Kalimpong anyone?

wanderMust

rajat:
im planning on visiting pemayangtse in march 08. most prob will fly to kolkata from b'lore. could you let me know what mode of transport you used to get to p'yangtse? thanks.

Rajat

I revisited the IndiaMike site recently after a long time and just happened to check out this thread which I started more than two years back.
I was happy to see more than 3000 views even without any recent updates. Perhaps an indication of the interest Kalimpong, Darjeeling and Sikkim evokes these days.
First of all my apologies to those who wrote me and expected a reply. I hope you managed well despite me!
I decided to file a reply on my trip of 2006 since it might help those who wish to travel those parts.
I have taken some nice pictures - Amateur stuff with an inexpensive 2003 digi cam. However the sights were amazing and if anyone needs any prodding to visit, I hope the pictures help to make up your minds.
I will post the pictures shortly. Actually I have no idea how to upload them here. So if anyone can drop me a line explaining how I should be very grateful. Meanwhile a quick summary and some tips to those who are visiting.
My trip had two parts.
The first part was spent in Kalimpong and Darjeeling.
The second week was in Sikkim where we visited Pelling, Gangtok, Chhangu Lake and North Sikkim - Lachen, Chopta Valley, Lachung, Yumthang and Dokyala or Zero Point.
We could not visit Lava, Loleygaon and Rishap and neither could we visit Katao.
Overall the trip went off very well. My favourite place/memories of the visit was the time we spent in Pelling - specially the drive to Yuksom. Unfortunately the clouds did not part to allow us a glimpse of Kanchenjunga from Pelling , but that only increases our determination to revisit again. In case you plan a visit there please allow at least 3 nights for the place to work out its magic. Do not plan too many activities - just one days sightseeing and some nice walks. We stayed at the govt run hotel next to the Peymayangtse Monastery and that had some very good views. However there are several new resorts that have come up - one of the pricier ones is run by Danny Denzongpa - from Bollywood.
Since we visited in the off season we were able to avoid the crowds. It also helped to get good discounts from hotels. On an average we probably paid about 35% less than normal tariffs - so that was good It allowed us to stay in hotels that we would otherwise not consider due to budgets. Another money saver was to travel by the public taxis like Mahindra Jeeps and book the 4 seats of the middle row behind the driver. Since the taxis take 10 passengers this meant we were paying just 40% of what we would have paid for our own taxi. Even though we were only two adults with two kids, we found this tactic more economical. I suggest you try this out at least once. We used public taxis to travel between Kalimpong to Darjeeling, Darjeeling to Pelling and from Pelling to Gangtok.
Kalimpong is charming. Since we stayed at Morgan House it meant that we were near the Cantonment area devoid of crowds. We spent time on long walks and reading - whenever the kids would allow!
We did the usual tourist spots also. Our stay got extended by a day due to a strike that stopped all traffic movement to Darjeeling. We took the opportunity to stay one night at the Himalayan Hotel. This was easily the best hotel of our trip. The ambience was pure colonial and the food was great. It was a huge step up from the Morgan and was worth the difference in rates. I think we paid Rs.2500 for one night. Food was extra.Instead of the new wing we chose to stay at the old building as it had more atmosphere. For the Morgan I think we paid Rs.1200 inclusive of breakfast. The food at Morgan's was very homely like that at a Bengali home but very oily.
In Darjeeling we stayed at another fine place. It was earlier called the Hawk's Nest but at the time of our visit was run by the Dekeling Hotel. The location of this hotel was about a mile away from the Mall and it involved climbing some steep roads. It would easily take us about 30 minutes of walking from the Mall. However we got a nice suite with a fireplace. Against the tariff of 4000, we paid Rs.2400. We took the suites in the first floor as they were larger. They have a cute library from where you get some beautiful views of the Kanchenjunga. We also sampled Tibetan food here. Surprisingly we got better views from Darjeeling than from Pelling which is actually much closer to the Kanchenjung. Just our luck.
In Darjeeling the taxis are expensive. Even short drives of two kms can cost Rs.100.
We also enjoyed dining at the Glennary's - breakfast was a great experience with the Kanchenjunga as the backdrop. Upper Darjeeling still retains a lot of charm despite mindless development. Otherwise we found Lower Darjeeling just as more experienced hands in these forums had warned - dirty and overhyped.
We took the shortcut to Pelling via Jorethang and the drive was breathtaking. The roads are very narrow, steep with lots of curves. After Jorethang, the scenery changes abruptly.
Similarly the drive from Pelling to Yuksom and Khechepari Lake was memorable. The green cover added immeasurably to the enjoyment. Both Yuksom and Pelling demanded a longer stay than we were able to manage. The lodging facilities at Yuksom are very basic. However it is popular with trekkers.
In sharp contrast to Pelling are the trips to Chhangu Lake, Nathu La and North Sikkim. Here we were dealing with biting cold temperatures at heights of nearly 15000 feet. These are above the tree levels - so you see a lot of rock and snow. For North Sikkim we hired our own taxi with a driver and guide. We opted for a 3 night package as we wanted to see Lacheng and Chopta Valley. However at the end of the trip we felt that Lachung was more beautiful than Lacheng. Similarly Yumthang and Dokayla was far more thrilling than Chopta valley . Perhaps if we had continued to Gurudongmar Lake instead of vturning back from Chopta Valley, we might have seen even better sights.
The lodging at Lacheng was perhaps the most basic place I have ever stayed at. However Le Coxy was nice and comfortable - perhaps the best place to stay in Lachung.
In Gangtok we were put up at the Mintokling Guest House. This was also a very nice and cozy place. Very homely with excellent service and great food. We paid around Rs.1000 per night here. Easily recommended.
Well I hope this has all been useful to some of you. Any specific queries - please drop me a line. I hope to answer whatever I know.
Thanks