After a few more bumpy roads and hairpin mountain turns, we've arrived at our hotel in the city of Gangtok in Sikkim (suh-keem). Sikkim has had many names over the years. The Lepchas (original inhabitants of the land) called it Nye-mae-el `paradise'. The Limbus named it Su Khim or `new house' while to the Bhutias it was Beymul Demazong `the hidden valley of rice'. Sikkim shares its border with Nepal and Bhutan. As a country, it merged with India in 1975. The third highest mountain in the world, Khangchendzonga can be seen from Sikkim. It's revered as the home of their god Dzo-nga.
Every hotel we've stayed in has given us a scarf to welcome us. Reminds me of Hawaii when someone puts a lei around your neck. Nandu purchased Napali hats for everyone. I think out of bunch, I look the best in mine. Several people have said that I look like one of the natives. This close to China, that could very well be. We do have wifi in the lobby of this hotel. Our internet connections have been quite challenging.
Last night for dinner we had momos and noodle soup. To my surprise, they actually have a Subway and Dominos here. A slice of pizza sounded pretty good to me, but I was out voted. We're planning on taking a cable car ride over the city...called the Gangtok Ropeway. Hopefully the skies will clear so that we can see the mountains and even more hopefully the thing is made of cable and not rope.
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| View from our hotel |
The further north we travel toward China, the more dramatic the scenery. I'm looking forward to seeing the sunset tonight. Tomorrow we leave for the city of Jaigaon near Bhutan.
1 comment:
The last pic is great! Dude, i want to ride the Gangtok Ropeway, although, three-fity would pose some challenges! I'm still going with Shirpa!
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