Sikkim

Shelley and Anne’s father, John, arrived in Kolkata a couple days after we did and joined us on the rest of our India adventures.  Next stop, Sikkim.

Sikkim is a small Indian state in the Himalayas, bordering on Nepal and Tibet.  Getting there is a bit rough, but the remoteness and serenity of the place made for a pleasant visit.  Many people choose Sikkim as a trekking destination, the attraction being the beautiful Himalaya Mountains.  We kept the trekking to a minimum – you’d really need to be prepared to do some back country trekking here.  But, we did do a fair amount of hiking along the roads and had one interesting off the beaten path hike.

Kangchenjunga, the world’s third tallest peak, is situated on Sikkim’s border with Nepal, and when the clouds aren’t rolling in it’s prominently displayed.  A small painting in our hotel gave us the lay of the land.

As we updated our passports with the border patrol upon leaving Sikkim, I noticed that the the border patrol was keeping monthly, hand-written statistics on who visits the area and snapped a quick picture.  It was interesting to see which countries were represented.  It certainly put into perspective where we were.  A quick average says only about 4,000 tourists visit this place every year – that’s probably being generous.