Trip notes – Gangtok, Sikkim
With this post, I am trying to start a new habit – of documenting tidbits about my trips with my wife (Kanika) to places worth remembering & sharing about.
I hope, with this, I will also renew the long lost will to sit and write for my dear blog 
Gangtok
Some quick facts about our journey…
- Our trip was scheduled from 29th June 2011 to 3rd July 2011.
- Flight tickets costed us about INR 13,000 (we had booked our tickets about 1 month in advance)
- Our stay was at a local guest house in Gangtok (arranged by Kanika’s mom) – cost – INR 100 /night
- Travel from Bagdogra airport to Gangtok (guest house drop) – INR 820 (shared cab with another couple) (Maruti Van)
- Travel from Gangtok (Guest house pickup) to Bagdogra Airport – INR 1,500 (same Maruti van, same driver, not shared)
Notes about Gangtok…
Things which you should know before planning a trip there…
- Rains are a complete badass in Gangtok. It used to rain for complete nights during our stay (and during the days as well). Roads leading to the hills which are not well built get dangerously muddy & almost unusable.
- Paying extra to get an experienced driver and a good (& heavy) car is a decision you should always try to be in favor of.
- Season to visit – Oct/Nov and March/April (costly) – Its the best time to visit as the badass rains have either not started yet or just stopped. Winter is either setting in or giving way to summers. If lucky, you can also get to see snowfall at this time.
- Off season – June/July (cheaper) – Though we had no choice about our travel dates – we did enjoy the climate at this time of the year. Not to mention, visiting Gangtok during this part of the year has its own advantages
- Travel inside Gangtok is VERY costly. The private taxi driving business is soo booming here that almost every next youngster is a private taxi driver in Gangtok. Be ready to shell out $$ if you plan to take up private cabs for your sigh seeing. What costed us just INR 820 one way (luckily we found a couple to share the cab with) – got inflated to INR 1500 just because we were the only folks travelling to the Airport that morning from our route.
- There is NO airport in Gangtok. The only airport near Gangtok is in Bagdogra (West Bengal) – which is about 135 kilometers from Gangtok. This travel can take anywhere from 3 to 6 hours based on the condition of roads (& traffic jams). Start early if your flight is in the first half of the day.
- People of Gangtok are amazingly simple and friendly. I have not seen a city this friendly. Even Pune isn’t any close to Gangtok that way. Kudos to them
- When traveling first time to Gangtok, try to locate your destination hotel/lodge in reference to the MG Market. Its the heart of the city, has 3 large taxi stands built around it. Also, every driver knows this place. If at all possible, get a guest house near this market. Ours was about 10 kms further uphill and we really did witnessed some interesting times – trying to figure out how to reach our guest house.
- If you plan to visit Nathula Pass, carry two photographs of yours. Not required, but also carry some identification papers (xerox) – as any visit to the Nathula Pass is sanctioned by the Army.
Places to visit (Map of Gangtok for reference)
In our 3 days of stay at Gangtok, I think we saw almost all of what was there to see in this season.
- 1st Day – We booked a cab for INR 1000 which took us to the North & central tour of the city. It was a decently fulfilling day.
- 2nd Day – We opted to rest. Visited the MG Market, bought souvenirs, saw Delhi Belly at a local theater We also booked our travel to Nathula Pass (INR 600 per person, shared cab)
- 3rd Day – The journey to Nathula Pass was awesome. The valley below you looks breathtaking when you are going uphill. And at 15,000 feet, the climate is awesomely chilly. Hats off to the Army Jawans who live in such a harsh climate.
Gist
Its an amazingly breathtaking place. If you are willing to travel on long road journeys & enjoy the journey more than the destination, its THE place for you.
I just wish, there was an airport inside Gangtok (or atleast Sikkim).
To end this post, I would like to show a brilliant piece of art I saw at the Handicrafts museum. I am completely in awe of the symmetry this drawing was made with. Whats even more brilliant, was the way this symmetry was achieved.
Lord Gautama Buddha
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