Trip to North East India (Day 5)

Day 5
This was a day full of travel. We had to reach Shillong from Gangtok.

5:30 AM
We had requested the hotel reception for a wake-up alarm at 5:30 AM. We were told that it takes nearly four hours to travel from Gangtok to New Jalpaiguri station. Our connecting train was scheduled at 11:00 AM and so we wanted to leave Gangtok well in time.
After quickly freshening up, we checked out of the hotel and hailed a shared taxi to NJP. The hotel receptionist provided a helper to carry our luggage to the boarding point which is around five minutes walk from the hotel. There were only two seats left in the Sumo-type of taxi and we had to pay Rs. 150 per head for the ride. The taxi departed from Gangtok at around 6:00 AM.

9:30 AM
The taxi ride was as usual very scenic with the River Teestha in the backdrop for more than half the journey.

The driver had to overtake many a lumbering truck on the narrow winding highway. As we approached NJP, people started getting off at their respective places. Initially we were a little apprehensive whether we could make it in time for the train. However to our pleasant surprise, the taxi reached NJP at 9:30 AM, half an hour before expected. We had breakfast at the IRCTC canteen in the station.

11:20 AM
We had nearly an hour to spare till our train arrived. We spent the time in the upper class waiting room on the railway platform. From the Statesman we learnt of the storm that had lashed West Bengal the day before and the widespread destruction it had caused. Providentially we had escaped the fury of the tempest by just 24 hours! There was some entertainment for us in the waiting room when an irate passenger took the railway staff to task over the ill-maintained toilets there. The Rajdhani express bound to Guwahati arrived on time and we boarded it at 11:00 AM. The train left NJP station by 11:20 AM.

6:30 PM
The train journey was uneventful and we traveled through the length of Assam. As we neared Guwahati, we had the first glimpse of the great River Brahmaputra from a railway overbridge. A fellow passenger pointed us to IIT Guwahati in the distance, several kilometres before the railway station. The scheduled time of arrival for the train was 6:30 PM and the train did keep up to its schedule. However just outside the station, there was a big signal which stalled the train for over forty five minutes. Hence it was nearly 7:15 PM by the time we could come out of the station.

7:45 PM
There are a couple of exits from the Guwahati station and we had a very harrowing time trying to figure out which way to go to catch a taxi to Shillong. Each of us had a heavy bag to carry and it was exhausting to run about from one end to another. Finally a police official directed us to the private taxi stand behind the station, but the worst was yet to come. We had to go to a place called Barapani where our hotel was situated about 15 kilometres before Shillong. There were touts all over the place who gave us misleading information about the mode of transport to take. At last one of them led us to a reluctant taxi driver who demanded some Rs. 1200 to take us to our destination. His claim was that he had to come back empty from Shillong which was not very credible. Besides we had heard that the usual fare was Rs. 300 per passenger. It was getting late and so we haggled with the driver to take us for Rs. 900. He agreed but he was waiting for more passengers to share the taxi with us.
Fortunately or unfortunately for us, there was an army man and his colleague who were also waiting to go to Shillong. They were also firmly bargaining with him over the amount to be paid. Finally after what seemed like eternity and heated arguments, they agreed to join us and the taxi left Guwahati at 7:45 PM.

10:30 PM
That taxi ride was one of the most difficult rides we ever had. The army chaps kept rebuking the driver continuously throughout the journey for demanding excess fare. We were in the dark as to whether it was sincere or whether they were in cahoots with the driver for some fiendish plan. The drive takes nearly three hours and the road was not very good for the first several kilometres of the stretch. Moreover it was pitch dark with few vehicles on the road for some distance. The driver was also driving a bit rashly. Finally we reached the Umiam Orchid Lake Resort in Barapani at around 10:30 PM. The army guy made us pay only Rs. 500 even though the driver kept insisting on getting Rs. 900. Altogether we were a bundle of nerves by the time we landed in our hotel room.

11:30 PM

We had pre-ordered dinner in the hotel over telephone. Cold parathas and a vegetable curry awaited us in the hotel room, and we consumed it before retiring for the night.

Trip to North East India (Day 4)

Day 4
9:00 AM
Breakfast at Hotel Sagorika, Gangtok.

10:00 AM
Leave for the 10-points tour arranged from the hotel reception. Actually there are two different tours called the 7-points tour which includes Enchey Monastery, Ban Jhakri Falls, Tibetology Center, Ropeway, Flower Show, Handicrafts Emporium and Charten Stupa, and the 3-points tour which includes the Tashi View-point, Ganesh Tok and Hanuman Tok. Each of these tours could be completed in a few hours time. We were told that the Ropeway was under repair apparently after an unfortunate accident and hence we would not be able to go there. We opted for both the tours as a single day-long package for which we were charged around Rs. 1700. The vehicle that was provided for the tour was a Maruti Omni along with a driver-cum-guide. It was raining throughout the day but we did not allow that to dampen our spirits.

10:15 AM
Visit the Charten Stupa. Our driver seemed to have his own ideas about which places to take us to and was initially very uncooperative. After a phone call to the hotel, his behaviour was much better! After all, their main livelihood is derived from tourists like us and they cannot probably afford to lose hotel orders what with competition from several tour operators.
The Charten Stupa is a traditional Buddhist stupa along with a monastery. It has the usual rotating cylinders or the Dharma Chakras.

10:30 AM
Visit the Tibetology center. This is right next to the Charten Stupa in the same complex. We saw several paintings and idols of the Bodhisatthavas inside the center. They depict the life story of the Buddha. Photography is prohibited inside the center.

11:45 AM
Arrive Rumtek Monastery. This place was not included in the original itinerary, but since it is a large and famous monastery in Gangtok, we requested our driver to take us there at some extra charge. It is nearly an hour's drive from the city and it was raining heavily throughout the drive. All along the way, we could see many rivulets and small waterfalls rushing past from the surrounding rocks, making the drive a spectacular experience.
Tourist vehicles have to be parked outside a big gate, and visitors have to walk around half a kilometre on a steeply ascending road. Here's how the monastery looks from the outside:

There are security guards at the entrance who check visitors before allowing them to pass. There are beautiful murals such as this one painted on the walls next to the main door:

Taking photographs is strictly prohibited inside the monastery as the notice board proclaimed:

So we had to be content with taking a few snaps outside the main hall. Just behind the monastery is the Karma Shri Nalanda Institute which is a residential school for the Buddhist monks. Next we visited the Golden Stupa nearby which houses a stupa made of pure gold and the image of the Buddha. A security guard is stationed here too and photography is not allowed.

1:15 PM
It was afternoon by the time we completed seeing the Rumtek Monastery and we were feeling quite hungry. Luckily we found a small restaurant in the same complex and had a reasonably good lunch.

2:15 PM
We returned to our taxi and proceeded to the Ban Jhakri Falls. It was still raining but the drive was again very enjoyable due to the excellent natural beauty of the place.
The Ban Jhakri falls is part of an energy park that was inaugurated in 2008. It has a very nice man-made waterfall where one can see water falling with great force from a height. In fact, it is possible to go upto touching distance of the falls and feel the spray hitting you from the roaring waters. A signboard nearby declared that the water was not fit for drinking. There is a small bridge across the water from where one can get a good view of the falls and the water below speeding past boulders making miniature falls along its course.

There are some interesting models and sculptures of the Jhakri tribal people at several locations around the waterfalls. These depict some of the tribal practices such as the healing ritual of sick people.

4:30 PM

Arrive at the Sikkim Handicrafts Sales Emporium. This is sponsored and maintained by the Sikkim Handloom and Handicrafts Development Corporation. Here a variety of local handicrafts such as clothes, hats, bags, soft toys and mementoes are available for display and sale. The prices are somewhat on the higher side and we spent only a few minutes browsing and making a couple of purchases.

4:40 PM

Arrive Flower Show. It was late by this time and so we did not have much time to enjoy the flower exhibition. We had a quick look at the well maintained garden. A little farther on, there is a green house chamber containing various plants but we did not go inside.

4:50 PM

Arrive Enchey Monastery. This was closed by the time we arrived there, but this is how it looks from the outside:

On the way out, we could espy several Buddhist monks around the monastery and some of them gave us a nice pose:

5:15 PM

Arrive Ganesh Tok. Our driver informed us that the word 'tok' means height. Ganesh Tok is a Ganesh temple located atop a hillock. We had to climb several steps that took us to the shrine. There is a big idol of Lord Ganapati to which a priest offers regular pujas. Photography is not permitted inside the shrine. However there is a viewpoint just outside from where one can watch a panoramic view of Gangtok.

We were also scheduled to visit the Hanuman Tok, a temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman but we could not do so since it was quite far from Ganesh Tok.

5:50 PM

Back to the hotel

6:30 PM

After having freshened up a bit, we left for the market. The city of Gangtok is arranged in layers: a few roads and buildings at one level, and then quaint narrow flights of stairs leading up to the next level. It is almost like  a huge multi-storied building where it is easy to get lost if one has not carefully noted some landmarks. We were directed to the market on M G Road, one of the main roads of Gangtok that is well maintained. The road is cobbled but was very slippery due to the incessant rainfall. Vehicular traffic is not allowed on the road and there are seats at regular intervals on the pavement where one can relax and drink in the sights and sounds of the place. A bust of Gandhiji adorns the middle of the road.

It was Tuesday the day we went there and it was the weekly holiday for the local markets. However the shops on M G Road remain open till around 8:30 PM. After shopping for an hour or so, we returned to our hotel for dinner and rest.