Sikkim

Oct. 18 - 25

We traveled north from Darjeeling to the state of Sikkim – the mecca for high altitude hiking in the Himalayas. We were quite impressed with our trek out of Darjeeling, so we didn't feel the need to pay the high permit prices to go on another serious trek in Sikkim. We also were not geared up to trek above 12,000 feet, so we decided lower hikes would be just fine. We spent one day in Gangtok, the capitol of the state, then headed out on another long and bumpy jeep ride to soak up some of the tranquil beauty of Sikkim: small villages, Tibetan monasteries, amazingly friendly people, and a landscape that varied from dense forests to jungle bamboo groves to rice paddies to raging rivers. We befriended an enthusiastic Russian woman named Julia; the three of us went on a great three day trek. Sometimes our trail led us right through someone's chicken pen or vegetable garden. At times we were lost, but saying the name of the village we were looking for would get us pointed in the right direction.
http://picasaweb.google.com/MarkSNewell/SikkimAmdSiliguri#