SIKKIM IN THE HIMALAYAS

SIKKIM in the Himalayas
The landscape of Sikkim is very like that of Bhutan. Towering mountains, splendid views, hair pin bends and valleys so far below the roads that one cannot see the bottom. It is situated between Nepal on the west, Bhutan in the east, Tibet in the north and Weest Bengal in the south. It is a small stretch of land only 115 kms by 65 kms.and it has a population of 540.000. One needs an extra permit to enter the area. It is a nice place to be, very different than the rest of India. Crime is negligible, it is not dogged by social problems and economic problems. There is no discrimination against women as in many other Indian states. They were the first state to ban plastic bags and the use of fertilizers and pesticides. It is a hotspot of biodiversity for example it has only 0.2 percent of the area of India but has 26 percent of its bio diversity. The people are a mix of Tibetan refugees, Nepalis, Lepchas, Buthutias and Bengalis. Everyone seems to know everyone and they don’t have any house numbers so your directions to a house could be “the house near the tree etc” Because it lies at a low latitude and is near the Tropic of Cancer, the snow line is about 20,000 ft. There are houses up as high as 17,000 ft. while in the Alps on Mt. Blanc there is always snow at an altitude of 15,000 ft.
Here, as in Bhutan and Nepal, the people are so nice to strangers and to each other. All ages and sexes walk along holding hands and linking arms and they give a big broad smile when greeted. Almost everyone shakes hands often using two hands to grasp each other which is a mark of respect. Most ask “where you from” and nod wisely at the answer even though they are not a bit sure where that land is. Literacy here is very high and poverty is not evident. They seem like Buddhist people at ease and satisfied with their lives.
Mindup and I crossed here by shared jeep from Bhutan – a bumpy ride. There are no buses on these very high roads, only jeeps can manage to reach the top.
First we went to Gantok, the capital, but just stayed for two nights as a city is a city and not all that interesting. Lots of traffic, horns blowing and noise except in the main street which is a pedestrian area. I took a chance and went in to a tiny hairdresser shop with 2 chairs and a very tiny man cut my hair. He could hardly reach my hair on top when I sat in the chair and he did not speak English but he did a great job and also gave me a free head massage. The total cost was 50 rupees or less than a euro so of course he received the big sum of 100 rupees. There are few foreigners in Sikkim although I am told that many Indians and Bengali’s visit during the high season. Now it is off season so the streets are full of women in beautiful saris, Tibetan national dress, a few in Bhutanese Kiras, all very graceful in their long skirts and wrapped with shawls or blankets during the early mornings and late evenings. We ate at several really good restaurants there are more vegetarian places than usual restaurants in fact most are vegetarian. For the first time in weeks there was also an opportunity to have a cup of real coffee instead of Nescafe powder