We got up at 6 am and grabbed some pastries and headed down to the Chowk Bazaar taxi stand. We signed up for the 7:30 am share taxi out to Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim (125 Rs). Share taxis are something that we would soon get used to. There are taxi stands dotted around all of West Bengal and Sikkim. They usually are two guys sitting behind a table with a bunch of slips of paper. You go up to them and tell them where you want to go, then they say how much and what time, you pay, and then wait. The share jeep is a large jeep where they basically cram as many people as they can into the jeep, three people in the front seat, four in the middle, and four in the back. On our way to Gangtok it was mostly just three of us in the back seat, so that was nice. But along the way people jump in and out, but it wasn't too bad. At the border we jumped out and got a permit no problem. Probably the first bureaucratic thing in India that took less than 10 minutes. We just had to sign and get a stamp on our passport that lasts for 15 days. By about noon we arrived in Gangtok. We went to the Travel Lodge, which was recommended by Lonely Planet, but it was full. Then we walked across the street to another place which was slightly nicer looking. I asked if they had any rooms available, and they said they did. Andrew then noticed the price board behind the desk and noticed that they started at 1200 Rs a night and so we started walking out. But then the man shouted and asked us how much we wanted to pay. I said 400 rs, he laughed and said not possible, so we kept walking. Then he laughed again and shouted again, Okay, Okay 400 Rs. So we got a really nice room for 400 Rs! It had a nice big TV, hot (bucket) showers, and really clean sheets. Andrew was tired so he took a nap, bt I went out to walk around. Little did I know that I would stumble upon MG Marg, I was so impressed! It was a cobble stone street blocked off from traffic, lined with gardens, streetlamps, and fountains! I walked around and was taken aback by how clean and friendly everybody was. I could have been in Tahoe. There were families wrapped up in scarves and crystal clear sky, and trashcans! I went into a place called Baker's Café, which had Chicken Burgers which came with chips, it might have just been that I was hungry but it tasted so good! Only 55 Rs (1$). I then walked some more, the sun was hot and every once in awhile the buildings would break and I could see the clouds farther below on the mountain. It felt like I was walking around in heaven. I was really enjoying myself so I went back to get Andrew from the hotel. We went out and had dinner, Andrew was also really impressed. We found a nice restaurant that was across the street from a cinema with a large square infront of it. It was currently being used as a makeshift shrine and music center for the puja season. The waiter in the restaurant was really friendly and laughed when I couldn't even finish my chilli beef because there was so much food (a rarity in India). We walked around some more and got some softys and came back to the hotel to watch some HBO. Tuesday October 7 Day #108 In the morning we woke up lazily, watched some TV and went out for a walk along the ridge. We stumbled upon a flower show which according to lonely planet is famous for orchids and in the spring has an orchid show. I paid the 10 Rs entrance fee and walked around the small flower show, it was kind of like being at the county fair. We treated ourselves at dinner at the Tangerine Restaurant. It was really nicely flavored, that obviously had some care while being cooked. We had a chicken dish and some garlic naan (250 Rs/9$). The restaurant was candle lit and had cloth napkins, very classy. Andrew said it weirded him out. Wednesday October 8 Day #109 Again we were lazy and walked around. There wasn't much to do in Gangtok, just lots of walked up hills with gardens and water fountains and great mountain views, and that was okay with us. We decided to leave the next day to go to some smaller towns around Sikkim. We went to the taxi stand to see what time they left and found out that there were only two spots left! So we booked them ahead of time. I tried to take a hot shower, but it was cold, which was slightly disappointing. The puja at this time was in full swing and there were many women walking around with beautiful saris and suits on, it was a lot of fun to just go down to MG Marg and people watch and eat softies. All of the shops were decked out in lights and it felt oddly like Christmas, which made us both a bit homesick and glad that we'll be back for Christmas in December.
We got up at 6 am and grabbed some pastries and headed down to the Chowk Bazaar taxi stand. We signed up for the 7:30 am share taxi out to Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim (125 Rs). Share taxis are something that we would soon get used to. There are taxi stands dotted around all of West Bengal and Sikkim. They usually are two guys sitting behind a table with a bunch of slips of paper. You go up to them and tell them where you want to go, then they say how much and what time, you pay, and then wait. The share jeep is a large jeep where they basically cram as many people as they can into the jeep, three people in the front seat, four in the middle, and four in the back. On our way to Gangtok it was mostly just three of us in the back seat, so that was nice. But along the way people jump in and out, but it wasn't too bad. At the border we jumped out and got a permit no problem. Probably the first bureaucratic thing in India that took less than 10 minutes. We just had to sign and get a stamp on our passport that lasts for 15 days. By about noon we arrived in Gangtok. We went to the Travel Lodge, which was recommended by Lonely Planet, but it was full. Then we walked across the street to another place which was slightly nicer looking. I asked if they had any rooms available, and they said they did. Andrew then noticed the price board behind the desk and noticed that they started at 1200 Rs a night and so we started walking out. But then the man shouted and asked us how much we wanted to pay. I said 400 rs, he laughed and said not possible, so we kept walking. Then he laughed again and shouted again, Okay, Okay 400 Rs. So we got a really nice room for 400 Rs! It had a nice big TV, hot (bucket) showers, and really clean sheets. Andrew was tired so he took a nap, bt I went out to walk around. Little did I know that I would stumble upon MG Marg, I was so impressed! It was a cobble stone street blocked off from traffic, lined with gardens, streetlamps, and fountains! I walked around and was taken aback by how clean and friendly everybody was. I could have been in Tahoe. There were families wrapped up in scarves and crystal clear sky, and trashcans! I went into a place called Baker's Café, which had Chicken Burgers which came with chips, it might have just been that I was hungry but it tasted so good! Only 55 Rs (1$). I then walked some more, the sun was hot and every once in awhile the buildings would break and I could see the clouds farther below on the mountain. It felt like I was walking around in heaven. I was really enjoying myself so I went back to get Andrew from the hotel. We went out and had dinner, Andrew was also really impressed. We found a nice restaurant that was across the street from a cinema with a large square infront of it. It was currently being used as a makeshift shrine and music center for the puja season. The waiter in the restaurant was really friendly and laughed when I couldn't even finish my chilli beef because there was so much food (a rarity in India). We walked around some more and got some softys and came back to the hotel to watch some HBO. Tuesday October 7 Day #108 In the morning we woke up lazily, watched some TV and went out for a walk along the ridge. We stumbled upon a flower show which according to lonely planet is famous for orchids and in the spring has an orchid show. I paid the 10 Rs entrance fee and walked around the small flower show, it was kind of like being at the county fair. We treated ourselves at dinner at the Tangerine Restaurant. It was really nicely flavored, that obviously had some care while being cooked. We had a chicken dish and some garlic naan (250 Rs/9$). The restaurant was candle lit and had cloth napkins, very classy. Andrew said it weirded him out. Wednesday October 8 Day #109 Again we were lazy and walked around. There wasn't much to do in Gangtok, just lots of walked up hills with gardens and water fountains and great mountain views, and that was okay with us. We decided to leave the next day to go to some smaller towns around Sikkim. We went to the taxi stand to see what time they left and found out that there were only two spots left! So we booked them ahead of time. I tried to take a hot shower, but it was cold, which was slightly disappointing. The puja at this time was in full swing and there were many women walking around with beautiful saris and suits on, it was a lot of fun to just go down to MG Marg and people watch and eat softies. All of the shops were decked out in lights and it felt oddly like Christmas, which made us both a bit homesick and glad that we'll be back for Christmas in December.
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