Early winter, touring Sikkim was on the cards with the adventure
side shining. Sikkim as of now does not have an airport or a railway station.
The only way to get there is by road or heli (this is just what I heard. Not
sure on the helicopter services). We choose to reach by road from the near by
railway station New Jalpaiguri. This is the place where the Himalayan railways
run their narrow gauge too.
A pleasant morning at New Jalpaiguri railway station, we
were rushing with excitement to reach Gangtok. Lets go go go ….. was the motto when
the friendly taxis at the station greeted us with a No .. No .. No J Well it was the start
day of the friction between West Bengal and Sikkim for the vehicle permits. A
little knowledge, West Bengal allows Sikkim taxis to run around but Sikkim does
not allow the ply of West Bengal vehicles and hence West Bengal was on a strike
for getting permits to Sikkim. With no clue on the friction as we arrived it
was not pleasing to hear a "No way to go to Sikkim". Some of the tour operators
suggested we alter our trip to visit Darjeling instead. We headed to Siliguri, a
small place away from New Jalpaiguri to try our luck. Fainted luck with cab, we
were in a snail paced long long queue at the at the bus station. Quite a few
tourists like us were there who just wanted to get a way to go to Sikkim. The long
wait paid off as we managed to get the tickets in the last row of the bus. The route
was mostly uphill in the dense forests. Finally we reached Gangtok! A sense of achievement
for the start of the trip. A warmup to make a good memory!
Gangtok to me seems to be thriving on a mountain. Roads with
heavy inclinations and basic living is the Gangtok signature. There are several
narrow, sometimes shabby public staircases between 2 roads at different altitudes. This is
the pattern all over this place. There is a lot of exercise for people
there. We were in a hotel close to the main market but at a different altitude.
Not easy on the calf muscles. We went to MG Marg the reputed market place to be
astonished at the organized world class look. A broad tiled road with
plantation divider and seating benches. Shops lined up on both sides. It is a
very cool hangout place as there are no vehicles here. 
Sikkim is not low on charm. A state of art to line the sides of the roads with trees, trees from the below deco up the roads above. Kudos Sikkim!
