PELLING, SIKKIM

PELLING

The next day we took a shared jeep again for a 5 hour ride to Pelling in West Sikkim. The districts here are named very simply North, South, East and West. Again the same bumpy roads but this time we had seats in the front with the driver. The jeep centre was a really chaotic place, no jeep seemed to have a set parking place and vehicles were parked facing every direction so the incoming jeeps could not enter, there were no set tracks, horns were blowing and cars facing in every direction. A driver would need the patience of Job to face that every time he arrived. We left an hour and a half late and then went to a hospital to pick up a young lad who broke both of his arms when he fell out of a high tree where he was collecting fodder for the cows. He was very uncomfortable as the jeep swung around curves but he never complained. His brother, who looked about a year older, fed him at lunch and held his glass of juice to his lips most attentively. His family are poor and not literate and they most likely sleep on the floor, so it won’t be easy for him to get a good sleep and be able to get up and dress himself or use the bathroom.
Pelling is at an altitude of well over 6000 ft. It is said to have the most fabulous views of the Himalayas especially of Kanchendzonga which is the 3rd highest mountain in the world at 8,588 ft. It was misty on arrival so hope that the weather clears. It is sunny most days but mornings and nights are again cold and most of the guesthouses are fairly open to the elements. We checked in to a most reasonable guesthouse at about $5 per room, a fun backpacking place full of a variety of people from many nationalities. It felt good to be out sitting on a terrace swopping travel yarns and information. For Mindup it was his first experience staying in a place like this since usually he is in more up market hotels with his clients and he really enjoyed networking and getting to know younger travelers. The high cost of travel in Bhutan means that mainly well off people go on tours there and so the guides and drivers never meet young, easy going people. Here we quickly joined in with a group of nice people and we put the tables together at night and ate together. Here is Mindup

explaining some Buddhist principles to nice French guests Patrick and Christine.

The food here is varied and inexpensive and the owners and staff are great. Indian guests are very demanding and don’t hesitate to ring the bell in their room for small things like a spoon even at 2 am so the staff really have to scurry about and they are glad to serve meals on the terraces or the roof.
There is not much to do here except enjoy nature, walk, visit monasteries and read. There were some wonderful ceremonies at a nearby famous old monastery and we all went. The monks sit for hours performing wonderful chanting, horn blowing and music. The walls are painted with old, elaborate murals. One of the important monks here, named Yapu, started a school in the 1980s for over 100 children who are orphaned or poor. That is his picture on the left.

It is a very happy place and the children speak very good English. They are so polite and each older child befriends a younger one and they wander around hand in hand or arm in arm. I ate lunch there twice with a wonderful 85 year old man Gupta who was the first principle of the school. He is busy writing a book on Sikkim Past and Present. We had walks together, he can still manage the very steep steps to the monastery where he has a room. The photo on the left is of both of us, he wanted a copy of it and is delighted with it. He's a great man.
Some of the funds for the food for the school come from a little bakery that the monk set up and there are two, young French people there volunteering for a month to teach the older children how to bake pizza, pies and buns. They told me that the day’s earnings immediately go to buy veg and rice for the meals. The teachers are great too as they only receive 3,500 rupees a month ($80) while teachers in the government schools get 18000 to 24000. This is the girl's dorm and it is spotless.
Mindup returned to Bhutan and his work there and tomorrow I will take a jeep to another of the little towns here stopping to visit a lake and a few waterfalls along the way. The mist here has never cleared up so haven’t been able to take pictures from this heightL just maybe in the morning before leaving at 9 am.
I was very happy here staying at the Hotel Garuda, an easy going place with devout Buddhist owners. The restaurant there is plain but very good and they will deliver food to the rooms or terraces so one can breakfast in the sun. These are the lovely owners of Garuda, they had just given me the silk scarf as a good bye gift.

Their email- garuda_pelling@rediffmail.com Room rates are from 100 Rs for a dorm bed to 350 Rs for a room.

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

FAREWELL TO BHUTAN

FAREWELL TO BHUTAN
I am now retracing the same road back from east to west to reach the exit point from Bhutan. There is another one to Assam but that would be a round about way to reach my next destination of Sikkim in the north of India. Long days along the same roads of constant curves but this time did have lunch at a real local restaurant for once and it was really nice to be among the people here instead of some approved hotel alone or with tourists. The owner is a most congenial head of the family too who spoke English and grows medicinal herbs that he sells. Since it was warmer outside than inside the washing machine had been moved out and the days washing was done outdoors. The machine washes but it looks as if the rinsing must be done by hand so the sun was nice to warm the back. One of the main foods here is chili with everything so here it was really fiery.
I’ll put in a picture of the rather primitive loo there. I noticed that the locals just seemed to order a big plate of rice and a little bowl of chili to spice it up.
We spent a night in Thronsa where the girl who served was falling over herself to be really kind. She fixed us butter tea without us asking (I don’t really like it) and two different kinds of porridge for breakfast so that we could try Tibethan maize or wheat porridge. She told us that the owner and family took her in when she was very young and now they were her family although she had a family up in the mountains. I heard this kind of story very often. It seems that people who have some success often just take in children who live too isolated to have many opportunities in life and their parents are happy to let them go.
Back in the capital of Thimpu we went for a real coffee at real western prices but it was so good after all the Nescafe of the last two weeks. That night we went to a bar with several of Mindup’s nephews. The extended family here is really wide and they call each other brother/sister/cousin etc even when they are not really that close. The lads were about 18 and had just finished their school studies but few of the people here really take a drink so they celebrated with juice. There was Bhutanese Karaoke on and it was not loud at all and none of the people seemed self conscious about joining in.
Next day we drove on towards the border town of Puentsholing where there is actually only an arched gate between Bhutan and India but one has to go through formalities like stamping departure at one office and then going to Indian emigration with the visa at another – time consuming especially as it had to be done at 7 am. This is, of course, only for foreigners the two countries can go in and out as they wish but Bhutanese money, the Nu, is not accepted anywhere except Bhutan. We booked a shared jeep for the trip to Sikkim and left the car at Mindup’s sister’s house. His brother in law drove us around all the offices and to the jeep the next morning.
The difference between Bhutan and India was evident immediately. From 50 yards to the other side there was again heaps of trash, the concrete, dirt, bricks and general debris that is not present in Bhutan. The jeep was packed 4 in each row so we were well sandwiched for the curves ahead. Unlike India there are regulations in Bhutan that prevent overcrowding of vehicles whether private or public so there is none of the people on the roof and hanging on that one sees in India, Burma, Laos etc. It seems to me that the government in Bhutan lays down many rules that are not questioned by the people. It is sad to know that one will not be returning to this place of really lovely, pleasant, kind people with so much patience and inner strength and peace.

IN THE EAST OF BHUTAN

TASHIGANG AND THE EAST

This is an elderly very sweet nun who asked me to take her picture. She held on to my arm and we had to do several circumambulations of the monastery together. The monk said that she is about 60 years old but no one here knows their birthdays.
The others are cleaning the butter lamps

Bhutanese boy friends.

3 March ‘10
We’re on the way back to the border in the west with long drives along those high roads and hair pin bends. Snow has fallen since we last passed this way but already there are many more open Rhododendrons and Daphne in bloom, paper is made from the latter. I will leave Bhutan on the 6th for Sikkim.

The east was the most interesting part of the country for me. The people there rarely see a stranger and a group gather around quickly at each stop. The school children love to try their English and are full of smiles. Older people offer tea or coffee and everyone is very shy. There are many very poor people working on the roads. Women with children on their backs and other children beside them are sweeping miles of road with a broom or actually working in construction. Men building a house in one town are hauling concrete and sand in a sling tied to a long pole up to a second story repeatedly. See a picture of the labour intensive building methods. We passed high passes covered with prayer flags. It seems that the white flags are to honour the dead and the coloured ones are referring to contentment and happiness in the present life. Talking about the dead – Mindup and his family wanted to honour their father when he died 2 years ago and show him respect for his hard work and endeavors in educating them so the eight of them paid $900 for a ceremony that lasted 21 days. He said that the entire village does all the cooking and work for such an occasion, an important lama or Rinpoche comes and about 40 monks to lead the prayers and chanting. The Buddist teaching is most obvious in every day life here. People take responsibility for elderly relatives who move in to their home even if they are not really close kin. Young girls are adopted in to families and educated by them if they have little money in their own family. Bhutanese walk in and out of kitchens in private homes even if they don’t know the family and food is always available for drop ins even if it is very plain like just rice. Trucks are gaily painted with “Welcome. We Love our King. Take care,blow horn. No girlfriend no tension” and other messages that usually show kind thoughts or advice. Driving along we passed by a woman up on a very high road with no houses in sight and she was prostrating herself every step and was probably going to do so for miles. We later passed by a monk doing the same thing probably for merit or in reparation.
We stayed in Tashigang and visited some little villages around where women were weaving on very primitive looms outside their houses. This area is renowned for silk weaving. Their patterns are most work intensive. A panel for the Kira, the women’s dress takes 4 months to weave and costs up to $1000 so most women weave he houses to fix lunch for us so that I could try a real farmhouse meal. She was glad to do it and also gave us some local moonshine called Ara which is traditionally served with a scrambled egg in it which seemed very odd but “when in Rome do as the Romans do” etc so of course I had a go. Not bad at all.
There was an Archery game going on using home made bows with the men doing ththeir own clothes. Mindup asked a woman in one of teir little dance each time an arrow hit the target across a huge distance. It was a holiday as it was the last day of lunar New Year.
Houses here have painted designs on them including huge penises. This is said to promote well being, happiness and fertility.
One disturbing thing among the common practices is the chewing of the betal nut by so many which, of course, stains their mouth and teeth red. It is used a lot in Asia mostly by the hill tribes and elderly but here it is also used by young people. Ganga grows wild here but is forbidden by law and Buddism.

MONGAR
We were in Mongar yesterday for a visit to a ceremony that is going on there for a week. It was because of the earthquake in the east of the country and it took a long time to get the money together to have such a ceremony where a Reincarnation or Rinpoche is asked to come and preside over the event and it is attended by at least 1000 monks and thousands of people who all have to be fed for the duration. Everyone chants and prays and asks the Rimpoche for a blessing. It was organized by Mindups village and he personally gave $1000 towards the cost. The village is up too high to reach with cars so the event was held in the nearest town. The people setting it up were so weather worn, gentle and hard working. We were seated on two very nice chairs and offered tea and biscuits. The only ones seated. Everyone gathered around and those who could speak English tried to have a conversation. Yesterday we had a private blessing by the Rimpoche and he draped the traditional white scarf around my neck. I probably need it as a monk read my horoscope last week and it was only so-so. Mindups was not good so he has been trying to improve it by gaining lots of merit and doing good works. It looks as if all will be well for him however as he rolled dice in the monastery and turned up an eleven – a really good omen. We roll along in the car to his chanting at times, at other times he sings away and he just loves the tunes on my I pod and tries to lilt Irish music.

http://picasaweb.google.com/a.roantree/MongarToThimpu#

BUMTHANG TO MONGAR

Bumthang to Mongar
This was the longest drive, about 8 hours 193 kms long and there is no restaurant in between, just tiny villages perched high up among the passes. It is one of the most spectacular drives in the country descending 3,200m. We crossed in to eastern Bhutan at a pass that is 3,780m. Unfortunately the day was misty so pictures probably will not show the show the winding roads and valleys so far below. Eastern Bhutan is much poorer than the west and the people here are very like the country people at home with weather beaten faces, simple houses and very very long distances between any type of settlement. All along the roads there are people who must have walked for many miles up and down tracks and trails with their babies in slings on their backs. Women work on the roads the same as men. There are often delays for rock slides and sometimes the guide has to move a large rock out of the way. There is just one road that runs across this country so when we return we will go the same way again. Have to say that is just fine with me. The roads are scary but the drivers are excellent and the brakes are good.Mindup had stocked up with a tiffin like container that fits in to a thermos so we had a picnic on our way with the usual red rice, chilies and soft cheese, meat, veg., dal and apple juice. It seems that we will drop back all the containers on our return trip. Flasks full of very hot water are always carried so that one can have a hot drink or tea on each trip

http://picasaweb.google.com/a.roantree/BumthangToTashigang#

PUNNAKHA TO BUMTHANG

Punnakha
We returned to the festival the next morning for a few hours to see the famous black hat dance and the masks along with many other dances. It seems the dancers train for years and that is their job so they travel to various cultural events including to Hawaii. Again at the festival even though the dancers costumes are magnificent it is the people and their faces that are the most fascinating. Today we were allowed to enter the gorgeous Dzong and see the wonderful Thondrol ot Thanka which is enormous in fact the biggest in the country. It was rolled up again by a veritable army of men and monks. I will squeeze in a picture of it. See left. All the images and scenes on it are embroidered.
Afterwards we drove along the most marvelous road to the Phobjakha valley which is one of the few homes of the Black necked cranes who migrate here from Tibet in Nov. They will leave in one week so again we were lucky to see them. On the way we saw so many birds and yaks especially Himalayan Gullion flying about overhead with a large wingspan. While viewing them we met with a group of teachers from Canada who are coming here to Bhutan, mainly to remote villages, to work for one year. Some of you may have read the book by Jamie Zeppa “between the Earth and the Sky” the story of her time here in that same capacity, The woman with this group was Nancy, a colleague of Jamie’s who is mentioned in the story. She has been here 20 years now directing the Canadian programme and it was fascinating to chat with her about Jamie, her son and the Bhutanese man she married. The whole group of us met up for dinner, a singsong and guitar playing last night. We stopped by Chendebji Chorten a lovely peaceful place that is a replica of Bodnath the famous stupa in Kathmandu. It seems that the shape of Bodnath was carved out of a potato and then copied here and used as a place for greeting dignitaries who visit. The whole drive is just wonderful between mountains and passes with gurgling rivers far down below. 25 Feb.’10. Today’s pass took us up to 3360M. The drivers here are fearless skirting the edges of roads. There are views of Mount Jomolhari (7360), Jichu Drakye(6989) and Kang Bum(6526) We had lunch in Trongsa in a Tower and visited an excellent museum there. I wish that I had been to Bhutan when I was young. Just imagining the treks up those mountains some of which last for 20 days. My guide Mindup leads those treks and also bicycle tours on all these roads. I have seen his pictures and it is unbelievable that one could have the stamina to cycle to these heights. They have to prepare very carefully for the treks and use first ponies to carry all the gear and later yaks as they reach very high ground. There are no villages, clear paths or any type of accommodation up there so every single thing must be carried. Now we have arrived in Bumthang, a very pleasant, clean little town. Because of the order that all architecture should be Bhutanese the towns look very much the same. Tiny shops selling only practical things like basins, jugs, pots, back packs, t shirts, blankets and large carry bags. No specialty shops like jewelry, opticians, little cafes, dress shops etc. One is certainly not tempted to go shopping for souvenirs except for, perhaps, an example of the local weaving or the traditional dress but even that is not prevalent as women usually make their own. If you look at the picture album, especially of the festival you can see the beautiful way the women dress in their Kira. Over the top is a short jacket called a toego. They look very elegant. It is compulsory for Bhutanese to wear national dress at school, government offices and at all special occasions. The men, of course, wear their Gho, a knee length garment in traditional, tartan like woven cloth. They wear a tight woven belt and carry most of their needs like a wallet, keys and belongings right above the belt which gives them a stout look around the waist. People here are very friendly with each other whether they have met before or not and are most helpful in every way.
http://picasaweb.google.com/a.roantree/PUNNAKHAFESTIVAL#

THIMPHU TO PUNAKHA

A typical sign giving advice against contacting HIV and avoiding alcohol

From Thimphu to Punakha
Off in an eastern direction to the capital Thimphu on a sunny day.
There are frequent check points for cars to keep track of vehicle movements. Mindup says that it is in case someone does not return which seems to mean that a car could go over the side of one of those high passes and never be seen again – a jolly, reassuring thought as the road is narrow and there are gullies on the one side and a very deep gorge along most of the other side. It is rare to see the bottom. The sights of the Bhutan Himalayas are absolutely panoramic.

There are oak and blue pine trees, cypress and fir and they grow to a great height. The first rhododendrons are already in bloom with red or white blossoms and they are as tall as trees. The primroses are pale purple rather like crocuses and they have a different petal to ours. The guide is so nice and knowledgeable, today he gave me a gift of a book on the wildflowers here and also a notebook with hand made paper to note my impressions of our trip. The picture is of one of the water powered prayer wheels that are scattered around the country.
In the capital we visited the “fortress of the glorious” or Tashichhodzong. This is the House of Parliament and the king has an office there and the ministries. It is also the summer residence of the Central Monk Body. The palace of the 5th King is close by so he can walk to his office. One is not allowed to even take a picture of his gate.
23 Feb.’10
Today we went from Thimphu to Punakha for the big festival that lasts a week. On the way we drove through the Dochula Pass (3,140M). Each pass is marked by a large array of prayer flags and with 108 Chortens or Stupas. The festival is held at a huge Dzong that is located at the junction of 2 rivers. As usual the dzong serves as the religious and administrative centre of the region. The whole area has a holiday for the week of the festival and they come from miles away the majority of them on foot. All are dressed in their best traditional costumes and it is most colourful. The festival is commemorating a victory over the Tibetan military in the 1600s and there are warriors shouting battle cries, guns being fired, defiant soldiers doing a dance, fierce looking men on horseback helped by many young men as the horses react to the gunfire. The monks took part of course and there was a huge procession. Do have a glance at the photo album. The pictures and faces tell the story.
Tonight we moved in to a really nice hotel, the Dewachen, to be near very nice people from Canada that we had met several times along the road at lunch, the festival etc. They have vineyards in B.C. The hotel has wood fires in each room and in the dining room and is most cheerful. I loved being with people again after several hotels that had no other guests as this is the off season and it gets very cold morning and night although the days are bright and sunny so it was great to have the wood burning fire. We sat around it sharing some imported wine and felt like we were on holidays. Almost everything in Bhutan has to be imported as they don’t produce much other than potatoes, buckwheat, barley and chilies. The people are very self sufficient and agile. They hop up and down almost invisible paths to heights that seem inaccessible, the children help with all household chores and the women weave and make their own clothes, tablecloths, floor and seat covers and bedding.
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