Sikkim - Tips for Travel

Ideally this post belongs to my traveljaunts blog but then I write about travel here too and I see no harm in repeating.

Hmmm ... so Sikkim travel tips ..... where do I begin ?

• The roads of Sikkim are truly tortuous !! I mean this literally .. the road has turns on average every 25 - 50 meters. Unless you have a cast iron stomach - this is going to be a real problem when you travel. There is winding .... and there is "winding". Sikkim is tightly tightly wound ! :)
• The soil of Sikkim is very loose - so the roads are always half eroded due to landslides / rockslides / water erosion / road being done etc.  Always the road state is in a flux ! :) BRO works through out the year to keep the roads clear.
• Due to the above reasons - distances of even 20 kms are a long long journey. Did I mention tortuous roads that feel torturous ? :)
• In November - it is very cold. Temperatures go to minus so yes one needs lots and lots of warm clothing. Don't go with what the Sikkim guides say - they think the temperature is not too cold in November ! :)
• North Sikkim needs permits. The travel agents take care of this - but you need approx 6 PP snaps and 6 ID proof xeroxes. Yes even for a child. We took our baby's school ID. They seem to prefer Voter ID for adults! 
• Out of 6 days we felt we actually saw points of interest only on 3 days. Travel to the places takes time. Not that the scenery is not pretty but still.
• North Sikkim - altitude sickness is very prevalent. Be prepared. 
• Our driver mentioned that for every itenary - there is an extra driver's point that can be taken to by the driver on extra cost. For e.g. - on the Yumthang valley drive - travel to Zero point is optional and extra. On the NathuLa drive - travel to Kachenjunga view area is optional and extra. Do your research.
• BSNL is the only service provider up in the mountain and that too only to a point. 
• Since Nathu La is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays - if you are going to this place on the last day of your itenary you may want to consider driving from there onwards to Zuluk and then go to Bagdogra airport / JBP  railway station. You need permit for Zuluk so you  should take care of this before. We came back to Gangtok which I felt could have been avoided and instead could have made a circular route with Zuluk in the fray.
• Places to see include points in West Sikkim and Bhutan which can be accessed by road. We felt - those areas could be done in another trip in which we would include Darjeeling too. This is a personal preference. 
• Unless otherwise mentioned - driver is not available for the full day. 
• Try and include meals in your hotel stays - there are not many options on the road other than Maggi and tea.
• I would definitely recommend home stay - Hidden Forest Resort in Gangtok and Teen Taley Eco Resort ( home stay again ) in Rumtek. They were fantastic.
• And last but not the least our driver - Mr. Ketan Pradhan - 94343-56528 / 94348-69042 who is associated with Alpine Nature Beyond was wonderful. Safe driver , very interested in actually showing us places and very punctual. He is the best driver / guide I have come across so far. 

Spiti Valley Itenary

Overview
When we visited Manali in Dec 2009 we found ourselves interested in the different modes to explore Himachal especially the cold desert area of the Spiti Valley, Leh and Ladakh.

One can go trekking to this area (with/without mules to carry baggage), drive through , visit via jeep safari ( where the items for camping are in a separate vehicle ), a camper van .... :) Everything can be arranged provided you have the time and ofcourse the money !!! :)

With a child we decided to go for the drive option with bookings in relevant hotels at the appropriate destinations. Our itenary was for 15 days and we would explore the Kinnaur Valley, Pin Valley and Spiti Valley. Our route was - Delhi - Narkanda - Sangla - Kalpa - Tabo - Kaza - Chandratal - Manali - Sojha - Delhi. [ Full itenary at the end of this post ]

We checked out many tour operators for this but finally we decided to go with Banjara Camp & Retreats. [ http://banjaracamps.com/ ] One was the cost factor, second was the inputs received from friends, third it seemed to make sense since at three prominent halts we would be staying at their properties - Sangla , Kaza and Sojha.

I must say we were very happy with Banjara. We had a problem with the driver they had assigned but when we complained about him they promptly swung into action. Within 30 min of our complaint they arranged for the driver to be changed. I expected them to ask us to adjust for the remaining days .. but they did not do so. Their properties were also very good. Scenic locations of the retreats and very courteous staff.

This drive can also be done in 10 days I have heard. But we took the leisurely route. The other alternate we checked out was travelling from Sangla to Kaza and then onwards to Leh/Ladakh. But it seemed a little rushed to us so we dropped it.  The route would have been Shimla - Sangla - Tabo - Kaza - Jispa - Serchu - Leh. Would have included Nubra Valley and Panging Tso lake.

I think this was a great blessing for us. We headed out of the Kaza area just one day before the Leh cloudburst. So may be someone up there ensured we did not do this route !!!!

Observations, Travel Tips

• Carry woolens, thermal wear no matter what time of the year. The weather is completely unpredicatble. One spell of rain can mean very chilly nights.
• July to August are the best months for Spiti Valley while May - June is the best time for the Kinnaur Valley.
• Check how comfortable the driver is driving these dangerous roads. I would consider the road to Chandratal ( very very narrow road jutting out of the mountain side ; just a dirt track ) , the road to Tabo via Maling ( rocky bedstreams and landslide area ) as well as the road to Kunzum pass ( again swift flowing rocky riverstreams ) very treacherous.
• Be mentally prepared for delays that span days. Many a times it may entail a complete change of itenary. So have a Plan B, Plan C and sometimes even Plan D in mind.
• Be prepared to be cut off from civilzation at any point of time. The roads to Spiti Valley from Kinnaur side or from the Kunzum pass side can get cut off at any time due to landslides, rock slides and streams.
• From Nako onwards electricity is a problem. [ Check your camera batteries !!! ]. We did not have electricity till we reached Manali.
• Try to cross the Kunzum pass early - the streams formed due to ice melting will be more full as the day passes.
• Carry snacks and shawls in case you are stuck somewhere without being able to move forwards or backwards !!!! Keep a first aid kit handy.
• We did not face any altitude sickness with our itenary but that may still be something to consider.
• BSNL is the only mobile that works after Puh ( enroute Nako ) till Manali. Can consider getting a prepaid card.Still sometimes even BSNL fails in these areas.

 Itenary:
Day 1
Jul 24: Delhi- Narkanda- Pick up from airport at 10 am. - 11 hrs drive – halt Narkanda

Day 2
Jul 25: Narkanda- Sangla via Sarahan - 8 hrs drive – halt Sangla

Day 3
Jul 26: Sangla – Chitkul ( Nagasthi ) – halt Sangla

Day 4
Jul 27: Sangla- Rakcham trek– halt Sangla

Day 5
Jul 28: Sangla- Kalpa (Kinner Kailash range views) - halt in Kalpa

Day 6
Jul 29: Kalpa- Tabo Via Nako - 7 hrs – halt Tabo

Day 7
Jul 30: Tabo- Dhankar- Kaza - 5 hrs – halt Kaza

Day 8
Jul 31: Kaza- Ki, Kibber Gete or [ LangKa, Hikim and Comic villages ] – halt Kaza

Day 9
Aug 01: Kaza- Pin Valley National Park drive – till Mudh – halt Kaza

Day 10
Aug 02: Kaza- Kunzum- Chandratal- 4 hrs drive and 4 hrs hike - camping at Chandratal

Day 11
Aug 03: Chandratal- Batal- Manali- 8-9 hrs drive. May be problems at Rohtang pass with traffic jams. – halt Manali

Day 12
Aug 04: Manali- Sojha - 4 hrs drive - Halt Sojha – Jalori Pass

Day 13
Aug 05: Sojha – Raghupur Fort - Halt Sojha

Day 14
Aug 06: Sojha - Relax / Sereoslkar lake - Halt Sojha

Day 15
Aug 07: Sojha- Delhi- 12-13 hrs. Late evening flight out.

Sojourn to Lakshadweep

To say Lakshadweep is stunning is an understatement ! However one cannot help but rave about the place - the views are fabulous , the water is that wonderful shade of turquoise, the beaches are pristine clean , the beach sand is unbelievably soft, the islands are not commercialised beyond recognition and the water sports are great. Scuba diving off these coasts is a must - the waters are so clear that even snorkerlling will ensure you can view the amazing coral life.

We went on the Coral Reef Package from SPORTS. Went on the 2 island tour - we did Kavaratti and Minicoy. The cruise ship is no cruise though ! :) It is a passenger ship which is the only mode of transportation from the islands to the mainland ( Cochin ) .. you get to see the transportation of goods/materials etc in plenty ! :). However the entire trip is very well organized especially considering it is a govt undertaking. We need a permit to go to the islands. And no souvenir shops ! Amazing that the place is so unspoilt.

Since we went just after Chaitu's Brahmopadesham - we got designer tans :) The henna covered areas remained untanned .. so we are still sporting the mehendi designs albeit differently :)

Gwalior - Indore - Drive - 1st Dec 2007

1st December 2007 (Saturday)– Gwalior – Indore Drive


This is a day we would not care to ever repeat …. We were near victims of a fire .. and we are thankful that we escaped lightly with no injuries … just smoke tinged sooty baggage !!! [ Which is currently requiring 2 rounds of washing for each load to get the damn smell and black marks to go …feel like a dhobi ….…still … it is could have been worse ]

We were to leave to Indore in the morning from Central Park Gwalior [supposedly a good hotel !!! ] – since we had heard that this route could be a problem in the night .. we were all set to leave at 6:30 am … when we saw little smoke in the bathroom .. well we called the reception and they told us it was smoke from the near-by marriage which had gotten into the duct ….. and it would be taken care of and it was not serious … This is where frankly we were lied to .. if we had known it was serious .. we would have walked out then and there.

As it is we did the last minute stuff just before we were to leave and only when we saw and inhaled the acrid smoke come of the bathroom plus it coming out of the electrical sockets.. we realized it was more serious than we were told to .. [ The gap between the call and the smoke must have been only around 5-7 minutes ]. To our bad luck the corridor out of the room was already full to smoke and we could not get out from that side … the room soon was smoked out .. we were lucky in that we were able to get onto a 1.5 feet ledge through the window, keep the window open and stand there … for more than an hour … and there were ppl who had been evacuated (looked like ppl least affected were evacuated first !! :) ) and were sitting and sipping tea outside in the garden and wondering what we were doing on narrow 3rd floor ledge of a room. Are educated ppl really this stupid? I mean couple of them actually asked us this !!! What did they think ? That we wanted the morning air and so we chose to stand outside a window that was spewing black acrid smoke like a damn industrial spire and that too with our baby daughter … wow !!! Common sense is really not so common …. !! Anyway … we saw the hotel ppl was having enough foresight to take the gas cylinders out … and hoping that we would soon be able to get out of the place in one piece …. More worried abt smoke getting to our daughter … can’t say I prayed though ! ;)

Ouch … did not panic since well … we were still able to breathe .. no idea what we might have done otherwise …there was this guy in the room next to us … who had no ledge.. could not get to our ledge.. no pipes to help him down ….. so he actually jumped from his window since the smoke was getting to him…..… to the 1st floor …. Poor guy … his leg was sprained ( lucky it did not break) …we were thankful we had this little ledge .. I cannot think what we would have done if we had been in that room … .. esp with a baby in tow ….

So there we were .. no shoes , no wallet ( not mine .. luckily Sudhir had his ) .. baby was fully and warmly dressed thank God … Sudhir’s glasses were in the bathroom … just waiting for the fire to be taken out and hoping there would be a chance that a ladder would made be available … soon … After the smoke lessened we were able to get out of the fire exit from the window of the room near by which was opened to us by the hotel ppl.

Then started another kind of game .. instead of helping us .. they were more interested in keeping the news out of the newspaper … When we went to the room to collect the luggage … phew !!! We could not see the white covers on the bed … it was completely black … so much soot had accumulated on it. Obviously our luggage had the same fate !!! Smelling of soot … we did the best we could with our stuff … and started to Indore a full 3 hours late ….

Like I said .. we were just thankful to have gotten out of a near disaster … with nothing but valuable lessons …

- If there is smoke just get the hell out of that place, take ur child, money , credit cards and scram

- Do not trust hotel ppl too easily … they are mainly trying to avert a publicity disaster. In fact they begrudged us plastic bags to keep some of the sooty clothes in and a waste cloth to wipe off some of the soot off the bags ….. phew !! You would think they were distributing money !!!! Jeez !!

- It is not so easy to get out of top floors … so check out the fire exit …. [ This is so basic we often forget it]

- Do not expect help ….

When we reached Indore … travel fatigue finally caught up with us …. I think by then since we were on the home stretch so to say … we were looking forward to coming home !!! :):)

Gwalior - 29th, 30th Nov

29th November 2007 (Thursday)– Gwalior
Just near Morena on the way to Gwalior from Agra ....there are the undulations that are a facsimile of the Chambal ravines … they were not extensive in this region which was a very big disappointment to us … we were looking forward to seeing the ravines in all their austere beauty …I guess the ravines are not along the highway …

Gwalior fort is beautiful.. there is the Man Mandir palace inside with sunlight reaching the underground about a 100 ft below the surface …. Very scientifically built …... there are very striking carvings .. very very symmetrical [ On a side note – for carvings/sculptures the Belur Halebidu temples in Karnataka are simply marvelous ] We got a bad guide unfortunately who was more interested than we were in taking snaps ….. we were keen on learning more abt the fort and he was telling us the best points to take the snaps from … The carving in the Sas-Bahu temple are also very intricate and beautiful .. we got a bird’s view of Gwalior too from this point … cannot believe it is so large ! :) Certainly Gwalior is less dusty than Faridabad … Moved on to Teli-ka-Mandir as well as Suraj Kund (6th century)…

Once inside the Gwalior Fort area – one can see the fort itself , Sas Bahu temples, Teli ka Mandir , Suraj Kund, Gujari Mahal and its archaelogical museum plus sculptures by the Jain Tirthankars on the way to the fort .. some of them so old it is unbelievable they are still intact … amazing …. :)

30th November 2007 (Friday)– Gwalior

We first visited Sun Temple here which is supposed to be a replica of the famous Konark Mandir in Orissa. It is known as Sur Mandir in Gwalior – it closes at Sunset ….. very clean gardens although one is not allowed to go anywhere near other than to the temple …
Went to the Tomb of Mohammad Ghaus – nobody seems to understand the historical importance of that place … it is a mosque in use currently and we find ppl staring at the tourists when they take snaps of the lacy screen work in stone ! :):) The work is very delicate and ethereal. Nearby is Tansen’s tomb – austere with plenty of squirrels !! We had a tough time finding this place – nobody seems to know the tomb ( I guess it is known as a mosque ) We asked first for the place Hajira and then for Tansen’s tomb …. And there is no place for parking either !! :) Still it was worth the trouble we took for find the place.

Lastly went to the Scindia Museum – lost of snaps of the marriage of Madhav Rao Scindia .. some old sculptures .. (quite a few of them damaged unfortunately) part of the museum is currently under renovation … so did not have that much to see.

Agra - 28th , 29th

28th November 2007 (Wednesday)– Agra

We found it beneficial to park and take an auto to the Taj .. we gave 30Rs to go and 20 Rs to come back to our hotel which is in the Tourist Complex Area. A guide offered to take us to the Taj , Lal Qila and backto the hotel for 100 Rs at 3pm in the afternoon. It is also good to plan to visit all places in the North by 4:30 pm during the winter months .. it is dark by 5 pm ….

There are too many touts near the Taj for food, marble articles …

As for the Taj … what is there left to say ??? :):) It is beautiful and mesmerizing … One does not realize how big the edifice really is until one sees it … We spent 3 hours there .. and loved it … Obviously took lots and lots of snaps … I did think it was darker then the pristine white it is supposed to be … I guess the pollution is really getting to it …

We were disappointed there were no moonlight tours , we were told those are held only on full moon days .. Still we saw the Taj by day and twilight … :):) What more can we ask for ? :):)

Faridabad - 25th , 26th , 27th

25th November 2007 (Sunday)– Jaipur – Faridabad
At Faridabad … ppl with dust allergy are goners … be prepared for a dusty haze that never settles .. call it perpetual smog, fog, mist etc…. it just never goes … Don’t bother cleaning ur car either .. it will look dusty in 3 hrs !! :):)
Layers and layers just settle down on it ….
We had to change the high beam light for our car and we found Nitin from the Classic Honda showroom on the Mathura Agra road very helpful ….There are no hotels on the Mathura Agra Road so don’t bother looking for one there …



26th 27th November 2007 (Monday)– Faridabad- Pankaj’s wedding
Punjabi marriages are certainly an experience worth being part of …. :) We had the time of our lives at the Sangeet, the baraat and of course the wedding… :) The games when the bride groom arrives and the fireworks .. wow !!! Definitely the day to feel like a hero ! :):)
The food was great … so many varieties !! Phew !!! It was nice to sample from the wide range of choices …… yummy umm … ! :):) Definitely a gastronomic delight ! :)
The reception was over by 12 midnight and the actual wedding ceremony began somewhere around 1:30 am .. and went on till 4:30 am … we relaxed on 28th November , a nice lazy day … :)