To make the best of our stay in Kolkatta by exploring nearby places, we zeroed in on Gangtok as the ideal destination to beat the summer heat. After an overnight train journey from Howrah to New jalpaiguri we hired a cab to Gangtok. It was a four hour upward drive parallel to the snaking Teesta River which originates from at altitude of 17500 and finally merges into the Brahmaputra River. On our way we stopped to have a steaming plate of Momos (a wheat-flour dumpling stuffed with vegetables or meat) and green sauce for breakfast.

We checked into a cozy wooden furnished room and after a refreshing hot water shower proceeded to explore the Himalayan town.

Our first stop was at the Rumtek Monastery. The Monastery consists of the main shrine-temple, a retreat centre, a monastic college (Shedra), a nuns’ hostel, some stupas, a protector’s shrine, and some other establishments for the community. I was awed by the vibrant basic colors of the walls, festoons, and chandeliers in the monastery. The colors inspire soothing warmth and a serenity that only monasteries in the mountains can induce.

We let out a big release of our shopping impulse at the Handloom and Handicrafts Centre of Sikkim. The place is managed by the government and has an awesome variety of shawls, bags, caps, walls decorations and curios. What struck me again were the brilliant colors of the fabric. The choice of bright colors by the Sikkim people accentuated the beautiful colorlessness of the snow capped mountains which surrounded them.

We made our way to the Ban Jhakri Falls Energy Park, spread over two acres and situated amidst lush green forests. The park has been landscaped so as to retain the contours of its terrain. The place has many ethnic sculptures and figurines of the jhakri tribe. There are walkways that allow you to approach the foot of the waterfall and we cupped our palms and hand mouthfuls of the cold water in it’s most pristine form.

The next day we started early for the Changu Lake also known as the Frozen lake because the waters freeze in the winter months. It’s at an altitude of 12400 feet and is considered sacred by the local Buddhist and Hindu population. We had visited in April so half the lake was frozen.

It’s a surreal scene with the pristine white surroundings and the reflection of the magical sky and the fir trees falling on the unfrozen part of the lake. We played and hurled snow balls on each other, slid on the snowy slopes and attempted to make snow-man. Watching the breath-taking beauty of the surroundings, you feel you are in heaven and a sense of serenity overpowers you.

There are yak rides offered by local people and though the yaks look menacing, I made bold to perch on one of them. My yak was named ‘Chetak’ and he was only 6 months old in age and 2 days old in business. Though the latter bit of information was unnerving, I heaved a sigh of relief when I climbed down after a ride in one piece.

The Flower exhibition center was the next stop which houses a variety of flowers ranging from multi-colored orchids, seasonal flowers as well as bonsai. It’s truly a feast for the eyes with thousands of bright flowers creating a color riot.

It was time for us to leave and the very prospect of going back to the hustle and bustle of the city after the refreshing break was awful. But we had loads of pictures, and vivid memories of the town which we’ll surely visit again.