Hello from North India! I’m in the NE state of Sikkim, bordered by Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. It’s as NE as you get before the actual Northeast states, which are attached to the bulk of India by just a thin panhandle. Sikkim is wonderful; it consists entirely of Himalayan foothills and, thus, a maze of winding switchback roads, hills and valleys, aquamarine rivers, and lush vegetation including an incredible variety of trees, bamboo, ferns and an abundance of beautifully colored flowers (it’s the rhododendron and orchid capital of the world). It that weren’t enough, the Sikkimese people are the kindest I’ve encountered so far, their culture an interesting blend of Indian, Tibetan and Nepali traditions, with a notable Buddhist influence. Prayer flags adorn houses and buildings and decorate roadsides throughout the state.

I’ve been so fortunate to have met a host of wonderful people since I arrived in Sikkim – locals and fellow travelers alike. I haven’t had internet access in a while, so I’ve posted lots of pictures (below) and will offer as brief a summary of my adventures as possible.

Today I took a trip to Lake Tsomgo, an alpine lake at 12,400 ft, about 35k from Gangtok. I was lucky to join a motley group of fellow travelers (all women) from Taiwan, Catalonia, and England. We drove up and spent a few hours walking around the lake. Alex (the Brit) and I opted to travel by yak, which was great. Yaks are quite comfy. It was neat talking to Wendy and Judy about Taiwan and the Catalan girls about Catalonia. Alex also gave me some great tips for SE Asia as she spent several months there (she’s been traveling since February!). Tonight we’ll all meet up for dinner. The community of travelers here is really neat. As soon as I disembarked upon arriving in Gangtok, I was greated by a familiar face who said, “Aren’t you the American who was traveling with the Kiwis?” which, in fact, I was. He (another Brit) offered some advice and pointed me to the area with the budget hotels.

I’ll stay in Gangtok another day before heading to Namchi to stay with the Dungmalis again (see three posts down) and then continuing to Darjeeling for several days, then on to Calcutta where I’ll get my flight to Bangkok!

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