The Slick State of Sikkim- Gangtok July 24, 2010
Posted by admin in : India , add a commentWow, what a contrast. Are we still in India?
After the dirty market town of Siliguri making our way north and further a further up the luscious green mountains I feel as though we are somewhere further east like Thailand or Vietnam. A mixture of tropical trees with towering pine trees cover the steep hills. Hitting the boarder we are told that smoking is banned in public here, so we have our last literally one before setting off north again.
The first thing we notice apart from the never ending greenery are the signs by the side of the road delivering words of wisdom and commentary on the roads progress… usefully from your “BRO” (Boarders Road Organisation). Every piece of work that is carried out in Sikkim has a notice telling people how much the work cost, the time it will take, the name of the main contractor (person not company), what is being done, often with technical drawings and the time they guarantee the work. It is nice to know that if something goes wrong you can hunt the responsible party down in person! We also see a sign that says “Better late than never” on a landslide barrier. This confirms our concerns that we are now firmly in landslide territory. We are also in the monsoon season. Rain + steep hills = landslides. A formula we are not liking too much.
As Laura’s Birthday lingers on (as it should) we arrange to have a few drinks with the guys who we caught the jeep with and agree to stay with them to make this easier, despite aiming to stay in somewhere mid market as a Birthday treat for Laura as a Birthday present. This can wait.
After a 6 hour journey heading further and further into the hills we finally glimpse Gangtok the capital of Sikkim, but only a large town really spread over a steep hill, ranging from 700- 1500 meters above sea level! Winding up tight reverse bend turns up to our destination and then caught a rip off taxi from the middle of town to The Modern Central Lodge- the main backpacker hostel in Gangtok (I was overruled in finding something not Lonely Planetary). I thought Sikkim would be different in terms of ripping you off but perhaps not. The hostel was ace though and a good shout. We all shared a dorm room for Rs75 (1.2 pounds). It was damp, but we headed up to see if there was a roof terrace and were instantly hit with the expansive view over Gangtok below. Spectacular.
In the winter season you can apparently see Kanchendonga over 8500m tall. Yet missing this was replaced by seeing the clouds streaming over the mountains, moving faster than any cloud I have seen move with the exception of a tornado itself. One minute we were looking up at blue sky and within literally 3 minutes couldn’t see each other across the roof terrace! We spent 3 days in the hostel with the guys and most of this was spent drinking “Hit” 8% local beer (660ml for Rs39- 60p) and Sikkim XXX rum (500ml for Rs60- 1pound). Both headache juice, but definately traveler style. We finally had our mass backpacker congregation session that was absent up until then and met a local guy Kesang who invited us to his farm.
After 2 days soaking up Gangtok and the different climate, the much more relaxed people and as it turned out eventually people who didn’t make a habit of ripping you off (this is taxi drivers in general) we headed off to Kesang’s farm. Kesang is a character for sure- a man around town who has more business projects and cash than perhaps sense. Yet someone who knows many people and likes helping people out. He really helped out the 5 of us who visited the farm for 1 night. The pace was a “renovators dream”, everything needed just one final touch and the place was absolutely stunning, with better views than Gangtok and 3 bungalows his family planned to rent out to tourists. Sikkim has already started making its mark. I have seen more types of butterfly here in 3 days than in my whole life, in all shapes and sizes. The place has a really relaxed and natural feeling which cannot help but take you down to earth.
We made fire and Laura and I cooked 3 Indian dishes together from ingredients we bought en route, exceeding everyone’s expectations. We are determined to become global culinary legends! Sitting in front of the fire, being eaten by mosquitos, we drank the night away until the sun came up, then slept the day away (well I did!)
Laura and I wanted to stay as we are searching for a retreat in the hills to take stock and strengthen our spirit from the inside, which can use meditation or other practices. This was not open in a practical way so we headed back to Gangtok and split with the other guys who wanted to “get in more sights”, something we are deliberately lax at. Our philosophy is that if you give things time and go with the flow without expectation or planning cool things turn up at your door, just as the farm visit did.
We headed back to Gangtok and decided now was time for the “Garden Retreat” the Lonely Planet promised. Well it had a garden. The food was good and Tibetan, but for Rs1400 (22 pounds per night), we bailed after one night of “luxury”. To be fair the beds were comfortable and actually had a mattress. The one thing you notice in India is that they still seem to use straw of some other material that doesn’t reform after a few people have slept on it. We also managed to watch some of the world cup, which was also a bonus. Either way we headed up the road to another place called Palim and this place was much better and just Rs900 (13.50 pounds for the room). We secured the best room- the “suit” (not by Western standards), which was large and had beautifully designed Tibetan furniture, including a rocking chair, TV and a balcony overlooking Gangtok. This time however we were just below the palace and so had literally the best view in town. This was with the exception of the roof terrace restaurant of course and these guys cooked us a) and English breakfast, which we felt guilty eating…. for 2 minutes. They also cooked Ting Momos (steamed buns) with Alu Dum (amazingly spiced potato dish), which was a local dish I nabbed the recipe for. For 30p you cannot go wrong, especially when the place was full every lunch time with locals- in your hotel. We stayed for 5 days, enjoying the views, eating, watching the football and enjoying that luxury time we reserved.
After this we headed back to the damp dingy Modern Central lodge that we had developed a good relationship with. It’s 8 floors of climbing to go to your room, the ace roof terrace, our new rasta friend who lived on the roof with tunes, Soloman the manager and Buddah, who introduced us to Tongba for the first time on a rainy day.
Tongba is Millet seed soaked in alcohol for 6 months to 2 years to ferment. It is served in Bamboo mugs and a vat of hot water. Pour hot water onto seeds, wait 5 minutes, DON’T Stir- oh too late (it clouds the water and gives you a bad hangover), and then sip slowly to avoid eating seeds, finish drinking and replace with more hot water 3 more times until more millet required.
Places that serve tongba are underground. We sat in a kitchen with 3 kids, locals swaying their heads and blinking too slowly than normal, hazy smoky air, Hindi TV and another vat, this time of Yak Thukpa (Tibetan soup). Going to toilet was interesting, all 5 doors were locked and you are faced with swaying men urinating over the doors- ah to be a man- good luck girls I think.
We end up staying at the Modern Central for another 4 days planning our next move and then putting it off. We visited the Banjakri Falls which has been turned into a bit of a tourist place, but for once it charged the same for foreigners as it did to Indian visitors, which was refreshing. I had swimwear ready for full on shower action and chuckled at the sight of Indian tourists getting in ankle deep for a photo opportunity, only for the only white westerner to strip off and dive in… heavy water is all I could say. The Indians staring in amazement were all asking Laura if I would be ok. As many Indian people cannot swim and being asked if I could swim after the event, they thought I was going to drown.
The Modern Central Lodge was damp and dark, but was our home for 8 days and the food was ace. All their food was freshly made and their Momo’s (dumplings) were great, despite taking 30 minutes to make 8 (I could eat 24). We ate a fair few during our stay and I was taught the fine art of making these little veggie beauties by the chef, including the fine art of crimping to take away with me. After all this and soaking up our first destination in Sikkim we were ready to leave. Having extended our permit to 1 month we headed off by Sumo jeep to Tashading in the early morning foggy fine rain.
Pune June 2, 2010
Posted by admin in : India , add a commentSo the adventure really begins. After our 2 week break on the golden sands of Goa, realaxing as much as possible, getting acclimatised to the hot, humid heat of the Indian summer. We spent our last day at Boomshanka, soaking up the relaxing vibes and trying to memorise the beautiful sunset.
The next morning we embarked on getting out of Goa. Our aim is to go north which normally should be a simple task of catching a train from Margao. However, due to it being Indian holiday time plus the extreme heat of the south, it seems that the whole population of the south is also trying to travel north! We have already been told by a travel agent in Vagator that all trains going to cooler climates are booked up. It would have been tempting just to sit it out and hang out in Goa for longer, but with the season coming to an end all business are shutting up in preparation for the Monsoon. With this information in mind, we decide to go to the main Goan train station (Margoa) and see if we can get a tourist quota ticket as a last resort.
Getting to Margoa from Vagator entails two very sticky hot and squished public busses (changing at Mapusa and Panjim). This journey takes about an hour in total, but only costing Rs. 30 (50p) compared to Rs 900 (11 pounds) if we had opted for the taxi instead. So although not the most comfortable of journeys, the cost made it bearable.
Once in Margoa, we are confronted with more of the same news. There are no trains (even to Mumbai) until the 22nd June! We are not prepared to wait a month so we manage to book ourselves a sleeper bus to Pune that evening. Pune is just outside Mumbai and although it is not that far north, it is a start! Also, back in the Uk I made a contact in Pune over the internet who has offered us work helping him build a meditation centre and help on his farm so we decide that Pune is the best option for the time being.
The sleeper bus is like nothing I had been on before. It has double bunk beds on either side of the aisle with A/C. It looks comfortable and seeing as it is an 11hour night couch I was happy to get my head down asap. The only problem is there were no toilets so I was consciously not drinking too much water with the fear that my grape bladder will haunt me! We do have a stop enroute and surprisingly the service station toilets aren’t too gory.
Our route from Goa to Pune was through the Konkan Hills; so very very bendy roads plus a manic bus driver, I was left feeling like I was on a small ship and felt I had to compensate my sleeping position everytime we went around a bend. Despite this, I must have managed to sleep as the next thing I knew we awake with a sharp poke and are ejected, 6am apparently in the wrong part of the city. Al and I were literally turfed out onto the streets of Pune. I was rolling my sleeping bag up on the side of the road feeling rather dehydrated and groggy. Within seconds we were surrounded by autorickshaws asking us were we wanted to go. Thee truth is we had no idea…
Dazed and confused we took a rickshaw to a hostel recommended in the Lonely Planet to make things easy on our first day in the city before making a judgement call and moving somewhere better- This is a strategy we have agreed is best to ensure we are not stung as newcomers to a place, but also ensuring our non-reliance and deviation from the “sheeps trail” that is travel via Lonely Planet- The place is closed and the rickshaw is all too wannabe helpful. After waiting for the place to open it was too expensive and the guy stand-offish. We realise the rickshaw was out to screw us, so told him where to go and that we would walk the 2 kilometers to an area that is renowned for its cheap guest houses. Eventually we make it to Koregaon Park- the tourist quarter. Laura negotiates a 300Rs (4.50) per night double room with no AC (as this literally doubles the price at least due to the Indian ‘luxury tax’), I am beginning to feel the frustration of Indian people providing completely inaccurate and useless information and saying yes to EVERYTHING and then negotiating on what yes means. Finally we crash out for a few hours to catch up on the sleep we missed.
It is hot in Pune, but a different type of heat- HOT heat. It is 43C here and while the humidity is low the concrete jungle gives off this inferno from all angles. We feel bad etering a western type bar, but it is the only thing that looks like it has a) Air Con b) sells beer c) is near our accommodation (we are having an early night). We resist the American fare and head off to find some kind of cheap Indian food. Unfortunately Koregaon Park is an expensive area (so why does the Lonely Planet recommend it to backpackers!?), but we settle on a place where a main meal is Rs160, more than double the usual. We justify this away by trying the meat dishes that we wouldn’t eat from a street stall or cheap place, especially in Pune. The tandoori chicken and mutton dish I had were great, we were able to eat outside and soak up some atmosphere, listening to business dinners and the middle class do their thing. This is not hard in Pune as it is a bourgeoning city and IT hub, a base for the outsourced Internet/tech workers for the west.
We spend the first 2 days figuring out trains and what on earth we are going to do. After yet another frustrating conversation with a train ticket officer (telling us there are no trains…there must be a train sooner or later we think!) we decide to reserch train availabilty ourselves from an internet cafe. FINALLY we make progress and find an available train to Aurangabad on the 28th May, a train from Jalgoan (near Aurangabad) to Agra on 7th June and a train from Agra- Varanasi of the 9th June- on our own steam and the massively helpful cleartrip.com that allows you to see availability for the next 7 and 15 days and not just one day at a time (hugely frustrating). Armed with train codes and every detail we can think of, we embark on booking these tickets at the train station. Given the difficulty we have had so far, we couldn’t help feeling nervous that we will be turned away empty handed once more. We are on this occasion have a 100% success rate. SORTED!! We have a week to spend before our first train, so make a call to Umesh (my contact) who agreed to let us work for him, despite warnings that it may be to hot to handle.
The next day we have a wander around the city, the sights are far away, so we head to the shopping centre to get some Air Con and check out costs etc. This is the first place I have had a cheap and good coffee that has not been soiled by 50% sugar. We also want to pick up some authentic Indian clothing, which funnily enough the Indians call ‘Ethnic’- I thought that was a predjudiced western word. Despite looking for Laura we could find a good scalf of Salwar Kameez, but I do find a Kurta that matches my long linen trousers- perfect! So I am now all “ethnic” and hopefully can do a better job of ‘fitting in’ (impossible as a white person, but it’s about cultural effort, even though it attracts laughs and stares more than congratulations!)
We realise during this time that we are finally entering into real culturalhood, as we predicted. Goa is a bubble, an exception, people go there (Westerners and Indian alike to get drunk, take drugs, relax, have sex and break as many traditional Indian moral conventions as possible. We also begin to pick up on the Indian’s inability to tell you anything straight, nor say no to anything. There is also the ‘head wobble’ that seems to me anything from yes to no and everything in between. I’m starting to us this when I cannot be bothered to respond.
Later that day we meet up with Umesh, who instills excitment and reasures us that our preparation efforts were useful and that he is not dodgy, even though we still do not know where we are heading exactly the next day. He is a lovely guy, who invites us to stay at his flat for a night before taking us to his mango farm. We are so excited and definately think our persistence deserves a Kingfisher tanda (cold). As we have already paid for one more night in Koregaon Park, we agree for him to pick us up the following day.
With everthing a little fore planned we relax with a beer and pick up a great toasted sandwich from a street stall with green chilli paste (we discover with a massive mouthful) and tomato sauce. Rs20? You cannot go wrong. After wandering around Pune’s Disney World, which is literally a bouncy castle one spinning ride from the 70’s and small horses to ride we head back to sleep via a bar for a quick rum and coke.
One more sleep in the hottest room ever (thanks to a very slow fan) and then we are off to Umesh’s place! Bring it on.
