Look who's on top of the world

Model-producer Sushma Reddy dreams of seeing the whole world before she closes her eyes forever. For now, she shares with us some memories of her most unforgettable travel experience to the North East a few years back:



Permit issue
My trip to Sikkim was an experience to remember. Initially I was keen to visit Bhutan, but the permits were cumbersome and it was too costly. So, I landed up in Sikkim finally. I found Sikkim untouched and easily navigable as I was travelling alone. It seemed spiritual, friendly and a treat for the eyes. I visited Pelling, Gangtok, Yuksam, Yumthang and Nathula in Sikkim.

Untouched heaven
I did home-stays and got a real taste of country living. The people were very warm and the food was superb. The feeling of being surrounded by killer mountain roads, landslides and spontaneous waterfalls was fantastic.
I managed to get leeches in my shoes in Pelling, clouds in my room in Gangtok and ate abundant raw garlic, which was a local remedy to thin my blood at the high altitude.

History today
I read up extensively on the rulers, but Sikkim also resonates with spiritual history. I enjoyed the beautiful monasteries and the abundant prayer flags. I think Sikkim's current political situation is interesting vis-a-vis the Chinese standoff. The North East is a complete enigma. Their lifestyle mimics that of South East Asia, but they are still not fully integrated into the Indian mainstream.

Unforgettable
The memories of Sikkim that I took home were the leeches experience. I had to pull them out by hand one by one. My socks had to be thrown. The drive to Nathula was breathtaking, as was my first Yak ride. I used public transport and had a perpetually wet backpack due to the rains and the waterfalls. The sight of the first sunrays hitting the peak of Kanchenjunga at 5am is still etched in my mind.

Nature's call
I would love to revisit Sikkim. But, this time I would want to go further into the interiors. I would also love to do the base camp trek to Kanchenjunga, as well as Gurudongmar in the north. And yes, I will surely do home stays again.

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