Day 5, Kathmandu to Gangtok

April 27, 2009

My next stop is Gangtok. I left Kathmandu on an early morning Buddha Air flight. This plane was slightly larger than yesterday’s and perhaps the only one I have seen so far in which the luggage compartment separates the passengers from the cockpit. Contrary to all fears the flight was extremely smooth, so much that I could have asked the pilot to marry me!

I landed in Biratnagar. This is a small town in Nepal, close to the border of Bihar. And hence it is more Bihari than Nepali. The airport arrival lounge (!) was like a typical ladies waiting room in a remote railway station in India. Tricycle rickshaws were lined up outside the airport. Fortunately, I made my arrangements before leaving Kathmandu and Rikesh, an old acquaintance and a tour operator from Gangtok, was waiting for me when I landed.

Gangtok is about 8 hours by road from where I landed. I am not a big fan of long journeys in cars. And today’s drive didn’t help me alter my opinion in anyway. The weather was hot and humid. The AC in Rikesh’s Alto was broken. Since the highway was closed we had to drive through the town of Biratnagar and not surprisingly, the people were extremely inconsiderate to the traffic on road, thus making our journey all the more painful. Nothing would make them budge from where they were sitting or driving, which is usually the middle of the road.

Things got better once we crossed Siliguri. The terrain changed and I could see that we were approaching hills. We were driving through thick forests and I was praying that some wild animals would make an appearance for me on the road.

We had stopped in Siliguri for a short break. I couldn’t resist the temptation of pani puri I found along the highway and forced Rikesh to stop. Although it lacked the tang I usually find back home, the puchka helped me revive my taste buds. Rikesh warned me that driving on mountains could make me dizzy and therefore advised me to take Avomine. There was a time, not so long ago, when I used to be airsick, and Avomine was my cure. But I know the side effects of this tiny pill and was reluctant to resort to it again. After some hesitation I decided that it was definitely better to sleep through the journey than to puke.

The pill started taking effect me at around lunch time when we had stopped at a local restaurant about 50km from Gangtok. I vaguely recollect the remaining journey, driving at no less than 80kmph and reaching the hotel. I did notice that the hotel was unlike any that I have so far put up in. It was very Sikkimese in style. I dropped my luggage and immediately crashed. I barely managed to make it to dinner in the hotel. I had local food, rice and curries. I was surprised to note that, like back home, the staple food here is rice and not roti. Even in my sleep driven state, I noticed how courteous the one man staff in my hotel was. I am looking forward to spending some sober time in Sikkim.