This morning we took an Indian Tata jeep to Gangtok in the northern state of Sikkim. We had a young driver who drove carefully along the potholed roads, taking us up and down the steep mountain roads. We could see Kanchenjunga in the distance towering its neighbours and covered in snow and ice.
Once we had reached slightly wider roads the driver suddenly became a lunatic! Blind bends and summits were no reason not to overtake. The road was full of huge trucks and army vehicles too. We certainly had a few close calls and very tense moments! At a checkpoint the driver escorted us to a little office where our Sikkim permit was checked. Overall the traffic was really busy and it took 5 hours to weave around the mountain roads.
After we arrived at the 'bus station' we realised we had another 2km to walk to Gangtok to find a hotel. In fact the hotel we were looking for was the other side of Gangtok. Eventually we took a taxi but he said it was very far and maybe it is too far out of town for us. He dropped us off near some central hotels. We then spent hours looking for one that wouldn't blow the budget! With the help of a local, we eventually found a good hotel at a reasonable price. Part of the issue we were having was that only certain hotels are permitted to take foreigners.
The main road of Gangtok is one huge traffic jam. However when we went exploring we found the true centre of the city. What a surprise! It was pedestrianised, clean, no noisey horns and both sides of the streets lined with fancy shops! We were now in a different world, nothing like India!
A lot of eating was done plus tea and cakes were essential to wash it all down.
Once we had reached slightly wider roads the driver suddenly became a lunatic! Blind bends and summits were no reason not to overtake. The road was full of huge trucks and army vehicles too. We certainly had a few close calls and very tense moments! At a checkpoint the driver escorted us to a little office where our Sikkim permit was checked. Overall the traffic was really busy and it took 5 hours to weave around the mountain roads.
After we arrived at the 'bus station' we realised we had another 2km to walk to Gangtok to find a hotel. In fact the hotel we were looking for was the other side of Gangtok. Eventually we took a taxi but he said it was very far and maybe it is too far out of town for us. He dropped us off near some central hotels. We then spent hours looking for one that wouldn't blow the budget! With the help of a local, we eventually found a good hotel at a reasonable price. Part of the issue we were having was that only certain hotels are permitted to take foreigners.
The main road of Gangtok is one huge traffic jam. However when we went exploring we found the true centre of the city. What a surprise! It was pedestrianised, clean, no noisey horns and both sides of the streets lined with fancy shops! We were now in a different world, nothing like India!
A lot of eating was done plus tea and cakes were essential to wash it all down.