Sikkim – land of natural beauty and diversity (part one)

Sikkim in the northeastern part of India is of immense beauty and diversity. Kangchenjunga, the highest peak in India and the third highest on earth, lies in Sikkim. The state is a conglomerate of varied historic and cultural influences. The people in Sikkim speak around twelve languages and belong to a minimum of seven different religions and twenty communities and tribes.

Sikkim is located on the lap of the Tibetan Himalayan Range and the journey is tideous, but it entails its own beauty. If you would like to travel to Sikkim, you need to keep a lot of time in hand to reach there. Usually, we would have travelled by plane to be able to spend more time in Sikkim. But the nearest airport in Bagdogra, was closed for a few weeks due to renovations. Therefore, we took the train from Howrah(HWH) to New Jalpaiguri (NJP)Junction railway station.

Taking the train to Siliguri

NJP, as the station is known in India, is one of the most important railway junctions in East India. It is located in Siliguri and a hub from where one can travel to different directions to the Great Himalayan Range. As there were no tickets available any more, we had to book in a relatively expensive train. March and April are considered as peak travel season to this part of  Himalayas. But even during the rest of the year, you need to make sure to buy the train tickets at least two months in advance.

We started around noon and the journey was scheduled for 10 hours. The beautiful lush green landscape of Gangetic West Bengal passed by my train window, vendors sold snacks and drinks and I heard the cheerful chatting of the other travelers. Lunch, dinner as well as afternoon tea with snacks were served on board. These were included in the ticket price in the executive class in this particular train.

No free taxis in Siliguri and a closed hotel

Due to continuous delays, the train finally reached the destination with more than 2 hours delay, around midnight. We had planned to stay over night in Siliguri, as nothing travels at night in the mountains. Even the foothills in the Himalayas have their own system. I came to know about this, while trying to book an Uber taxi, one of the main taxi providers in India. “You will not be able to use Uber here in this region”, told me one of our fellow passengers.

He was very helpful to offer us a ride in his taxi, which he booked by directly calling the owner of the car. Obviously, he had learned from his previous experience. Thanking him profusely, we followed him through the brightly lit railway station. It did not seem to be past midnight. People were everywhere, snack shops were open and a crowd of taxis and travelers was gathering in front of the railway station.

The night kept more surprises for us. On reaching the hotel, which was located in a small side street, nobody opened despite ringing the bell many times and calling the responsible person on the phone. Only a group of street dogs started a loud fight next to the car while we waited for someone to open the door.

The owner of the car took the trouble to search for rooms in other hotels, which were located on the main road in Siliguri. But all of them were fully booked. We finally found one hotel almost on the outskirt of Siliguri town that had a free room available. It was now past 2 am as we finally entered the room to get some sleep.

Traveling from Siliguri to Darap

Next morning, we started at 7 am and met the driver who would take us to Darap, a village in the Western part of Sikkim. We had received his contact details from the family, with whom we would stay in Darap. He wanted to start early to avoid the morning traffic jam in Siliguri. We left the city towards North and drove through the forest of Lataguri and Maynaguri.

With the car passing by the beautiful greenery, I could feel the cool breeze through the car window from the rain in the previous night. My exhaustion from the long train journey and the lack of sleep started to reduce a little bit and I began to feel excited. Soon the road began to climb and the temperature started to drop gradually. Remembering the curvy roads from my first journey to the Himalayas, I had bought tablets against motion sickness before this trip, which came in very handy.

The small colorful prayer flags on the road side and in the villages we passed by brought back memories of my very first visit in the Himalayan region a few years back. After two hours we stopped at a small stall on the side of the road to have our breakfast. Like in a typical house in the Himalayan region, there were small windows with curtains and beautiful flower pots placed in front of the windows. From the open kitchen delicious smells of food entered our nostrils along with the cool rain drenched fresh mountain breeze. The owner of the stall smiled at us and asked me where I am originally from.

Following this short break, we continued our journey and drove higher and higher in altitude. On the way, we saw a group of young men who sat on the roadside looking down a steep gorge. Deep down, one could see a crystal clear river meandering through the valley. Our driver stopped and they told him that there was an accident and a motorcycle fell down in the ravine. Fortunately, no one was injured, but I was wondering about their calmness.

A paradise in the middle of the mountains

After more than five hours, we finally reached our destination. Darap is a large village divided into upper, middle & lower section. To enter our homestay, one had to climb few stairs and was suddenly surrounded by a beautiful garden full of flowers. As soon as we entered the homestay, we were greeted with warm smiles by the Gurung family and the two employees. The family invited us to take a seat in the big sitting room, which was attached to the kitchen. Across a patch of lawn another sit out open room was designated for bonfire. The walls were made out of wood and a long seating arrangement was surrounding the room. Two resident cats slept there, hardly disturbed by our presence.

Shortly after, Titi entered the room. A big Tibetan terrier with long grey-white fur, which almost covered her eyes. Without having met me before, she came to me, leaned her head on my knee and looked at me with her black, good-natured eyes, which made my heart melt. It was the first time that I saw a Tibetan terrier and in the beginning I did not even know what kind of breed she was. But in the coming days I felt again and again impressed by her character. Being completely independent and free-spirited on one hand and incredibly loyal on the other hand. The more I read about this breed later on, I understood that this seems to be typical for dogs who originate from the Himalayan region.

Spending the first evening in Darap

After having eaten a delicious hot “Thukpa” – one of the typical dishes in the Himalaya region made out of noodles, vegetables and chicken – Mr. Gurung brought us to our room. It consisted of a small stone hut with wood-panelled room, two small windows, a wooden-table and a bench and the attached bathroom at the back of the hut. Mr. Gurung explained me how to switch on the geyser to heat water. It was already afternoon and we were exhausted from the long trip and the lack of sleep. Quite early, it became dark and as soon as the sun went down, it became cold.

As it is typically in the Himalayas, there are no heaters. The last time, we visited the Northeast of India and the Himalayas, it was December. Coming from the warm winter climate in southern India, the sudden extreme coldness came completely unexpected and as a kind of shock to me. I had never expected temperatures that low in India. This time it was April and therefore the temperature was around 20 degrees and much more bearable. But still, there was a cold wind at night and one felt more comfortable inside wearing a thick pullover.