India 2 – A walk round Darjeeling…

Waking up to a view of Kangchenjunga, the allure was just there. What was north of the clouds, a land of mystique and intrigue. I consulted my map, and the Sikkim border was only a 15 miles or so away. An easy distance to walk, and somewhere I have always wanted to go. To mystical Sikkim, to the land of Shangri La. Come on, this is me, ‘El Director’, if there is one tenant of my personality that is predictable, it is my sense of curiosity and wanting to see what is beyond that next ridge. So after a hearty plate of momo’s (top picture in that link), I set off towards the Rangeet River, the water course that was the border between the states of West Bengal and Sikkim.

On I walked, downhill towards the valley floor, past tea estate after tea estate and through villages not often seen by foreigners in this much detail. While there are many travelers from beyond India’s borders, few of them avail of the opportunity to see what lies beyond the air-conditioned jeep that takes them from tourist honeypot to sight seeing opportunity. And while Badamtam or Lebong may not feature high on a visitor’s ‘to-do’ list, they are remarkably peaceful places in the foothills of the Himalaya.

This was Gorkhaland that I was walking through. If you are looking for a new Indian state, this will probably be the place to look out for. The government of West Bengal is fighting tooth and nail to hold onto its hilly areas, but the local people are firmly up for their own separae state. And it is a land of the Gorkhas, with symbols of the Nepali community everywhere and with hints of the lands further to the north, the Tibetan plateau is everywhere to see. As you walk through row after row of tea bushes, prayer flags flutter in the wind, villagers pray at shrines and temples and there is a sense of mystique in the air…

Onward I walked, continuing downhill, and all the time talking with locals. Just past Badamtam a group of children asked me where I was from. A range of ridiculous guesses (poland) and not so ridiculous guesses (Brazil) came forth until I told them the truth. There were a few surprises but after buying a bag of tomatoes I bid them farewell. You see, it is far more entertaining to walk than drive. You meet people, you feel the vibe in the air and you can nibble on some great local produce. The tomatoes were reviving as well as a great source of Vitamin C and a handy way to rehydrate myself on the walk. For you see I was descending further towards the River Rangeet. In the distance I could hear the water rumbling off the rapids. The tea estates had given way to tall forests as the climate became warmer. Yes, I had descended quite a bit towards the Sikkim/West Bengal border. Then I turned a corner and saw it, my destination. Just beyond the water, the fabled land of Sikkim…

(to be continued…)