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Today we took a ropeway to Deorali—a suburb of Gangtok. I had previously been to Deorali to visit the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology but then we drove there. In my opinion, the ropeway is definitely the best mode of transportation in Gangtok. It runs from Tashiling Offices in Gangtok to Chorten, Deorali. The ride is fast, there is no pollution, and the views are breathtaking. The customers are mostly tourists with kids, and to accommodate their need to take photos and videos the cable cars actually pause for a couple of minutes in the middle of the ride—up and down swinging adding to the passengers' excitement. Given the ever increasing number of cars in the area, it seems that it would make sense for the city government to promote the ropeway among the locals as a viable alternative to driving rather than to use it only as a toy for tourists. However, this is currently not the case.
In Deorali we wanted to find a certain well-known Nepali restaurant but it seemed to have gone out of business, so Wanchuk asked around, and a police officer suggested Beshal Bar & Restaurant as a good alternative. She was kind enough to show us a way. And indeed, Beshal did not disappoint: it was full of local people (which is always a good sign); the food was excellent; and service, attentive.
We walked up back to Gangtok along the National Highway 31A (31ANHway), and that was certainly not a good idea: climbing up after a plentiful lunch was hard, and the pollution from the incessant traffic on the highway did not help either. There was some livestock grazing along the highway: I wondered if people, both the owners and consumers, were concerned about the level of led and other contaminants that milk and meat of those animals would contain.
Before I left for Sikkim my friend Natasha had asked me to buy a sari for her. Not an easy task for someone who does not care much about shopping nor knows a first thing about saris. Fortunately, Wanchuk's sister Chiphel came to the rescue: graciously, she agreed to help me. I had done my home work though: in my previous visits to Lal Bazaar I had written down the IDs of many sari shops at the multistoried shopping center (each shop there is identified by a number). When we came up from Deorali we met with Chiphel and went shopping. She was the one who did all the negotiating, and for that I am eternally grateful. The final price was more than reasonable. Chiphel also helped me buy small souvenirs for my coworkers. Later, she even sewed a skirt for my friend out of the sari material we bought! At times I am just overwhelmed by my hosts's hospitality and their willingness to go the proverbial extra mile. When Natasha received the sari fabrics and accessories she was very happy with our choice.
It's been a week since the Phodong lamas came to Martam House. They will return to their monastery tomorrow. Meanwhile, Rumtek lamas have arrived, made new tormas, and set up the altar for tomorrow's service.
Check out Wanchuk's blog entry for the same day.
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