A Terrific End, a Terrific Beginning - Sikkim, 25 December 2002 - 2 January 2003
Hootoksi Tyabji, Kathmandu, January 2003
The Christmas season has always been special for us no matter where we lived, not so much because of the festivities, food or parties, but because our children joined us from abroad and we could celebrate being a family again. But this became increasingly difficult as they grew older, and while we had always managed to have at least one child come over, that December of 2002 was the first in 31 years that none of them could make it to Nepal. We were feeling low and wondering what we should do with ourselves over Christmas when we received an email from a dear friend inviting us to join them on a holiday in Sikkim!
A visit to the eastern Indian highlands and the views of the Himalayan range dominated by Mount Khandchendzonga (Kanchenjunga) had beckoned us for years, so we grabbed the opportunity and joined Zarine and Steve Watson, their 10 year old son Pearce and his friend Priyank, and mutual friends Amarjeet and Indrani Singh, all from Mumbai, on a trip to Sikkim and the Kalimpong area in West Bengal.
Our holiday was organized by General Jimmy Singh (retired Indian Army) and his excellent staff who took great pains to make our 8 day trip a truly memorable one. Catherine and her brother cooked up a storm at every opportunity, and Peter was in charge of all the hikes, treks and outings. In addition, there was Charles, Mila and Kancha to fetch, carry, and take care of our every need and comfort!
Rob and I boarded a twin turboprop Buddha Air flight from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur in India where we were met by Mr. Tshering Dorjee in his TATA SUMO 4 WD which looked ropey but performed well. His driver hooted and tooted his way through border check posts and up the mountains to Rangpo in Sikkim.
Here we had to get a special entry permit to go onwards to Pelling where we were to meet the rest of the group. The permit, impossible to obtain in Kathmandu, presented no problems in Rangpo. The issuing officer was freezing and already in an alcoholic daze in anticipation of the festivities yet to come, so he was more than happy to get rid of us by stamping us in! We spent the night in an icy cold and miserable room at the Rangpo Tourist Lodge (can’t recommend it!) on the border, and in the morning we continued the steep ride up the mountain to Hotel Phamrong in Pelling where we met up with the rest of the group.
Driving in Sikkim was hard because of the winding road while the scenery for the most part was quite stark. The mountains were completely covered in fog so the spectacular views that we were promised never materialized. However, being with good friends more than made up for the mist and that first night was memorable for the joy of being together!
The next morning was FREEZING cold as we walked to one of the oldest Monasteries in Sikkim at Pamayangtse. We could not see much because of the fog, but we were fortunate to be shown around by a revered and knowledgeable monk so our visit was very interesting and informative.
Play the monks' chant ...
That evening we were invited to dinner at the family home of Utpal Yongda, a prominent citizen of Sikkim close to the late Chogyal of Sikkim. There we sipped tongba (millet wine) in bamboo jugs through bamboo straws, ate a delicious traditional meal and were held spellbound by our hosts’ stories about days gone by.
From Sikkim we drove 181 kms through Kalimpong and into the Samthar Plateau, a beautiful journey all the way. We had a picnic lunch (one of many) in the forest and then walked for 2 hours through the trees, fields, and quaint villages to arrive at General Jimmy’s farm bungalow in the village of Samthar. This was to be our home for the next few days.
The bungalow was delightful, the location splendid and the food was superb! Mercifully there was a flush toilet but few other mod cons. There was no electricity but the old- fashioned kerosene lanterns were romantic, and the hot water bottles and fire kept us very warm and snug at night. There were unlimited buckets of hot water on demand; and every time we returned from an outing we would sit on the balcony looking out at the garden with our feet soaking in buckets of hot water with a spoonful of salt (for those of you who haven’t tried this, do; what a balm for tired feet!) while sipping tea and eating sinfully delicious hot samosas, pakoras, sandwiches and cakes!
Over the next four days we walked through the mountains, in the forests and past waterfalls. It was splendid! On one of these walks we were introduced to the village Shaman (spiritual healer) dressed in his traditional white robe with feathers and beads in his hair. He offered to ‘predict the future’ and answer questions! The youngsters wanted to know how they would fare in their next math exams!
We've had some wonderful New Year celebrations over the years, but heralding in 2003 in that magical village has got to be one of the most special ever! On the 31st evening we had a party at the bungalow and the entire Lepcha community from the village was invited. What a joy it was to celebrate with them!
We sat around a large bonfire with everyone from the village aged 4 to 80! The group included dancers, musicians, the Shaman and the village elders. We were entertained with songs and dances both traditional and Bollywood.
Then it began to rain! So the party just moved to a makeshift shelter nearby and continued with the festivities and the fun! We danced and sang and finally at a signal from an elder, everyone got up to leave and we waved them off into the mist! Some folks had to walk over an hour to get home. We drank a last toast, clutched our hot water bottles and curled up in bed, contented, thankful and ready for whatever 2003 was to throw our way!
1'st January 2003 at the crack of dawn, General Jimmy Singh roused us to get an early glimpse of the mighty peak of Mount Khandchendzonga. We had heard so much about this legendary mountain but had never seen it ... and, suddenly, there is was, right in front of us! What a glorious sight! It was snowbound and as the sun rose it spread a pink and gold glow and the spectacle was breathtakingly FABULOUS!
With that image in our minds we drove back down to Kalingpong where we spent a night and had dinner at an old Colonial Hotel run by ancestors of the first owner from the days of the British Raj.
We were the first to leave the group and our escort Mr Dorjee and his driver tooted and hooted us back down to Bhadrapur on the Nepal border.
Our flight was 2 hours delayed but that turned out to be a blessing as the weather cleared and we were treated to panoramic views of the vast Himalayan range for over 40 minutes! We flew past Khandchendzonga, Everest, Chomolhari and numerous other peaks, and could make out Annapurna ahead with our faces pressed hard against the window. The sun was setting as we approached Kathmandu, bathing the mountains in a soft glow. An awe-inspiring experience and reminder of the grandeur of our planet.
A terrific end and a terrific beginning with 2002 behind us and now 2003, when Robert will retire, ending our more than 30 years of a nomadic life with UNICEF – What next? Time will tell!