Another Trip on the Cards

Looks like I might travel again in February if everything goes fine. In all probability, we would be heading to Himachal Pradesh for four days sometime in Feb. Yippee, another opportunity to use the camera.

On the Kamla Bhatt Show

I met Kamla at Global Voices Conference (though due to time constraints, I have dropped out of GV network) at New Delhi. When she said she wanted to talk to Sakshi and me for her show I was intreguied.

The show is on air now. And if I am laughing so much, you can hold Kamla responsible. She had such interesting questions and I do love to talk about travel. And as I said in the previous post, thanks to her that I have started scribbling notes while I travel.

The Reasons Behind So Many Posts

Two people are responsible for the increase in the number of posts at my blog. Max suggested to me that shorter posts might be better for blogs and if I write shorter posts then the number increases. Also, whenever I would slack, he remined me to post something.

When I met Kamal Bhatt in December 2006 she asked me if I kept notes while I travel. I told her I have a photographic memory (as far as my travels are concerned) and I do not keep notes. But on this trip to Sikkim I remembered this talk and I decided to jot down a few lines if I felt like it. And after coming back, I realized that it is fun to read some of those scribblings. Some of them also got translated in blog posts.

So, a big thank you to both Kamla and Max.

A Small Incident From the Road to Yumthang Valley, North Sikkim

Getting Back on Track after the Tata Sumo Skidded about Half a Meter: Yumthang Valley, North Sikkim

The picture above was the most popular picture with the folks I met on the Yumthang Valley trip in North Sikkim. We were returning from Zero Point to the Yumthang Valley. Pankaj, our driver for this trip told us later, "I was tried to change the gear but it did not happen, so I braked and the jeep skidded." That is how we ended up about half a meter off the road on snow. He asked everyone of us to get down. The fellow travelers were really supportive and all of them decided to push the jeep back on track. Apart from me, the only female member on the shared jeep was a young girl of 11-12 years of age and both us were shooed aside. That is how I had the time to click the picture. After a few shouts of "Jai Bajranj Bali" (loosely translated God Hanuman be Praised) by the crowd (Sesha excluded, he is almost a non-believer) the jeep was back on track.

Later, on our way back to Gangtok, we stopped for tea in the evening near Pankaj's village. The young girl who served us the tea was a stunning beauty, and not in the rural sense. She was young, pretty, dressed in jeans and a shirt and knew how to use good makeup. Someone you are more likely to meet in a mall rather in a remote town of Sikkim but many people in Sikkim have wonderful dress sense, even in the remotest corners. We also had lunch at the same place on our way to the Yumthang Valley.

So, on the way back, I started showing her the pictures on my camera. Suddenly she shouted, "Pankaj, come here and see, there is a picture of the jeep in snow." Pankaj came running (and who will not at the bidding of such a beautiful girl), he anyway had been talking non-stop about the jeep skidding incident. Soon, Pankaj called others in the kitchen and everyone else wanted to have a look too.

When we reached Gangtok, Pankaj and a friend of his helped us find a hotel room. The favor in return? I showed Pankaj's friend the same picture on the digital camera again. I said to Pankaj that if he wished, I can send him the picture. He thought for a while and then "Jane dijeye" (Let it be).

I will also remember Pankaj because he was the coolest driver I have ever met. He must have been in his mid-twenties but he was never in a rush to reach anywhere. Anyone who wanted to overtake him, he would move aside and let them go.

Patak (I threw it) and Gir Gaya (I dropped it)

Patak and Gir Gaya are the Favorite Words of my Niece

My brother-in-law Amrit has this to say about my niece who loves to throw cell phones on the ground and then tell us innocently gir gaya or patak whatever catches her fancy:

Sometimes she doesn’t throw, as in, she doesn’t hurl the object as an act of throwing, she just let’s it fall from the point she’s holding it, without giving a second (or even a first) glance, as if it doesn’t exist, orchestrating an expression like an angel singing a melody of innocence, and you just want to give up the world for her there and then.

And I entirely agree with Amrit. This time I was at their place with my DSLR and she wanted to play the same patak gir gaya game. Only she could not figure out why masi (aunt) is not letting her even to touch the black thing and yet she is chasing her with it all around (I have so many pictures of her that is was so difficult to choose just one to put it along with this post). She protested a lot but I too stood firm.

I guess she then thought of a good way of getting back at me. She keeps US timings in India and at 3.30 in the morning one day, she was telling my sister 'masi baat' (I want to talk to masi) My sis told her masi will not talk but give you gali (scold you). I dread the day when she will keep US hours and will be able to call her masi on her own.

Also posted at Blogbharti.

PS. I took the picture off after reading this.

F1 Driving on the Indian Hills

Tata Sumo at Zero Point, Near Yumthang Valley, North Sikkim

Himalayas draw both of us like a magnet. It is the roads leading to the Himalayas that are a different story. The serpentine roads induce motion sickness in us and Avomine is a must. However, we are pretty used to the medicine by now.

But there is something else on the mountain roads over which I have no control. It is the tendency of the drivers to imitate Michael Schumacher (the formula one race car driver) or whoever may be the latest champion now, on the narrow curving roads.

We met Toni in Ladakh. He was the driver of the Toyota quails jeep that took us to Pangong Lake. He was not a rash driver but the way he would negotiate the curves on the road would make my heart skip quite a few beats. Snow, water on the road, nothing would deter him. When we would ask him to slowdown he would tell us, "I have done this route so many times, don't worry." And I would think, "You may have done the route so many times but for me this is the first and I hope not the last!"

This time in Sikkim, the very first driver who took us to Pelling from New Jalpaiguri was an aspiring F1 candidate and he would talk or listen to no one (but he was not really rash). He seemed to be in a foul mood due to some reason and I was glad when the journey was over. But apart from him, everyone else in the Sikkim trip preferred to drive safe, or so I thought, till we meet this real deadly person on our way out from Gangtok to Siliguri. He was driving rationally for most of the journey, not even a hint of F1 aspirations. But when the town of Siliguri was about 15 km away, god knows what went into him, he started accelerating rashly. All the passengers protested and he would slow down for a while and then try to overtake someone as if he had a death wish. And he nearly got it.

Indian roads are chaotic, to say the least. When a pedestrian might run across or a cyclist will materalize out of nowhere, you can never say. Many roads are single lane and that means you have to mind the traffic coming from the other direction too.

On such a road, this person once again went into an accelerating spree. Suddenly out of nowhere two young chaps on a bicycle came in front of our jeep. Now the driver was breaking like maniac. Still, he had a contact with the rear wheel of the cycle. The kids escaped just with a bent rear wheel but they were really really lucky. After a short while of name calling, everyone went their own way. But this time every passenger in the jeep had given a piece of their mind to the driver and the idiot managed to drop us safely to Siliguri.

Apart from this single incident, I have found the drivers in the hills really responsible, whether they are imitating Schumacher or not.

Spurious Avomine?

Sesha and I just love traveling to the hills in India. But the thing is both of us have motion sickness and rely heavily on Avomine (anti-nausea medicine) to have a smooth road journey. In December 2006 I went to Khurpatal, near Nanital in Uttranchal. So, I bought a strip of Avomine in Gurgaon and took one before the journey. I slept for most of the way to Khurpatal but when I woke up in the morning, I felt slightly dizzy. Anyway we were almost there, and I did not think about it much. The next day, we traveled a short distance (10km) to Nanital. As usual, I took an Avomine an hour before I had to sit in the jeep.

After taking the medicine, I feel very confident and did not think much about getting sick. I thought I was feeling slightly queasy on the way to Nanital. I tried to ignore it but after 20 minutes I asked my colleagues if they could stop the jeep for a while as I was not feeling well. As soon as I was out of the jeep, I threw up my lunch. Thankfully, after that I lasted till we reached Nanital. My first purchase at Nanital was another strip of Avomine. I used this new strip for the return journey of Khurpatal to Gurgaon and had no problem.

Then came my Sikkim trip (My complete Sikkim article is now available at Gonomad). After reaching New Jalpaiguri, it was once again Avomine time. I was using the same leftover Avomine from the Khurpatal trip. By the number of tablets used, I knew which strip was from Nanital and which one was purchased in Gurgaon.

We had no problems in Sikkim till we were using the Avomine from the lot purchased in Nanital. But it got over and we used the Gurgaon ones on our way back from Gangtok to New Jalpaiguri. After a trip to the hills the thought of returning to Delhi anyway leaves me flat but on this jeep trip both of us were feeling real bad. Once again the Avomine did not seem to work and we were getting dizzy. Thankfully, the jeep stopped for tea after an hour and I ran to a medical shop to purchase new lot of Avomine. They said they had a substitute brand and I was desperate enough to try anything. We took the new medicine and felt better after a while and reached safely.

Now when I think about it, I feel that the Avomine that I purchased at Gurgaon from the neighborhood medicine store was spurious. Scary thought, because it is one thing that we cannot afford to get wrong. It is because of Avomine that we are able to enjoy the hills.

Pre-booking with Tour Operators in India

Yumthang Valley: Sikkim, We Booked the Tour at Gangtok

I sometimes get email queries for information on Ladakh or Sikkim. The most frequently asked question is: “Can you recommend a good travel agent to book the tour through?”

The problem is we travel almost like backpackers in India (my blog posts are a testimony to it) and this trend is broken only when I absolutely put my foot down (which rarely happens). Sesha just loves rundown hotels.

We do not pre-book almost anything on our trips (apart from the train or air tickets). I must say initially, I would almost go crazy at the idea of not having a hotel booking in advance. I can also assure you our entire family feels quite uneasy when we travel without any bookings but for the past 6 years we have managed to do fine at a variety of places ranging from Almora, Jageshwar, Chail, Ladakh, Sikkim, Joshimath, Bhunter, Manali, Jaipur, Udaipur, Bharatpur, Agra, Renuka Lake, Bharmour, Hadsar, Rajaji National Park, Dalhousie, Kaudiala, Auli, Mussoorie (this is all I have traveled in last six years? What am I doing with my life? Ok, I have left the treks out of this list cause you anyway live in a tent then, if I count the treks Goa, Har-Ki-Doon, Sar Pass and Kuari Pass get added to the list).

Soul-searching questions apart, how do we manage to do it in a crowded country like India? Here is why traveling in India without pre-booking is possible.

• Travel in the Off-season: Not all places can be visited with equal ease in the off-season (Ladakh readily comes to mind) but if you go to places like Sikkim, Auli or Manali in off-season, it is almost the buyers market. I remember going to Auli in August once. It was pouring and there were few people around. So, we could get a place at the GMVN guesthouse without any booking. What if we would have found it full? We would have come back to Joshimath and stayed there, Joshimath is not full even in June. Traveling a few times in the off-season is a must if you wish to escape the crowd. However, not having a booking at Goa in December (peak season) or Agra in season will make life difficult.

• It is Full of Tour Operators: Anyplace that is well known on the tourist map of India is full of hundreds (if not thousands) of tour operators. So, if it is absolutely essential for your peace of mind, pre-book your hotel. Any trips that you desire to take (like Pangong in Ladakh or Yumthang in Sikkim) can be booked after reaching the hub cities like Leh (Ladakh) or Gangtok (Sikkim). The prices charged closer to the destination also tend to be cheaper and you can shop around with tour operators.

• Sometimes you Stumble Upon Places: While coming back from Auli (in August, I have been there in June too) our bus stopped about 30 kilometers before Rishikesh, at Kaudiala for evening tea. GMVN has a guesthouse right at the bank of the Ganges here. We asked if there was a vacant room and we got it. Now if we had pre-booked a hotel at Rishikesh or Haridwar, this change of plans would not have been possible.

Still not convinced? Just try it ones for variety, and you may like it so much that it might become a habit.

Gonomad Travel Writers Page

Gonomad has put up travel writer pages. So, all my Gonomad articles can be seen from the writer page now (scroll down the page a bit). What I am thinking is, I have enjoyed writing each of them as much as I have enjoyed visiting those places. OK, I enjoyed visiting those places a bit more than writing about them.

But I have started enjoying writing about travel a lot more than what I ever thought was possible. But you probably guessed it already by the number of the blog posts I am churning out off late.

Visiting Sikkim in December: FAQ

After coming back from the Kuari Pass Trek in June, 2006 I was restless as to where would we go in December. When a colleague suggested Sikkim, I liked the idea and when I told him, so did Sesha. But my biggest worry was, "Would I freeze to death in Sikkim in December?" "Would there be too much snow?" Of course, I searched on the inetrnet and was reassured that people do go to Sikkim in December and come back to tell the tale.

So, now that I am back I decided to do a FAQ for going to Sikkim in December.

Q. Is December the right month to visit Sikkim? Will it be too cold?

A. Right month would depend on what you want to do in Sikkim. Flowers would not be in bloom but most of the tourist areas are accessible in December and less crowded. So if December is the only time you can manage to get those leaves, a visit to Sikkim is possible.

At lower regions like Pelling and Gangtok, it was not really that cold in December. Pelling is at a height of 6,800 feet (2,085 m) and Gangtok has an altitude of 5,840 feet (1769 m). The weather forecast may say that temperatures vary from 15 degree Celsius (high) to 0 degree (lowest) in December. The thing is that days are quite sunny and 15 degree does not feel bad. 0 degree happens (if at all) when you are safely tucked inside a bed at night. Of course, heavy woolens are required but I could keep the cold at bay by using multiple layer of clothing and a heavy jacket. And I am a person who finds cold extremely difficult to handle. So, my feeling is that at places like Pelling and Gangtok, December is quite OK.

In fact, it became quite crowded in Gangtok from 25th December to 31 December. Since we do not book our hotels in advances, that gave us a mild anxiety attack but there were still vacant rooms available in Gangtok in December.

Zero Point (Altitude 14,600 feet, 4450m), Beyond Yumthang Valley, North Sikkim

Q. Will a trip to Yumthang be possible in December or the routes get closed due to snow?

A. No, the routes do not normally close. We were able to visit Yumthang (11800 feet, 3596m) in December without any difficulty. In fact, there was no snow at the Yumthang valley itself. To see the snow, we had to go to what is called as 'Zero Point' (14,600 feet, 4450m). It is definitely much more colder at these heights. But Yumthang valley and Zero Point do not offer accommodation. One has to visit the area and come back. So, wrap yourself properly and when it becomes too cold outside crawl back into the vehicle that took you there. Our shared jeep group could take Zero Point only for 45 minutes but that was enough for everyone of us. For my visit (December 28, 2006) there was not really any need to wear snow boots in the area.

Sunrise at Lachung (Altitude 8800 feet, 2682 m), North, Sikkim

The place where night accomodation is offered on the Yumthang trip is usually Lachung (8800 feet, 2682 m) and I found it cold. But we carry good sleeping bags with us and I use it in addition to the hotel supply of quilts. This is also due to the fact that I find cold extremely difficult to handle. The hotel rooms at Lachung are very basic and not heated.

Q. Will a trip to Nathu-La be possible in December or the routes get closed due to snow?

A. A trip to Nathu-La is possible in December, the routes are open. However, as the Sikkim Government Website informs us "Nathula is open only for Indian nationals on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The visitors have to get the permit to visit the place by applying to the Tourism Department through a registered Travel Agency." For the Indian nationals, the trip is possible. On my visit (December 30, 2006) there was no need to wear snow boots in the area.

Q. Can foreigners visit Nathu-La, the India China border?

A. If you look at the Sikkim governemnt website link above, it says as of now Nathu-La is open only to Indian nationals on specific days (look under the Nathu-La section).

Q. Will the Tsomgo lake (also known as Changu Lake) be frozen in December?

A. Tsomgo/Changu Lake is on the way to Nathu-La and the tourist jeeps make a stop here for lunch (even otherwise). On my trip (December 30, 2006) it was not frozen. However, a friend who visited Sikkim in February said it was frozen then. I had my lunch here on my way back from Nathu-La, and I found it really cold but bearable. Also, while going we made a brief stop and the weather was clear. On the way back, a thick fog had developed and I could not take anymore pictures of the lake due to the fog.

Q. Can foreigners visit Tsomgo/Changu Lake in Sikkim?

A. Again, quoting from the Sikkim government website, "Foreign visitors have to be in a group of two or more and have to apply for the visitors permit through a registered travel agency." (look under the Tsomgo Lake section).

Q. Do I need to book al the tours before reaching Sikkim in December?

A. That depends on your comfort level. We did not pre-book hotels, or tours for Yumthang and Nathu-La (December 2006) and had no problem with anything. But we are backpackers. So, if you do not want to pre-book from your city, it is OK. We asked for a trip to Yumthang for next day and we had no problem in getting the permit.

Nathu-La is open only on specific days,so the trip requires a little bit of extra planning. For example I booked my 30th December tour to Nathu-La on 27th December and got the permit.

If you have any other question for going to Sikkim in December, please leave a comment. I would try to answer it as soon as possible.

Note:
Also, the information above should be treated with caution, as the guidelines and rules of the Indian government could change.

The weather is a fickle thing and what is true in 2006 may not remain the same in other years. Also, what is reasonably cold for one person may not be so for another. I have tried to give you my impressions an hope that it may help you for planning a trip to Sikkim in December.

It Rains Almost Everyday in Gangtok, Sikkim

MG Road, Gangtok, after a Shower: It Rains Almost Every Day

I was quite apprehensive about going to Sikkim in December because I do not enjoy cold weather. Well, the lower regions like Gangtok and Pelling were not that cold for me after I wrapped myself up in a thick jacket. However, in Gangtok, almost everyday it would rain, or I should say it drizzles almost everyday. If was drizzling we would still go out but once or twice the rain forced us to stay indoors for a couple of hours. Maybe, that is why Sikkim is so green.

Nathu-La, India-China Border, Sikkim

Nathu-La, India-China Border, Sikkim: Also Known as the Old Silk Route

Nathu-La the India-China Border, also known as the old silk route, was on my agenda when I went to Sikkim in the last week of December. The place and my trip is still itched in my memory and I have so many photographs from this place. At an altitude of 14,420 feet, what separates us from China is a thin barbed fence. Chinese soldires mingle quite freely with the Indian tourists. From what I have read, foreign toursists are permitted only upto Changu Lake and as of now cannot visit Nathu-La border from the Indian side.

A View into China from the Nathu-La Border, Sikkim

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The border currently is a far cry from what is written in this 1999 Asia Times article on the Nathu-La Border. Apparently in 1999 they did not let anyone take photographs or talk to the Chinese soldiers at Nathu-La. As of now (2006), I was allowed to use my SLR quite freely poiting it as far as I could into the Chinese territory. The atmosphere at the border was quite merry and everyone was free to use there cameras and talk and shake hands with any Chinese or Indian soldiers. Of course the soldiers on both the sides talk with caution and within whatever brief they are given (my guess). The 1999 article also says that there is a sign saying:

''You are under enemy observation now,'' warns a signpost on the winding 50-km road up from Gangtok.

I don't think there are any such signs on the road to Nathu-La now in 2006. At least I didn't see anything like this.

But my biggest question is what is China's policy regarding the tourists? Do they let their people visit the border as tourists?

A Walk to Sangacholing Monastery, Pelling, Sikkim

Sangacholing Monastery Premises, Pelling, Sikkim

There are two monasteries (also known as Gompas) in Pelling, Sangacholing and Pemayangtse. As of now to reach Sangacholing, one has to walk. As Sesha and I love to walk, it was the first place we visited in Pelling.

While we were going up, two couples were coming down. At first glance, I thought one girl had leaves stuck in her hair. I said to her, "You have leaves in your hair." And while saying, I realized it was deliberate. She laughed and said she was trying the 'jungle girl' look. I had already started laughing and I really enjoyed looking at her ornaments. She was using ferns as a head gear, ear rings and necklace. As we walked a few paces ahead, there was another couple, the girl similarly attired and the guy was carrying her on his shoulders, what we call a 'piggy back ride.' The girl waved and shouted at us and I returned her greetings.

Reminds me of a time when my younger nephew was just a few years old. In our small town, we would watch a 6.30 to 9.30 evening movie show and he would get very tired and sleepy walking back home. I used to give him a piggy back ride and he would almost fall asleep while we walked half a kilometer to home. Now, he has grown to a height of six feet 2 inches and tries to bully me most of the time. And I feel amused that I have to almost look up when I talk to him. How fast the time flies!

Retiring to the Hills in India?

The Bridge Near Seven Sisters Waterfall, North Sikkim

How many times have you come across a beautiful place and thought, “Oh! I could build a house nearby and retire here?” I must have done it every two kilometers in North Sikkim, it looks so bewitchingly beautiful and so utterly, truly and completely green. My husband, more often than not, nods his head in agreement. Till date, I have been scared of only one thing, the cold weather in the mountains. It is one thing to take it in small doses and it is quite another to think of living it day in and day out.

Then, I came across this paragraph about a house in Kalimpong (quite close to Sikkim) in The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai.

The house has been built long ago by a Scotsman, passionate reader of the accounts of that period: The Indian Alps and How We Crossed Them, by A Lady Pioneer. Land of the Lama. The Phantom Rickshaw. My Mercara Home. Black Panther of Singrauli. His true spirit has called to him, then, informed him that it, too, was wild and brave, and refused to be denied the right of adventure. S always, the price for such romance had been high and paid for by others. Porters had carried boulders from the riverbed-legs growing bandy, ribs curving into caves, backs into U’s, faces being bent slowly to look always at the ground-up to this site chosen for a view that could raise the human heart to spiritual heights.

It gave me some food for thought about our retirement dreams.

PS. My personal favorite still remains Ladakh.

Border Roads Organization (BRO): I am a Fan

Border Roads Organization (BRO) Signboard: Yumthang Valley, Sikkim

I am a big fan Border Roads Organization (BRO). What do they do? As the name suggests, they maintain the roads that are on the border that India has with other countries. And that means tough job.

With a humble beginning, with just two Projects – Project Tusker (renamed Project Vartak ) in the East at Tezpur and Project Beacon in the West at Srinagar, the BRO as a result oriented Organisation, producing quality work, with little time or cost overrun, even in the most adverse conditions of working, grew from strength to strength over the last four decades, to be a vast and vibrant Organisation with thirteen Chief Engineer Projects spread across the length and breath of the country, operating in 22 States including the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Seven Chief Engineer Projects located in the North East, three in J & K, one in Himachal Pradesh / Uttaranchal and the balance in Western and Central India.

The first thing that brought them on my radar was their ubiquitouss yellow sings all along the Manali-Leh road and Ladakh. Then a read a very moving piece about BRO written by Vikrum in 2006.

This time in Sikkim, I was actively seeking their presence and the project there is called Project Dantak. I am sure they have a huge role to play for military but what I know them for and remember them for is keeping the mountain roads safe and accessible for people like me who love going there.

I also identify with what Ubermensch writes about BRO:

Somehow as you manage through a bumpy ride on one unhealthy segment of a longish curve with its metalling worn out off the road, you are greeted to a better maintained segment with a board which readsInconvenience is Regretted, BRO.
In a nation that is India, to find such a courteous signboard here, in this desolate corner, at an altitude of 15000 feet or so above the sea level under such rough conditions melts your heart away. As they say great deeds go into history books but its the smaller gestures that find their place in the heart.

Hotels, Restaurants and the Like

A Hotel Door (Pelling, Sikkim, India)

I was reading The Inheritance of Loss by Kiran Desai on the trip to Sikkim. A paragraph where she is talking about Biju, an illegal immegrant in US working in a restaurant, caught my attention.

The sound of their fight had traveled up the flight of steps and struck a clunky note, and they might upset the balance, perfectly first-world on top, perfectly thrid world twenty-two steps below. Mix it up in a heap and then who would patronize his restaurant, hm? With its coquilles Saint-Jacques a la vapeur for $27.50 and the blanquette de veau for $ 23, ...

What were they thinking? Do restaurants in Paris have cellars full of Mexicans, desis, and Pakis?

No they do not, what are you thinking?

They have cellars full of Algerians, Senegalese, Moroccans ...

The major part of the book is also set up in a region close to Sikkim, Kalimpong (West Bengal) and has Mount Khang-Chen-Dzon Ga (Kanchanjunga) as the backdrop.

While I know very little about people mentioned in the book, I saw young kids working in hotels in Pelling and Gangtok (and this is quite common at smaller hotels across India). What haunts me most is that some of them had an absolutely miserable exprssions on their faces.

PS. I completed the book in Sikkim itself, and though it is well written it ends on such a miserable note for almost all the characters that it was a little too much for me to bear. I remember saying to Sesha vehmently after completing the book "I hate situations which do not offer any hope to the characters." I really do.

World's Highest ATM at Thegu (Sikkim, India)?

Just a little before Nathu-La (India-China border in Sikkim), at a small place called Thegu, I saw a sign saying "High Altitude ATM." It belongs to UTI Bank(Unit Trust of India) and my hunch is that the people from the Indian army are its only users. The sign gave the height of the spot as 13200 feet (4023 meter). It crossed my mind that it could be the highest ATM in the world. Because even though Leh (J&K, India) has a SBI ATM (State Bank of India) the altitude of Leh is less than Thegu at 11500 feet (3500 m).

Unfortunately, our jeep did not stop there, anyway the movement on that road is regulated so I did not even think of requesting the driver to make a stop so that I could take a picture of the ATM. But here is a good one that I found on the internet.

When I searched for world's highest ATM I got this article in Taipei Times (read under the heading India, the article is dated June 16, 2004)) saying the Thegu ATM in Sikkim is indeed the highest ATM in the world. Do you know of any ATMS higher than this?

PS. I also remember they used to close the ATM at 5.00pm in Leh in 2005! Now that is a little strange for an ATM but maybe opening it beyond 5.00pm is a 'security concern' in J&K?

Update: I had posted the same query at Indiamike. Vistet replied saying there are two ATMs at Naqu (Altitute, 4500, Tibet) and VISAs ATM Locator lists two ATM there (listed Under China, Tibet obviously is not an option). So this is probably the highest ATM for us?

Shops in Pelling (West Sikkim)

A Small Shop Selling Tea and Eatables at Night

Shops in Pelling are small and colorful. They mostly sell local goods, I saw no branded outlets there (but there are a few in Gangtok). The highest numbers of shops are obviously travel related. Next comes the corner liquor shops of Pelling.

The corner liquor shops are quite disreputable in Gurgaon. If my male friends have to pick up beer from such a shop, they make sure I am not left alone in the car, particulalrly at night. They would of course not let me go and pick up a beer from such a shop (it is a different matter in pubs and malls, there the atmosphere is different and if one chooses to have a drink particularly in a group, no eyebrows are going to be raised).

Coming back to Pelling, my eyes almost fell out of the sockets when I saw a lady peacefully running a corner liquor shop. No wonder, I feel so much more safer in hills than in big cities. A lady running the corner liquor shop without getting any trouble is something quite umimaginable in Gurgaon.

The Jeep that Took Us to Pelling (West Sikkim)

The Shared Jeep From Siliguri to Pelling

From New Jalpaiguri railway station we were looking for a shared jeep to Pelling (West Sikkim). From the station the shared jeeps run only for Gangtok. We had to go to Siliguri (around 8km) from the station and this is the jeep that took us to Pelling finally. It was standing like this in a yard and people were working on it. The condition did not inspire too much confidence. But once they put it back together, it took us to our destination safely. Only, the driver thought he was on F1 circuit and not tortuous mountain roads.

Sikkim Redefines Green for Me

Khang-Chen-Dzon Ga (Kanchanjunga)

A few months back I was inviting suggestions and when a colleague talked about a visit to Sikkim in December, I was intrigued but apprehensive at the same time. He assured me it would not be very cold. But cold can mean different things to different people. When folks have yet to declare winter, I already start using the room heater in my office.

I can become quite miserable if the weather is too cold, though Sesha’s (my husband) motto is, the colder the better. So, when I sounded him out for Sikkim, he was quite enthusiastic. After searching on the internet (Indiamike, in particular) I concluded that many people have already achieved the feat I was considering and there are high chances of coming back in one single piece. And I am back now to tell you the story.

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Update
I have truncated my original post and my apologies to those who came here looking for it, particularly in response to my links at Indiamike. The original article is under consideration for publication and if everything goes well it will be available in full soon again. Once again my sincere apologies.

Update 2: My travelogue on Sikkim in December is now available in full on the Gonomad website.

Some Pictures from Sikkim

The Road to the Nathu-La (India-China Border, Sikkim)

I am back from my trip to Sikkim and the semester has begun too! I have so much to write about the trip but it will take me a few days to start writing proper posts. I thought, in the meanwhile, I will share my pictures from Sikkim.

I thank you all so much who have left comments on my previous posts. I hate to leave my comments unanswered but that too will take me a day or two. I hope the new year started on just the right note for all of you. My right note is visible in the pictures.