Gangtok

Gangtok is very pretty. A relatively small city, 1800 m above sea level, it has a quaint charm. We stayed at the State Circuit House near the Rajbhawan and the view from there was enchanting. Outside vehicles arent allowed to ply in Gangtok and one has to take a local taxi. Our driver Bhutia was an amazing guy, very talkative, friendly and always cracking jokes. That is the way most of the Sikkimese are. They are all fiercely patriotic, something very surprising in a land which was till 1975, an independent monarchy. The Gangtok bazaar was our destination that evening. It’s paradise for the shopaholics. You find items from God-knows-where. I sought out my favourite Momos and found that the Sikkimese version is even tastier than the Darjiling one! The climate is much more congenial to sight-seeing than the somewhat oppressive Darjiling cold. The people here speak excellent Hindi, proof of the popularity enjoyed by Hindi films here. Sikkim has made tremendous progress under its CM, Pawan Chamling. Today it is a power-surplus state and enjoys a high literacy rate. The social-welfare program too has been a success here and beggars who are a common sight in other Indian cities are virtually non-existent.