I had set alarm in mobile-4:30 am and went to sleep. I dreamed that we could not wake up on time and Kanchendjonga has disappeared forever. It woke me up at somewhere around 3 in night and after that I was not able to sleep at all but was not feeling tired. At four finally I waked up Manish. We both were sitting on bed looking outside, trying to figure out where IT could be. Soon it was twilight and we both were stunned. They were right in front of us; we did not need to move an inch from our bed to have a view of the mountains but for the whole expanse. We went out in balcony. First rays of sun turned it into pink and then orange-gold and all this happened in just 10 minutes. We were still spellbound by all this but suddenly we realized that soon the show will be over and Rachit( my 5 yr young son) has not seen. We waked up Rachit asking him to look outside the window. All of us were sitting on bed- speechless, looking at the mighty snow clad mountains; Rachit’s first ever. He rushed out in balcony, then to terrace and then wanted binocular to have a closer look. He was so excited, so happy and we both were happier than him to see him. It reminded me of Yesudas, singing
Aaj in nazaron ko tum dekho aur main tumhe dekhte huye dekhoon…main bus tumhe dekhte huye dekhoon
So finally we will be visiting Sikkim. It seems in Manish’s office this is a “To Visit” place. When I started to read about Sikkim, there were many surprises in store. How less I knew about my own country? Sikkim was a separate country till 1975 and then in the 1975 referendum, 97% of the electorate voted for it to be transformed from a Protectorate to an associate state of India. Sikkim is not dogged with the social and economic problems like casteism, child labor, begging and discrimination against women. The crime rate is negligible and the state is not troubled with insurgency.
We booked our tickets well two months in advance, but we started planning and hotel booking only one two weeks before. I always swear that I will never do it like that, but then always get attracted to “The Charms of Laziness”, making trivial things like booking a hotel, an adventure, a suspense.
After surfing, reading & getting some good suggestions, we settled for West Sikkim- Pelling, Yuksom and Biksthang. Manish’s Manager advised us to not go to Gangtok at all unless there is a plan for North Sikkim. Thank God we did so! BOSS IS ALWAYS RIGHT.
From Bagdogra Airport (in W. Bengal) we hired a van for Pelling from the pre-paid counter. Our driver was Mr. Aaroop Dutt. I would have taken him as a co-passenger, a nice looking gentleman, very jovial, stylish and intelligent too.
You could feel the communist influence on him. I think this is present in most of the Bengalis whether or not they are supporters of communism. A mineral water bottle: Please don’t buy it from the petrol pump, that guy is anyway rich enough. Please buy it from a nearby shop and help them to earn a little, was his suggestion.
A few vocabularies we picked from him: “Sukh-tak” Happy days, “Dukh-tak” bad days and the real gem “Tuk-tak” for our “theek-thak”. So imagine someone asking you, how are you and you impressing him with your “Tuk-tak.”
In the start of the trip itself, there was an important instruction for us. Aaroop told us that during the journey it would not be possible for him to stop more than 3-4 times. After leaving us at Pelling he had to start immediately for Gangtok, where he can expect a passenger in the morning. And he wanted to reach Gangtok before sunset. Oh so we have to limit our photo clicking, too bad.
First came the trading town of Siliguri. And then there came the place where narrow gauge track was passing in vicinity of broad gauge track. Rachit ( he is now 5+) was observing everything keenly. Pat came his question- “What is this? The train track is so narrow!” We explained him that it is a narrow gauge train track that goes to Darjeeling on which runs a Toy Train. “A Toy Train! Why are we not going there?” As ever, he was a good boy. We explained and he tried to understand— This time Successfully.
I have been to Agra few times. We went by Taj Express the first time, way back in 1988 and then with friends in a Maruti 800 in 1999 or so and then again drove myself in my Wagon R in 2003 or so, dont remember exact year/date and finally the fourth time in Mahindra Scorpio in Jan 2006.
Interestingly I dont have too many photos and the last time when we made a trip, we fell sick and sort of rushed back. But any travel-blog site is not worth its salt if it doesn’t mention Taj so I was planning to write one for quite some time. Would try to remember all those special things.
How to go
From Delhi, there are many trains. You can book your tickets at www.irctc.co.in and choose the option of e-ticket. Book it, take a print and thats it. Best is to take Bhopal Shatabdi (2 hours, leaves 6.15 AM reaches 8.12 AM), Taj Express (3 hours, leaves 7.15 AM, reaches 10.07 AM) or intercity (4 hours, leaves 5.30 PM, reaches 9.35 PM).
The other way is to drive. Get on to Mathura Road (take ring road from anywhere in Delhi, reach Ashram and then turn towards East which will you left if you are coming from ITO side or right if you are coming from AIIMS side). Its about 200 KMs, fantastic road, decent traffic but watch out for cattle and petty traffic. Benefit of car is that its pretty handy as Fatehpur Sikri is quite a distance away.
When to Go
Agra gets hot and humid in summers and real cold in winters. Taj is ………………
When I decided for Dodital, I had very little expectations from it. I just went there for the rains and some nature walk etc. Dodital has set my expectations very high from any trek I shall undertake in the future. I now have a list of things a place should provide: atleast 81 waterfalls, (assi ganga which originates at dodital supposedly has 80, which was sometimes a minor nuisance since you can’t be lucky so many times finding the right stones and escape wetting your shoes). Also the place should have its own private lake, private trouts, private trout fishing permit, like a private heaven thingy. I think it was all that because it was monsoon and the firangees ( not being racist, this is for general info, because they are the only regular visitors there, also writing british americans israelis germans austrlians is only going to fill space like this) the people of other parts of the world had taken off to other destinations.
Route instruction follows. Start at 12 midnite, join the highway jam(jaam) after meerut, rishikesh at 5, 7:30 alloo paratha at chamba, tehri has been bypassed for submerging purposes, dharasu, uttarkashi at 1, have lunch, locate cockroach disguised as fried onion, keep eating or keep quiet if others are still eating,turn at gangori for kalyani, reach a broken bridge at 3:30pm.
