent and get permits.

If you start around 10am from Gangtok, you can reach Lachen or Thangu by evening, stay there and visit Gurudongmar early next morning and head back to Gangtok same day or next day.

A popular option is to visit Gurudongmar and Yumthnag valley in a single trip lasting 3-4 days. I had done such a trip 3 years back. See for details - travel.paintedstork.com/blog/2006/03/sikkim-exploring-himalayas.html

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