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I woke up feeling refreshed. There was a faint buzz coming from somewhere outside. When I opened the curtains and stepped out to the balcony I saw a street market just beneath our windows.
Today, on the way back to Gangtok, we plan to visit Temi tea estate. Since a cup of fine tea is one of those few things life is worth living for, I am really looking forward to visiting this famous tea garden. We left Kewzing, and shortly after passing Ravangla saw a Tibetan refugee settlement.
What I found disturbing was barbwire surrounding the houses. Wanchuk said, however, that it was common practice here and elsewhere in Sikkim to use it as a fencing material, and that the Indian government provided not only land and housing for the refugees but also the barbwire to fence off the houses. If the settlers were not happy with the barbwire nobody would prevent them from buying a different kind of fence on their own and installing it.
It is a fascinating twist of history that 500 years after a large group of Tibetans fled their native land in the 15th century and settled in Sikkim to form the Bhutia ethnic group here (“Bhot” is a Sanskrit term for Tibetans), a new influx of Tibetan refugees has been taking place since the Chinese takeover of Tibet in 1959. While Bhutia (Sikkimese) language, though using Tibetan script, has developed into a distinct tongue, the language of religious service remains Tibetan. Many lamas in Sikkim monasteries are refugees from Tibet.
Wanchuk wanted to stop by Rayong Gaddi—a place where his maternal grandfather lived, and where Wanchuk's mother was born. Rayong Gaddi is but a smattering of houses on the side of the road. Pem-la, Wanchuk's mother says that when she was growing up tigers and bears were roaming the surrounding jungle.
Soon after leaving Rayong Gaddy we reached Tendon and saw a sign for the State Biodiversity Park. We stopped there to check it out. The small park, even though not quite finished yet, is pleasant and picturesque.
Temi tea estate is the only tea garden in Sikkim. Fully organic now, it produces some of the finest teas in the world. Even though the original tea bushes came from Darjeeling, a different climate and a different way of cultivation resulted in Temi tea having a very distinct taste. Temi tea has a delicate but rich flavor, complex bouquet, and beautiful reddish-amber color when brewed.
Sonam-la, Wanchuk's father, worked for 17 years as a manager of Temi tea garden. He is a treasure trove of knowledge when it comes to all things tea, and we spent many an evening having endless conversations about all aspects of tea production process. Wanchuk spent his childhood years at the estate.
Wanchuk's childhood house |
Fortunately for us, people who remembered him as a kid were still working at the tea factory. They let us in, and we were given a tour of the factory. Aside from being interested in the tea manufacturing process, I found the machinery truly fascinating: when I lived in Russia I got my college degree in mechanical engineering; seeing all the toothed-wheel and worm-wheel gear, differentials, motors, and transmission belts brought back memories of term projects where we had to design such mechanisms. Walking through the rooms full of this equipment I felt transported back to the Soviet times—the feeling akin to that I experienced just over a month ago at The Indian Museum in Kolkata, only this time it was like being in the 1970s–1980s.
Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe 1—highest quality tea (also stands for Far Too Good For Ordinary People :) |
Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe 1, Clonal variety |
Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe 1 |
Tippy Golden Broken-leaf Orange Pekoe |
Golden Orange Fannings |
What you brew when you use tea bags |
On the way to Gangtok we visited maternal grandparents of Wanchuk's cousin Karma Bhempu.
Check out Wanchuk's blog entry for the same day.
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