Sorry, couldn't resist. Short entry this time, since there's only 2 days to cover. We left for Gangtok early in the morning and drove through the mountains in jeeps hired for the occasion. Entering Sikkim state means effectively passing through an international border: you have to show your passport and fill out paperwork in order to be let through. This may have something to do with the fact that Sikkim was an independent state until the 1970s, before its Nepali immigrant population became a majority and voted for union with India, or it may be because Sikkim literally borders onto China, and the Indian government isn't taking any chances on that score.
At the border town of Rangpo, we stopped for lunch, and I made the mistake of eating at Domino's. Don't ask me what possessed me - I just felt like going them a chance again, and I was filled with memories of eating bad pizza in uni that are undoubtedly somewhat idealised. Emma, of course, was not tempted in the least, and ran off to get chaat with the other reasonable people. Anywho, I got the spicy triple pizza, with stuffed garlic bread. Both were basically inedible, thanks to the absurdly spicy chilli peppers used liberally. It was pizza as designed by 14 year olds: spice used not to enhance flavour, but to prove one's machismo. And even once the peppers were removed, I still had to deal with the fact that it was Domino's pizza underneath. I cannot recommend staying away from it highly enough.
Once we were in Gangtok itself, we got a chance to do a little sightseeing, particularly of the local highstreet, Mahatma Gandhi Marg. In stark contrast to to so much of India's urban areas, the street was clean, well designed with attractive buildings, and had large numbers of families and shoppers wandering about at leisure. Laura, our fearless leader, described it as Southampton in the mountains, and she absolutely bailed it. We found a cafe, serving fantastic pizzas and coffee, that gave us our first wifi connection since Darjeeling. :D
The next day, we had a visit to the cool Rumtek Monastery, the world headquarters of the so-called 'black hat' sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The buildings themselves are quite recent, but then, so is the current incarnation of the Lama in charge of the whole shebang. I got a lovely picture of one of the guardian gods playing a sitar (and a horse-headed support god absolutely rocking out on bass), and we were treated to an absurdly engaging, and interestingly cadenced, tour by the inimitable Mahoy Raj. The man was dressed in a waistcoat and matching trousers, like a banker on a break, but filled us in on the different branches of Buddhism, the length of a Buddhist philosophical education (16 years at the least), and the iconography of the golden stupa containing the ashes of the most recent Lama. It was an absolute kick.
Monastery aside, the other highlight was Vincent's going away drinks, held at the Live Loud Bar. Emma was still wiped from being sick, so she state in and read, but the rest of us sailed out to a suspiciously well appointed bar to do the man proud. The bar band started playing Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky', and it took about 5 seconds to realise that they were actually really good at it. By the time they launched into Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance', performed as a heavy metal thrash fest, we realised they were the greatest bar band ever. Even their original song, kept tastefully for dead last, was well crafted and excellently performed. I don't know their names, but if you are a record producer in Sikkim, you are going to want to find them immediately. Live Loud, April 8th - use some Google fu!
After the band finished, we all danced the night away... Or rather, we danced until 10, when I went back to the hotel. We had to get up at 4:30am the next day for our insanely long journey back to Siliguri, where we parted from Vincent (sob), rejoined Daisy and began our trek into Nepal, and I'm not one to miss the basics of a good night's sleep. But the man himself was kept up until midnight by some of the younger, spryer set, and there are amusing pics and video of him being goaded into trying test tube shots at a bar on the way home.
We left the Himalayas with a lump in our throats; the weather has been cool, the sights dramatic, and the pop music surprisingly excellent. From here on in, it would be back to good old Indian heat.
May God have mercy on our souls.
At the border town of Rangpo, we stopped for lunch, and I made the mistake of eating at Domino's. Don't ask me what possessed me - I just felt like going them a chance again, and I was filled with memories of eating bad pizza in uni that are undoubtedly somewhat idealised. Emma, of course, was not tempted in the least, and ran off to get chaat with the other reasonable people. Anywho, I got the spicy triple pizza, with stuffed garlic bread. Both were basically inedible, thanks to the absurdly spicy chilli peppers used liberally. It was pizza as designed by 14 year olds: spice used not to enhance flavour, but to prove one's machismo. And even once the peppers were removed, I still had to deal with the fact that it was Domino's pizza underneath. I cannot recommend staying away from it highly enough.
Once we were in Gangtok itself, we got a chance to do a little sightseeing, particularly of the local highstreet, Mahatma Gandhi Marg. In stark contrast to to so much of India's urban areas, the street was clean, well designed with attractive buildings, and had large numbers of families and shoppers wandering about at leisure. Laura, our fearless leader, described it as Southampton in the mountains, and she absolutely bailed it. We found a cafe, serving fantastic pizzas and coffee, that gave us our first wifi connection since Darjeeling. :D
The next day, we had a visit to the cool Rumtek Monastery, the world headquarters of the so-called 'black hat' sect of Tibetan Buddhism. The buildings themselves are quite recent, but then, so is the current incarnation of the Lama in charge of the whole shebang. I got a lovely picture of one of the guardian gods playing a sitar (and a horse-headed support god absolutely rocking out on bass), and we were treated to an absurdly engaging, and interestingly cadenced, tour by the inimitable Mahoy Raj. The man was dressed in a waistcoat and matching trousers, like a banker on a break, but filled us in on the different branches of Buddhism, the length of a Buddhist philosophical education (16 years at the least), and the iconography of the golden stupa containing the ashes of the most recent Lama. It was an absolute kick.
Monastery aside, the other highlight was Vincent's going away drinks, held at the Live Loud Bar. Emma was still wiped from being sick, so she state in and read, but the rest of us sailed out to a suspiciously well appointed bar to do the man proud. The bar band started playing Daft Punk's 'Get Lucky', and it took about 5 seconds to realise that they were actually really good at it. By the time they launched into Lady Gaga's 'Bad Romance', performed as a heavy metal thrash fest, we realised they were the greatest bar band ever. Even their original song, kept tastefully for dead last, was well crafted and excellently performed. I don't know their names, but if you are a record producer in Sikkim, you are going to want to find them immediately. Live Loud, April 8th - use some Google fu!
After the band finished, we all danced the night away... Or rather, we danced until 10, when I went back to the hotel. We had to get up at 4:30am the next day for our insanely long journey back to Siliguri, where we parted from Vincent (sob), rejoined Daisy and began our trek into Nepal, and I'm not one to miss the basics of a good night's sleep. But the man himself was kept up until midnight by some of the younger, spryer set, and there are amusing pics and video of him being goaded into trying test tube shots at a bar on the way home.
We left the Himalayas with a lump in our throats; the weather has been cool, the sights dramatic, and the pop music surprisingly excellent. From here on in, it would be back to good old Indian heat.
May God have mercy on our souls.
No comments:
Post a Comment