Day 118, Tashiding [Saturday 29th March 2008]
Previous day: Day 117, Yuksom [Friday 28th March 2008]
Next day: Day 119, Tashiding [Sunday 30th March 2008]
Over breakfast of aloo paratha (potato filled breads, the best trekking breakfast you'll get in India. You can even wrap them up and take them with you for lunch) and masala tea the Indian owner of the restaurant advises us to trek to Tashiding via two monasteries, Dubdi and Hongri, high above Yuksom. It's a 7 hour trek, longer than we had planned, but it's a lovely sunny day so we go for it.
It's a step 45 minute walk uphill to Dubdi, the oldest monastery in Sikkim, built around 1701. A monk is inside chanting and making offerings, while a small child wanders around hitting things with an alarmingly large knife. Inside the gloom of the monastery are statues of Padmasambhava, and the three founding llamas of Sikkim. One of them is holding a human thigh-bone trumpet and a human skull bowl. There is a bowl of uncooked rice with money pushed into it. We gingerly follow the knife-wielding child up the stairs, his weapon clunking noisily against each wooden step, and find a large statue of Gautham Buddha.
Outside a friendly bloke makes us salty Tibetan tea, chats about his time as a guide in Assam, and points us on the way towards Hongri. It's a beautiful walk through farms and villages to Hongri gompa, situated hig on a windy hill. Everyone says hello and asks where we're going. Tiny kids shout long-distance 'namaste's from hilltops miles away, giggling and waving. At Hongri three laughing children emerge from a small hut. Who knows what they were doing?! They go and fetch someone to unlock the gompa for us. Inside it's bare and simple, in contrast to the elaborately decorated and muralled ones we've seen.
We eat our lunch - samosas - on the windy hillside, then carry on to Tashiding. It's another fine walk, mostly downhill, past yak herders, old Nepali men in suits and caps, pretty Nepali children staring mutely. We pass another gompa, Silnon, manned by a solitary young boy. Then we get to Tashiding, a tiny village with one main street and a monastery high on a hill behind it. They have a festival called Bumchu here.
We get a hotel (Rs. 200) then a quick snack of tea and samosas, and set off up the steep 2.5km climb to the monastery. We're racing against the light, and finally arrive at twilight. It's a peaceful place, with several buildings dotted amonst lawns, including one that's specially built to contain the 10ft high prayer wheel inside.
Behind the monasteries are several dozen chortens of varying sizes, including a bright, shiny gold one. The view reminds me somewhat of the trullo filled town of Alberobello in Puglia, southern Italy, with its crowded, alien geometry. I spin the prayer wheel before we leave, pushing with all my body weight to get it going. At this point all the lights in the area go off - on the hill, in the town below and in the hills and valleys surrounding us for miles. What have I done?! Everything is pitch black, and the quietness and silhouetted chortens all around are considerably spooky. We begin carefully walking down the rocky path back to the town. About halfway down all the lights in the landscape suddenly come back on. It's like turning on the Christmas tree lights! Tiny dots of light sprinkle the hillsides.
For dinner the owner of the hotel cooks us a delicous, simple Sikkimese meal - rice, dal, sabzi and a yummy chutney made with green chillies, mint and cottage cheese. We have a couple of Hit beers too, then hit the sack.
Next day: Day 119, Tashiding [Sunday 30th March 2008]
Previous day: Day 117, Yuksom [Friday 28th March 2008]