Sikkim, the last Himalayan Shangri La

It is past midnight when two friends and I sit at the edge of a defunct fountain outside a hotel in Pelling in West Sikkim A twoday strike has been announced in the state mdash all modes of transport have shut down come morning every shop will be desolate and the policemen will not take too kindly to stragglers We are locked in and thrilled at the prospectsThe strike hasnrsquot addled our brains lest we be accused of being delirious We hatch grand plans rub palms conspiratorially itrsquos the cold that too and wait for the morningOur Darap homestayrsquos host Indra Subba and his mother above rustle up delicious meals made from flowers and other plants picked from a forest nearbyAt daybreak we stand at one of the many abandoned construction sites another wouldhavebeen hotel no doubt and admire the leviathan Khangchendzonga It comes to us then mdash Pelling usually swarms with tourists just so they could have this one moment to themselves Unparalleled views of the Khangchendzonga mdash molten gold at sunrise icy blue till dusk and grandfatherly in mien mdash are this townrsquos raison drsquoetreThe ruins of Sikkimrsquos ancient capital RabdentseKeep calm and donrsquot planWe sneak into a chaiwallahrsquos home for tea by invitation of course who tells us something we know by now mdash the famous YuksomGoeCha La trek is out of the question as are our plans to take off to Sikkimrsquos capital Gangtok to check out the famed Rumtek Monastery ldquoThe only place left around here is this hamlet Darap Indra has just finished building his homestayrdquo he smiles We prick our ears up and 10 minutes later Darap is on our itineraryGurudongmar Lake in north Sikkim Pics Aditya Kandala Kareena Gianani amp ThinkstockWe spend a day hiking in and around Pelling and it feels like we have the town all to ourselves It is a luxury of course the tranquility of Pemayangste Monastery and the higgledypiggledy route leading to the ruins of Rabdentse Plaques in and around this elusive site tell us that Rabdentse was the second capital of the Kingdom of Sikkim between 1670 and 1814 What is left of this troubled empire are three chortens Tibetan monuments which mark the prayer site of the Sikkim royalty back thenThe next day we begin our hike to Darap with the allseeing Khangchendzonga standing resolutely to our right The chaiwallah was quite right mdash after a sevenkmlong walk we enter a hamlet where time doesnrsquot quite seem to move at the same pace Darap is idyllic and it seems all conversations here take place in hushed tones somewhere inside the modest onestorey homes Soon we meet Indra Subba our host for the night who takes us to his homestayAt homeIndrarsquos homestay comprises a long dining hall and numerous windows to seduce the sunlight He has furnished it with intricatelycarved furniture chosen during his many trips to Gangtok The log cabin outside which will be our home for the night has been designed and built by Indra and his friends The food he tells us will come from ldquothererdquo pointing to the floorWe think he is referring to a meal of tubers and roots Indra however asks us to follow him as he takes the stairs descending from the dining hall In an underground kitchen Indrarsquos mother has congregated neighbours to help her cook our meals for the day We decide to babysit their children but are politely asked to take the time off lullabies hummed on tunes of love songs donrsquot go down well with babiesOver dinner Indra tells us that he was a mountaineer and helped travellers trace many an ambitious peak in the Himalayas ldquoBut soonrdquo he tells us ldquoit was time to make a choice between doing what I loved and spending time with my family So here I amrdquo He knows he has an arduous journey ahead Many homestays are coming up in Darap but it remains a place for people who yearn for solitude It is for those who delight when a short walk in any direction abruptly leads you to a pitchdark forest and where fireflies dance to music meant only for their ears ldquoWe can only hope that tourists from Gangtok and Pelling drop byrdquo says IndraWe tear ourselves from Darap a day later and head to Gangtok to get permits to North Sikkim Once they arrive we take off with Sonam our driver whose sartorial punch mdash goth rock and uber cool mdash leaves us feeling rather scruffy I think our collective silence suits him just fine Sonam manoeuvres deadly cliffs and landslidehappy hills at nothing lesser than 60kmhour mdash we agree that fervent prayers would come in handy and he needs Akonrsquos thumping music to prevent him from falling asleep at the wheelAt Gurudongmar LakeLet no one tell you can have enough of Gurudongmar Lake which must be accessed through the twin quaint villages of LachenLachung after a ninehour drive from Gangtok The altitude at 15000 feet could be punishing for some but when I step out of the jeep and walk up to the lake I know why we are here mdashGurudongmar Lake knows no fixed states of matter I cannot fully believe anyone who says that the vast lake is indeed liquid because I can swear it looks frozen Or that it isnrsquot clouds which are a few feet away from us that it is mist Here the five senses are an entirely subjective matter and I do not know of many places which can be so phantasmicOn our way back home I press rhododendrons in my book the fallen ones only mdash picking one would have invited Sonamrsquos wrath shop for souvenirs at Gangtok and take in the sounds and smells of a city which just does not rest But when I think Sikkim what really comes to mind is a lone cabin in a shy village fireflies and private conversations and the loss of senses somewhere high up