Reminiscences from the North Sikkim trip - Day 1

North Sikkim trip - June, 2012.
 
Sikkim is a small state, nestled in the Himalayan mountains. It's the least populous state in India and the second-smallest state after Goa in total area. The economy is largely dependent on agriculture and tourism. 

We started our trip from Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim. We reached Gangtok via New Jalpaiguri by road. We started in the morning from New Jalpaiguri and it took around 4-5 hours to reach Gangtok. It was mildly raining in the morning and after driving for half an hour, we crossed the city and entered the Sevoke forest range. The beautiful surroundings on both sides of the road engrossed us. After an hour of driving, we met the Teesta river. 

Teesta River

 As we moved ahead in the mountains, the roads became narrow and we were getting the feel of the valley. After about an an hour, we reached the Sikkim Manipal Institute of Technology. The place was very scenic, surrounded by mountains on two of its sides with a river flowing in between. It was very serene and I would say apt for studies.

As we were ascending towards our destination, the slopes became very steep and weather turned more misty. Finally we reached Gangtok at 1 pm. We went directly to our hotel which was near by the helipad.

 After relaxing for a bit, we had lunch and then we decided to go for small tour of the city. We covered Ganesh Tok, Tashi View point, etc. At Ganesh Tok, there was a small but very beautiful temple of Lord Ganesha. We had to climb to some good number of stairs as it was at some height. It offered a good view of sprawling Gangtok town below & the hills which loomed over the horizon.

View from Ganesha Tok

 Then, we went to near by small waterfall. It had become dark although it was just 4.30pm in the evening. There were mists all around and in those mystery-laden mists, prayer flags whipped in the breeze. Finally, we visited a flower exhibition center. It had countless varieties of flowers on display, moreover I would say the most beautiful and "different" flowers I had ever seen. 

 This concludes my first day in Sikkim. Stay tuned for the experiences of Lachung, Yamthung valley in coming post.