Travel log #21 - 25

20.06.2017 Log 21

After my visit of Varanasi there was time to go north. I had enough of hot days and, frankly, I was looking forward to get to the hills. I took a night train to Siliguri, which is a sort of traffic hub to get further to north-east India. My aim was to visit Darjeeling, but because it became the centre of political strikes and riots one week ago, there was no way how to get there. All trains and buses were cancelled. I strongly hope that the situation will calm down soon and I'll have a chance to visit it later. To drink tea in Darjeeling is one of my old dreams. Besides that I know, that there is beautiful nature all around the place and I plan to trek there.

So I had to improvise and buy a ticket to another destination. My journey took me to Shillong, the capital city of Meghalaya. This land is incredibly beautiful. Forest-covered hilltops are meeting with clouds and lush valleys are taken over by vegetation in all shades of green, sometimes a crystal clear river cuts through them in cascades. Local villages are - when compared to the rest of this country - relatively clean and a lot more serene, the sensation of peacefulness is very strong here. An interesting feat of Meghalaya are so called living bridges created by entangling overground roots of trees. As the trees grow bigger, the bridges are getting stronger, becoming potentially eternal. I felt honoured to walk over one of them. This land had to be a real paradise for the people inhabiting it in the past. That's probably why it was the home of many hill tribes about which I learned a lot at Shillong museum.

From here I plan to go even further north to Sikkim - a small Indian state between Nepal and Bhutan - where, I assume, the monsoon will catch up on me and it will take care about India and it will caress it for the next two months. Sikkim is mainly Buddhist area and to travel around there requires a special permission. I believe that to be there and to communicate with the local folk will be a nice experience. When I will feel that I made the most of it, I will continue to Nepal, fulfilling another of my big dreams.

26.06.2017 Log 22
I'm not here for a long time yet and I haven't seen much so far, but if you asked me what is my favourite place in India, I would seriously consider to answer Sikkim. The people here are friendly, educated and sophisticated and the atmosphere is incomparable to the rest of India. This place feels more like Nepal or maybe Bhutan, and demographically it is. The people here even speak Nepalese. I spend my days in Gangtok, a beautiful city spread on several hillsides and just roaming the streets means to be continually amazed by the vistas of surrounding mighty hills. I visited some Buddhist temples and the museum of Tibetology and I had a fine walk with my Brahmin friend Rishi to a nearby viewpoint, where one - when there are good weather conditions - can see Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world and the pride of Sikkim. Of course it was hidden in clouds. In my life there were many mountains I did not see when I was passing around them: Turkish Ararat, Vietnamese Phan Xi Pang and now Kanchenjunga.

Today I wanted to leave Gangtok and head towards small villages of Sikkim and devote myself to trekking, but it didn't happen. First I wanted to visit a post office and FRO (foreigners registration office) where I wanted to extend my permission to be here, but my efforts were baffled by Eid Mubarak. I don't understand why in mainly Buddhist country they celebrate Muslim holidays.

But tomorrow I will succeed and slowly but surely I will go to remote Yuksom around where there is plenty of trekking opportunities including the famous Goecha La, an eight days long walk to the outskirts of Himalayas, which I'd like to do with a local guide. I don't hurry out of Sikkim. It might be a little bit pricey here, but it's also really wonderful and moreover: it's my last stop before entering Nepal.

08.07.2017 Log 23
I've spent last six days in Himalayas. In a village called Yuksom I decided to do the Goecha La trek, named after a mountain pass in the height of 4950m. For this experience I had to pay slightly over 150gbp which was a deep cut into my budget, but seeing retrospectively I admit that I wouldn't be able to carry all the stuff and food on my own, and to have a guide prove a good thing as well on several occasions. Originally the trek was planned for eight days and when I realised that I would spend similar amount of money just doing the ordinary stuff, the decision was made. During these days I walked about one hundred kilometres and braved three kilometres elevation first uphill and then downhill. The reward was worth it: an unforgettable sunrise with the view of Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world.

But it was no easy task whatsoever. Once a person reaches 3km altitude, he gets the feeling that somebody grabs his hood and pulls him back! The breathing gets hard too. In the eerie silence of the mountains the sound of one's beating heart is the loudest of sounds. And to see the mountain I had to get up at 4am, before it gets cloudy and hike upon a near hilltop. But the sight was worth all the effort. Those who know me know, that I love the mountains. To walk in Himalayas was like to walk in a magical garden full of flowers and birds.

After returning to Yuksom I rewarded myself with one day's rest. By the time I was well known in the village and treated almost as a local. So kind-hearted are the people of Sikkim, that it was really hard to leave the place. For few days it was my home away from home. But it was time to hit the road and I, ever so confident about my capabilities, decided to walk to Khecheopalri - a holy lake only twelve kilometres far, but half of it up a really steep hill. It must be said that this walk hurt me more then the whole previous trek. Maybe it's time to get rid of some books making my backpack so heavy.

Today I got to Namchi, my last stop in Sikkim. From here I'm going to go to Nepal. I will carry great memories in my heart. There are not many places in the world like this one.

17.07.2017 Log 24
My last days in Sikkim were spent in Namchi, where I had the honor to get fully acquainted to monsoon. It was raining for four days and nights and there was 48hrs blackout in the town. Despite the rain I bravely made two trips to two nearby hills, to see the huge avatars of gods and gurus built on their peaks. Especially the statue of Shiva was really imposing. After I reached lower lands, the weather became more friendly again. In Siliguri I was welcomed by sunshine. From there I took a bus to Nepalese border crossing and entered Nepal smoothly and hassle free. After a necessary welcome beer I got to another bus and headed towards Kathmandu. The ride was rather long, ten hours longer than it was supposed to be, since we had to fix the rear wheel, that wanted to fall off. To spend thirty hours on passing four hundred kilometres is probably my another record broken.

From all the big cities I visited along this journey Kathmandu is the most beautiful, no doubt. It really is the city of temples; centuries old buildings of stone, bricks and wood devoted to all the Hindu gods and Buddha are scattered everywhere around the city, many of them significantly damaged by an earthquake that took place two years ago. But not only gods have their temples here, you can also find a temple of alcohol, or kamasutra, or marijuana. Narrow streets, at some places unchanged for hundreds of years, only amplify the longevity of this place. The whole city is cramped in between hills and the whole broad valley can be seen from the rooftop garden of my hostel. In the sunset instead of crows there are eagles circling in the skies above. Me being in Nepal is another big dream coming true. My visa are valid for fifty days and I'm looking forward to every single one of them.

25.07.2017 Log 25

I could write a lot about Kathmandu. I liked it more and more every day. In the end I extended my stay for one week. Two days I was just laid back at the hostel, but for the rest I was vigorously sightseeing and paid a big attention to Nepalese food, most of the time with my German friend Jonas. Together we left to Bhaktapur, where we did more or less the same. Apart from beer everything is cheap in Nepal so it was both fun and a sort of satisfaction to dine in luxurious restaurants, still fairly affordable for us. The highlight of these visits was undoubtedly Gacok: a hot pot with five types of meat, mushrooms and vegetables in a rich stew, served with momo, rice and potatoes. The warm beer called Tongba was a nice match with the meal. As I always believed degustation of local meals and beer-tasting are an important part of traveling.

If I said before I was fascinated by historical aspect of Kathmandu, then roaming the streets of Bhaktapur was like walking in the past. Long time ago there were three kingdoms in valley of Kathmandu: Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur. Each of them had its own holy square, so called Durbar. I've seen all three of them and the one in Bhaktapur is surely the one least affected by the earthquake. Even the highest temple of Nepal is still proudly standing. A sad fact is, that I can't say the same about the rest of the town: while temples and hotels are tirelessly being repaired, the houses of poorer citizens are held up with wooden balks or, the more damaged houses, vacated.

Yesterday, alone once again, I arrived to Nagarkot, where I was attracted by a short panoramic trek offering great views of one of Himalayan ridges. Needless to say that when I walked it, it was cloudy an drizzling. I think I'm going to hang around here for few days before I set off for another great adventure: a long walk called The Anapurna Circuit.

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This time it's a little bit longer, sorry. For those of you who made it here: thank you for reading! :-)