After 11 hours of travel the previous day and a ton of memories and photographs, I wake up. The time is around 8am. Through my window I can see the snow capped peaks. The sky is clear and the peaks are glistening in the early morning sun.
Everyone wakes up one by one. Today’s plan is to go to Tsongo Lake. However, I have pulled out from the plan as I want to have a slow day. We get a call from the travel agent that the passes for Tsongo Lake are not available as the weather is not conducive. However, if we cross the checkpost by 10am, we might have a chance. The checkpost is 45 mins from where we are staying. This means we have to leave in another 30 mins. No one is prepared. We drop the plan.
We are in a heritage property called the Netuk house. It has comfortable rooms and a bunch of things to explore. We come across a book, big book, very big book. It has amazing paintings and explanations about Sikkimese and Tibetan cultures. Time flies….
After a while, we take a stroll on MG Road. Like every other city in India, there is a Mahatma Gandhi Road in Gangtok also. It is the city centre with all kinds of shops. No vehicles are allowed and it’s maintained really well.
We hop from one eatery to another tasting local dishes and teas. Cafe hopping is the agenda for the day now. We find that Gangtok is indeed home to a lot of nice cafés and eateries. Momo, Laphing, Calzone, Rolls, Chilli Tofu and more are on the morning menu.
It starts raining by the afternoon and we shut ourselves in our rooms.
We have nothing to do. We want to do nothing.
We order some hot pakoras.
Zumzin + Soothing music + Rain + Pakoras + Mountain View + Bunch of friends = Pure bliss.
We up the game a bit by playing some card games. These are games made for the non-sober to make them further non-sober. We have some good gaming time. We want to make up for all the losses in the last 3 days. It’s a steep ask from Zumzin. But Zumzin clears it with ease. Things (including the head) get lighter and the trip suddenly becomes pleasurable.
It’s evening now and the rain has stopped. We take a stroll on MG Road again and visit some traditional restaurants to have some Sikkimese food. We get a Tibetan Thali and a Sikkimese Thali. Like every Thali, it’s a Dal, Chawal, Sabzi variant. It is presented very well and tastes very good. I am sure the ingredients are 90% similar across various Thalis in India. It’s interesting how 10% change of ingredients here and there can make such a difference and bring a nativity to the food.
The day ends in pure bliss. Tomorrow, we need to get to Bagdogra. We’re done with cab rides, so we book a helicopter. But with our luck over the last two days—and Sikkim’s unpredictable weather—we have no clue if it’ll actually take off or get cancelled. Only tomorrow will tell.
Endless thoughts 