128. SIKKIM
Tiny former Kingdom of Sikkim now a state in India
Rumtek Monastery, below, was quite a walk uphill. As in Tibet, everything's up the hills and up the stairs...
Fooding & Lodging would be Sangay's way of saying Bed & Breakfast...
There's an Institute of Tibetology which functions as a museum and historical treasure throve of anything Tibetan
The capital of Sikkim, Gantok, is a mini Tibet. (post 45/46 On The Roof of the World). The Tibetans are a displaced people, India has been generous in taking large numbers in. After what I saw in Tibet and several places in India with large Tibetan communities, I believe they are better off in the latter country. So too with the Nepalis born and bred here.
The Teesta River forms a natural boundary between the states of West Bengal and Sikkim
The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling has a nice museum
Welcome to my parlour (and larder) said the spider to the fly...
...the Indians coexist with Mother's creatures and do nothing to eliminate them, making the environment full of natural life, unlike Singapore's - sterile, sanitised...it's not natural to have as much plant life as we have and not see nests or insect life nestled among them...
At this Tibetan refugee center, most of its residents are elderly. They would very likely not see the land of their birth again. They spend their days quietly in a tranquil place up in the hills living a simple life. The carpets woven here fetch a high price in the cities...
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway spewing dark smoke from its charcoal fired engine. It's an ancient rail system from colonial days, now used for tourism purpose as a fun ride to view the countryside, tea plantations - on several stretches, it cruises through the town...it's a UNESCO World Heritage site
Like most Asians, its people are communal. It's a happy people with much chatter and laughter and interaction and that wonderful Indian trait - Give & Take (see post 8)
As with most border regions, people have moved around freely from time immemorial before the advent of immigration controls and border security. Large numbers of Nepali people over several generations have lived here. India has been generous in taking in Tibetans - a displaced people - who have created Little Tibets in several parts of India. In the course of history, wars have been fought in this border region bordering Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. Sikkim was a British protectorate before its people decided to join India. This little kingdom had its own King than. The result of this hodge podge is a people who are now Indian citizens who look anything but...lovely
This maiden (right) spins yarn from a bicycle wheel...
This English style hotel in Kalimpong was a holiday home to an English family. The 'Britishers' certainly knew how to live - they escaped the awful heat of the Indian summer by adjourning to the hill stations...for one night, I savoured that life...
The states of West Bengal and Sikkim derive substantial tourist dollars but it dosen't look like they've bothered with inproving the infrastructure in these hilly regions. Yet its residents are so damn nice, helpful, kind, decent folks, despite the hardships...
This roadside dhoby's iron fascinated me so I moved in for a closer look...
The hilly terrain made delivery of bulky items difficult either on trolleys or on pickups which, in any case, are not permitted to operate here ..... so delivery workers were the beasts of burden. I saw the same mode of delivery in Nepal (post 89) Than and now, it was painful to watch...
These red bananas are a different species altogether. In Singapore, they are available in the Indian Quarter...
At this roadside market, I spotted some veggies the likes of which I've never come across before. Although relatives of some common vegetables, these are harvested or grown in the forested regions in which some cross-breeding has taken place...like among the humans...
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Spotted this in a shop...thought it's fitting for the times we live in...the Dalai Lama's a wise owl...he spews gems Westerners love and the Chinese Government find hypocritical. They should be more fearful of the Christians penetrating their country...they are today's Crusaders...
This roadside dhoby's iron fascinated me so I moved in for a closer look...
The hilly terrain made delivery of bulky items difficult either on trolleys or on pickups which, in any case, are not permitted to operate here ..... so delivery workers were the beasts of burden. I saw the same mode of delivery in Nepal (post 89) Than and now, it was painful to watch...
These red bananas are a different species altogether. In Singapore, they are available in the Indian Quarter...
At this roadside market, I spotted some veggies the likes of which I've never come across before. Although relatives of some common vegetables, these are harvested or grown in the forested regions in which some cross-breeding has taken place...like among the humans...
Spotted this in a shop...thought it's fitting for the times we live in...the Dalai Lama's a wise owl...he spews gems Westerners love and the Chinese Government find hypocritical. They should be more fearful of the Christians penetrating their country...they are today's Crusaders...
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