North East India - I think most Indians have this side of the country on their wishlist. Maybe for the mountains, the people, the food, I can't put my finger on but it feels like an unattainable beauty that everyone wants to see but rarely bring themselves to visit in reality.
Sikkim was definitely on my list of visiting North east Indian states but was honestly not my first choice when I started planning for my trip after pandemic. It happened because of series of travel plans going for a toss. Well, if you're a hardcode traveller you know that these things happen. Travel comes with a lot of uncertainties and these are what bring the best kind of experiences and Sikkim was no different. Within Sikkim itinerary too, I went through a lot of changes but at the end, I will not take anything of it back! Without much further ado, here goes my Sikkim experience.
Reaching Gangtok from Bagdogra airport:
Since I was traveling from Mumbai, I had to take a return flight from Bagdogra which was cost effective. I had booked a pickup on this day. It's a good 4-5 hours of driving. Starting from West Bengal, I crossed Siliguri, till here the drive looks normal, but once you reach Sevoke, the scene starts changing , you meet the heavenly Teesta river. The water is so blue, it feels like a painting. Also the roads and surrounding changes completely. You see cleaner roads and classy crowd after entering Sikkim. Reached hostel around 6.30pm which felt like 8pm of Mumbai. Remember, it starts getting dark from 5pm onwards in North East India during winter months, so plan your day accordingly.
I booked my stay at Tag Along Backpackers hostel. Amazing vibes, friendly staff
Ravangla day trip
I had booked a day trip to Ravangla in advance so next day morning my car came at around 9am to pick me up. On my itinerary was to visit the much heard about place in Sikkim - Buddha Park. This is a recently built park with an aim to attract tourists to the South part of Sikkim. (East Sikkim has Gangtok, Nathula & Changu lake; West Sikkim has Pelling - Sky walk and North Sikkim has Gurudogmor lake)
Reaching Ravangla though is not for faint hearted (actually applies to travelling at any 4 direction in Sikkim) Sikkim being a complete mountainous region, you'll never find a straight road. The curvy bends sure can mess with your digestive system. Make sure you take a tablet for nausea if you have motion sickness. But the views are something words can't express. With every climb, you get a clearer view of Mount Kanchenjunga and Buddha Park gives the ultimate view. You only have to be lucky enough for the clouds to do you a favor (or lack of them). On my way back to the hostel, had a yummy Nepali dinner at Nimtho restaurant in MG road.
Gangtok city tour
I kept the 3rd day free for a city tour of Gangtok. MG Road is definitely a must visit for shopping and getting the vibe of Sikkim in general. It's also the central point to take shared cabs for any tours. Bear in mind, there are 2 types of cab business being run here - 1st is Shared cabs which is the only form of cheap and public transport (even used by locals) and 2nd is Reserve cabs who charge exorbitantly! The problem is, there are only limited stops (and directions they travel) for shared cabs and finding that is a challenge whereas reserved cabs are everywhere.
Places I visited in Gangtok city tour (rated the sequence of how I visited):
1. Gangtok Ropeway
2. Namgyal Institute of Tibetology
3. Do Drul Chorten (Buddhist temple)
4. Tashi View Point
Nathula pass and Changu/ Tsomgo lake
The day I'll never forget in this lifetime! I had pre-booked my Nathula and Changu lake trip with a group tour and I'm so glad the turn of events and multiple change of itinerary of this group tour lead to me joining this trip on this day. Nathula, as most of you know, is at the border of India & China. The drive to this place is crazy to say the least and even dangerous during winter time. We were lucky enough to have scheduled this just a week in advance. The week after we went there, it was shut due to heavy snowfall and around 100 people were stuck there and had to be rescued by the soldiers there. Pure respect to the soldiers who thrive in such conditions. Thankfully, the day we went, sun showered us with its blessings and we were able to complete this trip without any issues.
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