Back at home.....

Sikkim was a blast. Had a nice experience with the stay at Mintokling (Thank you, Pema) - we had a room with a view of Kanchenzonga. That the mountain only presented herself twice or thrice was a different story. Sikkim is a good example of a state that has developed just enough (speaking for tourism alone)....clean, walkways for pedestrians, good roads, no SUVs in the gangtok area, good connectivity with 'local' taxis (maruti vans, a much more space friendly alternative), government set rates for taxis....so little negotiation AND this amazing locale everywhere.

We walked and walked and walked. Some inclines meant we were parallel to the road - while standing! It rained but did not flood. There is a definite civic sense difference from the rest of the country - people actually use walkways to cross the road. The MG Road area (center of Gangtok) is closed off to vehicles and has been set up like this festive square with flowers and shopping. Restaurants can improve a bit - not sure if coming from Bangalore and its choice of restaurants has spoilt me. It probably has!

We went up to Nathula pass - saw the Red Army soldier on the Tibet (should not be China) border. It was snowing little ice flakes and was really cold. A majority of our group felt some effects of altitude sickness but were okay in general. The roads (Border Road Organization signs were everywhere!) have to be a miracle. Two way traffic, some army trucks and some 6 inch clearances (very steep drops....not a viable alternative!) later, we were at Tsongmo/Changu lake. We saw yaks and my husband (and his experimental and mischievous streak) got 20 pieces of strung up yak cheese. It is not recommended for people with weak teeth and the desire to keep them. It is also not recommended for people with taste buds in general. In the interests of political correctness, it could be called an acquired taste. The next time someone complains about blue cheese, we have some yak stuff to pass around!

River rafting on the Teesta on the 'family stretch' of 12 kms was fun. The river looks so gentle-ish from the road. There were rapids up to Grade 4 and now we know why grades 5 and 6 are only for professionals. There were helmets and life jackets. Two kids fell off...not mine. They figured out this was real stuff afterwards and were amazingly brave about it. The guys running the show were pretty good and fished them out. My kids switched personalities...my 4 year old son showed us that all his bravado was out of the water. My daughter showed her strength (albeit a bit too casual) - she listened and held on to the cable and sang 'row, row, row a boat'! Some boat....am sure all of us thought about shutting her up atleast once during the trip!

Darjeeling was a disappointment - don't go. All the romantic Raj tales are just that - tales. Can't see much of that around except maybe at Glenaries - a nice cafe cum viewpoint lounge. Wifi spot....missed my laptop. Tiger hill was full of people at 4:30 in the morning - traffic jam. Apparently on a clear day, one can see Mt. Everest (225 kms and on the Nepal border) from here. The view of Mt. Kanchenzonga is great - we had a partial viewing only but in the clouds! She looked all floaty and totally covered with snow.

The famous toy train looks good with Sharmila Tagore and Rajesh Khanna....and Saif. Definitely the deluxe variety for the movies and the leaky ones for the public. First class tickets meant a leaky carriage and stinky bathrooms, no food for the 7 hour trip.....we did have landslides and a little accident for excitement. One Sumo had parked too close to the track and got hit by the train......good luck getting insurance to cover that one - 'but I swear I was hit by a train!'. 10 hours later, it was back to the plains at New Jal Paigudi. Did I mention that the train goes along the road all the way? And that for a group of 8, it costs less and is faster to go by road. Yep....not the smartest move of the trip. People, please give Darjeeling the miss - too expensive for less stuff. For the first time, we did touristy things....a reminder as to why we normally don't do the 'local points to see' trips. We followed the crowds at 4:30 am. I think we need an award for plodding on.

The shopping was good - got my Buddha face in wood. I have been searching (on and off) for around 10 years and am in love all over again. Went to this Alibaba type shop called Habeeb Mullick on Chowrasta. They had it all and made 'unspenders' shop. I have never been one - so got lots of gifts AND my buddha. The shop was started by the present Mullick's great grandfather in late 1800s. According to the owner, my buddha was with a Sherpa family and got to him one month ago. It is made of dark wood and looks most serene. I fell in love at first sight - after debating endlessly about other buddha faces. This made the darjeeling trip worth it to me personally.....but you get the feeling of the group from the previous paragraph.

Calcutta was hot and humid. Thanks to one of the sweetest people I have met (thanks for everything, aunty!), we went home, felt like human beings after a nice shower and even had a home cooked spread. After 24 hours of train journey....no more details, am sure everyone gets the relief.

The trip was great overall....should have stayed in Sikkim and gone to Yumthang et al. Next time....definitely going back to Sikkim. The monasteries were so amazing....even the non-religious types see God all around. The big ones are perched on locations with amazing 360 degree views. Serene and quiet with friendly monks....felt like a louse for going there as a tourist versus informed believer. Felt like an American loud tourist in Paris. Remind me to convert to Buddhism before going next!

'Buddha or Bust' and 'Superstar India' were the reads for the trip. Never thought I would read and recommend Shobha De.....there is a first time for everything. Snobbish reading habits aside, good book written in conversational style with a good grasp of the feeling in urban, educated India. Any attempt to extrapolate beyond our middle class population would be foolish....this talks of the visible, educated exciting India only. But well about this India.

Buddha or Bust is the journey of National Geographic journalist Perry Garfinkel to expose 'engaged buddhism' around the world. He is a 'Bu-Jew' - first time I heard about it. After Sikkim, my Buddha and the book, am considering going the route to becoming a 'B-indu'!

The next trips are going to have some NGO exposure - atleast we are going to try to visit and learn about some successful social action/initiative. Important to keep us grounded in today's vibrant India, motivated to contribute real work somewhere AND expose the kids. Kids here don't feel any scarcity....not a problem so long as they don't begin to take luxuries for granted. Our kids have seen plane trips from when they were under a year old. So funny to see them get excited about the bus trip from the terminal to the plane - they have had very few bus trips!

Next three day weekend, all we need to do is get on a bus around peripheral ring road! It will give them what they want and take up the entire three days.....Viva Bangalore roads and traffic!

Will sign off now.