Pelling and the journey to Uttar Pradesh

People turn out for Independence Day Celebrations in Geyzing
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Our time in Pelling was rewarding despite cold and rain. We met interesting locals and travelers, and seemed to spend most of the time huddling around dinner tables for warmth, exchanging stories and remarking on how different Sikkim is from the rest of India. Fair to say, every state is different in India, but Sikkim really has an independent attitude. The mist continued to cover most of our views of Mt Khanchengdzonga, but there were days of warm sun when we walked about the nearby monasteries and ruined ancient capital.

The crowds watch the celebrations
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The 2 nearby gompas we visited involved steep climbs up roads with no markings. We were rewarded both times, the views and atmosphere at the top were lovely. Monks were chanting in the classrooms of the Sangachoeling Gompa, and the main building was deserted. At Pemayangtse Gompa we met a Swedish fellow that was living in the back quarters with the monks as he spent a month teaching at the nearby Denjong Pedma Choeling Academy for orphans. He gave us good tips for the traveling we were still to do in China.

Uniformed school kids perform marching routines
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Down from the Pemayangtse Gompa were the remains of the ancient capital Rabdentse. These remains were still being excavated, but what you can see of the remains of the palace over looking the long valley, is spectacular. We had a good walk along that hillside, but each time that I went into the grass, I was latched onto by leaches! We carried alcohol gel to clean our hands before eating, and that worked immediately to remove the little blood suckers.

Bernard, a Belgian we met on the street, tagged along with us on Indian Independence day. We learned from locals that the best activities were going to be on the football grounds of the nearby village of Geyzing. We bought beers, dry spicy pea and nut mixtures, steamed momos, and settled into the hillside like the rest of the 2000 or so other villagers. It was a sunny day, and we enjoyed a great show of dancing (including the Cobra dance), music, and speeches. It was great people watching too, the crowds were decked out in their finest saris, and traditional costumes. Our jeep ride back to Pelling involved squeezing in with a total of 16 persons, where normally 7 Westerners would fit. That was a pretty typical jeep ride in the Himalayas.

Unfortunately there was not much in the way of dry seating
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We met up with 5 foreigners staying in our hotel, as a result of everyone using the same guidebook, there were 6 foreigners in one hotel, and 40 other hotels virtually empty. We all shared a few meals in our hotel of momos and thukpa, as we got to better know our new Spanish friends, including Pedro the Zen Buddhist, and Guy the Israeli. Pedro was able to better explain many of the features we saw in the Gompas, and why the images seemed so violet or sexual. We organized ourselves and rented a jeep for a day to see the local sights. In that one day we were quite busy, managing to see the Rimbi waterfall, a rock garden, Khangchendzonga falls, Pham Rong falls, Tashiding Monastery, caught lunch at Yuksom, saw Khecheopalri Lake at twilight. While the falls were spectacular, and the lake serene, the Monastery was the highlight of the day. It was quite lively, as we had come at just the right time for a puja. We were seated on cushions behind some of the monks, and given some chai, and then the chanting and horn blowing and drumming began. What a huge production it is, and perhaps you might think for a moment that it sounds out of tune or out of beat, but then it all comes together and the murmuring monks look glassy eyed and before you know it 10 minutes have passed and the song is ending. And then another one starts and it sounds just like the last one, but you get swept up into the music, faces, saffron robes, incense, and all the colors inside the Gompa. It was magical, and really transformed the Gompa from a cold dark empty museum-like structure into a living spiritual habitat.

A suspicious monkey character entertained onlookers
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Our departure from Pelling came the next day by early morning jeep. The 4 hour trip to the train station in Siliguri was extended by about 3 hours due to a landslip in Legship. Industrious road workers were climbing all over the fallen dirt, trees and boulders, shoveling, axing, and drilling holes. A man was stringing dynamite to blasting caps and primer cord and tamping it into the holes along the path as frustrated people walked past to try to catch a ride on the other side of the debris. We waited and watched the show. After several hours of hard work, they managed to clear a large enough path for  line of traffic to pass, and we continued on our way.  We caught our train in Siliguri, a 33 hour ride to New Delhi, where we then caught a 4 hour train up to Hardiwar. Travel in India is easy, it’s just slow and always tightly packed.

Man dressed up for the celebrations
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We were fortunate on that long train ride to share bunks with Mr. Norbu of Bhutan and his sister. He provided us with great insight into Bhutan and the wonders of that country. We had some added fun too, as a Mr. Gautem kept joining us uninvited and explaining his history and insights. He would only eat in daylight, due to the higher prevalence of bacteria at night. He explained how he was not elitist, but that he was a Brahmin and could point out the lower castes around us. Then he volubly described their defining characteristics and weaknesses as a caste. Writing this makes me realize that during our 3 months in India only 3 or 4 people ever mentioned their caste to us, and they were all of the Brahmin caste. Maybe everyone else assumed we could tell.

Our neighbors in the crowd
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Our train crossed Bihar, which was then under a terrible flood. Twenty five million people were affected. At one point we crossed a section of flooded land, traveling for over 3 hours past what appeared to be an inland sea. A group of 6 soldiers were posted on the train for the crossing of Bihar, a state notorious for the banditry and dacoits. And now with the flooding, there was greater worry that more disenfranchised people would try to rob the trains.