Tomorrow we head south to Puri to find a beach for New Years! More stories to come...
Enjoy!
From Kolkata we went way north to the state of Sikkim...capital is Gangtok. Walking distance from Gangtok we found a Zoological park where this Snow Leopard was living. Its basically a zoo with large enclosures instead of small cages. I still have qualms about it, but it was quite exciting to be nose to nose with a snow leopard!
In Gangtok we stayed with a Nepalese woman who spoiled us endlessly! Here she served us a traditional Sikkimese drink called 'tongba'. it's made with fermented millet that you pour hot water over and keep refilling until the flavour is gone. It's a drink that keeps on giving! Tastes quite a bit like Sake. Fun to have it served in a large wooden 'mug' with bamboo straws!
From Gangtok we took a day trip to Tsongu Lake. It's 2 hours of wise roads, weaving up and down the Himalayas. Wise roads? Roadside signs in the area spout such wisdom as, "If you drive like hell you will get there" ..."Life is short, don't make it shorter"..."If married, divorce speed"..."BRO can build highways anywhere but the sky (BRO=Border Route Organization)".."Ever wonder who defies death to build your roads. BRO, roads for the nation". TO go with the signs, taxis and 'goods carriers' have mudflaps with such as, "Horn Please"..."Just Wait"..."Good Luck", and on the windshield of one my favorite, "So far so good".
Dylan, conqueror of all he surveys...those are his dreaming words...
This is beside Tsongu Lake...unfortunately I have neglected to post a photo of the lake itself, and now I'm out of time ...so imagine a glacier lake in the rockies with yaks, momos (veggie dumplings), and stalls selling everything with tea all along one side of the lake.
Chowk Market in Kolkata
The view from our 'home' in Kolkata
Out of order! Now we're back up north in 'the hills'. We were in Darjeeling before Gangtok (above) where this photo was taken. As of March 2007 there are no more plastic bags used in the city. The state just north, Sikkim, was the first state in India to ban plastic...as of the late 90s. Catch up Canada!
From Tiger Hill in Darjeeling, we watched the sunrise, slowly illuminating the Himalayan valleys, coloured with Tibetan prayer flags....
...and then highlighting the peaks of Kanchendzonga, the third highest peak in the world. from this view point we could see the tiny tip of Mt. Everest out of the picture to the left. In the foreground is Darjeeling, clinging to the hillside.
Prayer Flags So colourful! Catching the windiest spots, they constantly send off prayers.
There's a little photo journey as an appetizer. The meal is coming sooooon
Happy new year everyone! I hope friends, silence, laughter, and reflection find you in the next few days and start a new year just like it needs to start.
Much much love
lauren
3 comments:
Lauren! Your photos are amazing. I've always had this love/hate relationship with Tibet and Nepal but now I know, I need to go there. Here's some Tibetan in case you need it: Tashi delek = hello, nyeh mingla Lauren reh = my name is Lauren, pö la yak du = there are yaks in Tibet.
Have fun and stay safe!
Keely
Whoops sorry... I meant I've always had a love/fear relationship. No hate there at all.
Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!
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