Yentha Travel: Sikkim Sojourn - Part 2

Following the Madhusudan family on their Sikkim Sojourn.

On May 02, 2012

Yentha Travel - Exclusive travelogues brought to you  in association with Kerala Travels Interserve. Continued from Yentha Travel: Sikkim Sojourn - Part 1 We arrived at our home stay at Yangsum farm by 6pm just after dusk. Thendup Tashi Bhutia, our gracious host, greeted us at the farmhouse, which was built in 1833 and remodeled in 1966. Thendup who hails from the Tsechu Tharpa family manages the 60 acre farm with his wife. They have a lovely six month old daughter Mingur Yangden  (meaning “forever lucky”). Thendup has a famous first cousin, Baichung Bhutia, India’s most famous footballer. The organic farm consists of open mixed forests of pine, Himalayan alder, chestnut, magnolia, rhododendrons, cherry and several others. Cardamom, avocados, oranges, bananas, pears, apricots, mangoes, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes and peas are also grown. During the cultivating season, maize, paddy, millet, potatoes, ginger, turmeric and sweet potatoes are produced. Arundhathi in front of the cottage We had a couple of hours rest before dinnerin the beautiful cottage, which was furnished in the customary Sikkimese style. Dinner was served in a traditionally styled room, which had a whiff of the exotic and the whimsical. The room was full of family photographs, albums, porcelain ware, dolls and toys. My daughter jumped out of my arms as soon as she saw the room and it was like letting loose a cat among the pigeons. Her immediate fancy was a pair of stuffed bears-mother & baby. She ensured that the two were served prior to having anything! After the tiresome road trip from Gangtok, we woke up long after daybreak on 18th. We had a lovely outdoor breakfast facing Kanchenjunga. Thendup took us on a nice walk shortly afterwards. The countryside was beautiful. We saw a lot of roadwork happening, providing employment to the rural folks. The Government of India has started a new programme, namely the Prime Minister’s Gramodya Sadak Yojana for rural connectivity. Under this programme the Government has constructed several footpaths, suspension footbridges, steel footbridges, RCC footbridges, log bridges etc.  Thendup pointing to Bahichung Bhutia’s village The government has also focused on providing financial assistance to the rural poor for the construction of houses We saw a long stretch of wall in one of the villages which had intricate paintings. Thendup told us that these were ancient prayer walls. We also saw some old heritage houses build in traditional style on the way. Momos Soon our legs were giving up under us and we returned to the farm for lunch. The afternoon siesta extended to well past sunset. And after waking up, we went straight for dinner! We were delightfully surprised with the menu, which consisted of the local cuisine. It was a heady mix of a clear soup called Thukpa and steamed dumplings or Momos, as they are popularly known here. Momos were served with a fiery Sikkimese tomato chutney. My wife was keen to try a hand at making Momos and we got the recipe. (This will be featured in this week’s Food Corner on Yentha)

We woke up at dawn the next day to show our daughter Arundathi, how cows are milked. Draped in blankets we looked like 3 ghosts as we made our way across the farm to the cowshed. Arundhati also played with the goats, ducks and hens in the pen nearby. After breakfast, we started off on a full day of sightseeing. We had packed a nice picnic lunch and our driver took us through a scenic route, where we stopped at every waterfall on the way! Picnic lunch at helipad Our first stop was at the helipad at Pelling, a quite village and our driver couldn’t have selected a better spot for our picnic lunch. We had spectacular views of Mount Kanchendzonga, the Guardian Deity of Sikkim.  Situated at an altitude of about 2105 mtrs/ 6840 ft., Pelling was originally known as Pemalingpa. The name Pemalingpa is derived from the Pemalingpa monastery. There are many beautiful waterfalls situated amidst the green forests near Pelling. After lunch at the helipad, we proceeded towards Pemayangtse Monastery. It is the most important monastery of the Nyingmapa order and was built in the late seventeenth century by Lama Lhatsum Chenpo, one of the most revered Lamas. He had performed the consecration ceremony of the first Chogyal (religious monarch) of Sikkim andthis monastery, considered as one of the premier monasteries in the state had been entrusted with the task of performing all the religious functions of the erstwhile monarch. The monastery houses numerous religious idols & other objects of worship, most of which are priceless because of their antiquity. Inside the monastery, on the top floor, there is a wooden structure depicting the Maha Guru’s heavenly palace (Sang-tok-palri), a masterpiece created by the late Dungzin Rimpoche. Pemayangtse Monastery Our final destination for the day was the Rabdentse ruins. Rabdentse was the second capital of Sikkim & was established in the late seventeenth century by the second Chogyal of Sikkim. It was abandoned towards the end of the eighteenth century because of the threat posed by Nepal and the capital was shifted to Tumlong. The Rabdentse Palace lies in ruins now. We had to trek about 2 kms from the main road near Pemayangtse monastery through a nature reserve to reach it. The reserve isa sanctuary for 106 species of birds like the Steppe eagle, Chestnut-crowned Warbler, Rufous-capped Babbler, Black-eared Shrike Babbler and Dark-breasted Rosefinch.  Rabdentse The ruins are now being preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India and have been declared as a monument. Partly restored, one can now visit the king’s bedroom, assembly hall kitchen, public courtyard the palace guards’ room etc. We returned to our farm by 5 in the evening to cherish our final hours in Sikkim. We were leaving the next morning back to the urban chaos of Bangalore. So we made the best of the evening by soaking in the ambience over a bonfire. Thinking back about the journey, I can only say that it was one incredible holiday; one of the best we have ever had. Madhusudan Narayanan is an Analytics professional based out of Bangalore. He is a keen wildlife enthusiast and nature tourist. He has hiked up the million year’s old Briksdal glacier in Norway, located a few hundred miles south of the Arctic Circle. His favourite holiday destination is Queenstown in New Zealand. Closer home, his favorites are Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary, Vedanthangal bird sanctuary, Kabini River basin, the Nilgiri biosphere and Matheran.