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.