North by northeast

Thundering waterfalls, gurgling brooks, rustling woods, creaking bridges... Sikkim, one of the most verdant and picturesque of the northeastern states of India, leaves Chitra Ramaswami awe-struck.

It is my first venture into Sikkim, the north-eastern region of India and I have been looking forward to it for months now. So here I am in Kolkata and determined not to be intimidated by the sudden spate of unfavourable incidents including a state-wide shutdown triggered by the fuel price hike in West Bengal, our only entry point to Sikkim, via Darjeeling or Jalpaiguri. My resolve is steel hard and I refuse to listen to naysayers who suggest I abandon my plans and return. So we, my friends and I, decide to stick around in our hotel room in Kolkata for the best of two days waiting for the strike to end and bus/train services to resume.

We reschedule our travel plans and manage to book ourselves on an overnight sleeper bus that would take us to Siliguri from where we would travel about four hours by car to reach Gangtok, Sikkim's capital. The journey takes 17 hours – five hours longer than it would in normal times and it is well past dusk when we check into the Hotel Danzong Shangri La.

Though a trifle tired, the vistas I caught through the car window as we approached our hotel convinced me that all the trouble we took to get there was not in vain for here in Sikkim, nature exhibits itself in all its grandeur – dense verdant forests, crystal clear streams, roaring rivers, cascading waterfalls...

An oasis of natural beauty tucked high in India's northeastern corner, ensconced in the lap of the towering Kangchendzonga (also spelt Kanchenjunga) ranges, Sikkim is just amazing.

With Gangtok as our base, we decide to explore the region.

The architectural splendour of the capital with its pagoda-like wooden houses, the brilliant colours of the people's attire, the unhurried pace and the smiling faces of the Sikkimese as they make their way through Lal Bazaar and M.G. Marg all cast a magical spell on us.

M.G. Marg with its bustling malls and eateries reminds me of the famed cafe and street theatre-lined La Rambla in Barcelona –both have a certain old world charm.

There are close to 200 monasteries all over the state and the colourfully fluttering prayer flags all around the monasteries are a treat for the eyes.

We decide to visit a monastery close to Shangri La – the 200-year-old Enchey Monastery built on the site believed to be blessed by Lama Druptob Karpo, a revered person who it is said had the power to fly!

Back in Gangtok we visit the Chogyal Palden Thondup Memorial Park, the Orchid Garden, the Ridge and the White Hall, besides the Tashi View Point, the Saramsa Garden, Changu Lake and the monastery at Lingdum, all of which abound in colour and offer panoramic views of the city and its neighbourhood. The sprawling Himalayan Zoological Park is a revelation with its wildlife existing in natural surroundings.

Our drive to Rumtek, 25 km from Gangtok, is breathtakingly scenic.

We roll down the windows of our car and breathe in deeply and greedily the intoxicatingly fresh mountain air as Longu, our chauffeur-cum-guide, deftly manoeuvres the vehicle. The gradient is steep and there are several sharp hairpin bends as the road meanders up the hill.

Step inside the Rumtek, Sikkim's largest Buddhist monastery perched on a hill facing Gangtok, and the brilliant colours literally overwhelm you. At 1,676m above sea level, the structure set in sylvan surroundings is bewitching.

The entrance is richly adorned with murals. Resplendent in vibrant hues, the interior is as stunning in beauty as it is in its aesthetic appeal and houses a treasure trove of sacred objects. The complex comprises the monk's quarters circumscribing a huge stone courtyard where Longfu tells us, Lama dances are performed to celebrate special occasions on the Tibetan calendar.

Most of Sikkim's peaks lie on its West and remain unscaled because of the local belief that they are sacred and will lose their sanctity if climbed!

With the Teesta and Rangeet rivers flowing through it, Sikkim
is profoundly diverse in terms of geography.

The topography of Sikkim is interwoven with a deluge of gurgling mountain streams that culminate in many places in enormous waterfalls. We are fortunate to be here just as the monsoon sets in and the streams are happily gurgling along, some of them quite rapidly.

On the second day of our explorative sojourn we get caught
in a sudden downpour. We are close to a waterfall when the rain comes pouring down. How I wish I could capture this brilliant spectacle on film but I know that would be suicidal for my equipment.

Beauty is everywhere in Sikkim and you can take it in along with lungsful of cool, fresh mountain air that carries with it the sweet scent of wild blossoms. The place is endowed with a sense of serenity in an exotic blend of finest sights, whether it is of sweeping hills of paddy fields, terraced tea gardens, placid lakes often hidden inside dense foliage or small hamlets in the midst of verdure.

The tranquillity is only occasionally broken by the enchanting twitter of birds we do not get to spot.

The start of our journey to South Sikkim is a trifle eventful. We have barely travelled for half an hour from Shangri La when we find ourselves caught in a traffic jam – caused by
a mudslide. Anywhere else, a traffic jam would have left us stressed out but this one is almost welcome. We utilise the break to take in the ambience of our surroundings even
as the pale monsoon sun attempts to light up the mountaintops.

We get out of the car and decide to explore the area a bit, walking up the road to see the mudslide.

Much to our surprise and fascination, the path is cleared
within half an hour, and we continue our journey southwards, skirting expansive tea estates and passing by a few shrines.

Our first stop is at the Tashiding Monastery, bejewelled with murals galore. Tashiding, we learn, was built in 1717 when a rainbow was spotted linking the site with the revered Kanchenjunga.

We continue on our path of discovery and come upon the Kechopari (meaning wishing) Lake at 1,950m above sea level. A garden carpeted with an assortment of blossoms and ornamental plants at the entrance leads us through an avenue of trees to the lake area.

The stunningly beautiful lake with its placid and crystal clear waters reflects the abundantly green foliaceous canopy that overhangs it. With the mountains serving as a backdrop the view is picture-perfect.

While still in the West, we visit the Pemayanste Monastery and the Fambrong and Kanchenjunga Waterfalls, each alluring in its own unique way.

The dark rain clouds soon open up and by the time we are on our way to the North the rain is pelting down.

It's the last day of our stay in Sikkim and our Innova car whirrs and snarls to heave itself through winding roads that are slushy and strewn with loose rocks in places. We keep our fingers crossed hoping there will be no landslides to play spoilsport on this last day. Dark clouds continue to chase us as we make slow progress through thick stretches of rainforest. However, by the time we reach our first visiting spot, the Kabi Longstok, the rains cease. It does not take long for the clouds to dissipate and we step out of the car to stand before this forested grove, Kabi, where stone markers stand testimony to the historic pact of blood brotherhood between the Bhutias and Lepchas – two communities of Sikkim.

We spot more streams before we come upon the Seven Sisters Waterfall. We halt there briefly while gently sprayed by the water jets from the Rimbala Falls. Even as we are savouring the delightful "drench", Longfu points to a crevice in the rocks extending from the waterfalls, where a cobra lies coiled. Longfu gingerly pokes a stick at the entrance to the crevice, hopeful of bringing the serpent out for a quick photo shoot. But the snake does not seem to be interested in posing for us.

Photo sessions over, it is time to wind up our northern sojourn and of Sikkim itself. As dusk casts its dark veil over the Sikkimese ranges, thousands of lights illuminate the landscape, appearing to reflect the stars scattered across an enormous cerulean sky.

Almost as if by coincidence, the end of our visit to Sikkim is fraught with tension as was our beginning. There is unrest in Darjeeling where the Gurkhas are staging a strike of sorts for a separate Gorkhaland. The Government of Sikkim is requesting tourists to leave Sikkim and we, not wanting to be caught in any kind of strike, decide to leave for Jalpaiguri
en route to Kolkata.

Fortunately for us, Jolly, the proprietor of Shangri La, organises a couple of vehicles for her guests for this four-hour drive to Jalpaiguri.

We, a baker's dozen, pile into the two vehicles and reach the safety of the station, uneventfully, to board our train to Kolkata from where we take a flight home to Raipur.

– Chitra Ramaswami is a writer based in Chhattisgarh, India.