Chapter 16_The Sikkim Souvenir

Chapter 16

The Sikkim Souvenir

“You guys had to ride all the way to Zero Point to see snow caps. Look, I have it here, right in front of me.” It was Mahesh. He was right. The mountains across our balcony were adorning their new white caps and they looked stunning. It was as if the universe had conspired for our Mahesham – poor chap had ridden all the way to Sikkim, but hadn’t explored the mountains much. “Good morning! Here’s for you, at your doorstep,” Mother Nature offered.

The snowcapped mountains that surprised Mahesh…

We soon got ready to leave for Gangtok. After our bikes were loaded, we had one last round of tea at Lachung, served by deedi. Two days back, when we sat there for the first time, I had asked for black tea. For the next ten or more rounds of tea we had there over the next few days, I was served black tea, without making a request. ‘Revirie Resort’ had been a great host for us. And therefore, I ensured that it was deedi who tied the prayer flag (bought from shop no. 41, Yumthang) onto Batman. It was our souvenir – the Sikkim souvenir.

‘Revirie Resort’ - our home in Lachung…

Before leaving Lachung, we bought a bottle of fuel for Khan’s bike. The jerry can reserves had made it to the tanks already. A liter of petrol cost INR 120. Of course, one wouldn’t bargain; the nearest petrol bunk was 50 kilometers down, in Mangan. The shopkeeper gave a discount of INR 20, for reasons unknown.

“Rendezvous” – our minds chanted, as we rode back to Gangtok, passing all those water crossings, bridges, falls and tunnels. We did not talk. We did not stop at any viewpoints. We just rode on. Our brains seemed to have gone numb – perhaps the thought that ‘the return ride has begun’ had started sinking in.

Adios Lachung!

At Chungthang check post, Khan enquired about any possibility for Gurudongmar. Nope, a bridge on the road to the lake had collapsed. And so did the last hopes of Gurudongmar. Two roads diverged in front of us – one to Lachen (and Gurudongmar) and the other to Gangtok. We took the latter, reassuring ourselves that the former was for another time.

All eight in a frame…

We stopped for breakfast at the same valley hotel we had dined during the onward journey – jumbo momos, tukpa and tea, yet again. A few kilometers from there, we missed the shortcut that we had taken while riding to Lachung. We soon reached a point which was on the Siliguri-Gangtok road. We now had to ride up to Gangtok, which was basically going around your head to reach your nose. I was very frustrated; unfortunately, I chose to vent my feelings on the throttle. I regret that decision, more for the fact that it was a disrespect to one of the most disciplined traffics in India.

At around 2 PM, we were back at ‘Capital O Chithrakoot’. Most of our belongings were chilling in a room in this hotel for the past few days. Thanks to OYO and Goibibo, we had turned the luxury room of a star hotel into a cloak room. We booked one more room and got some rest.

In the evening we went out to explore MG Marg, a market street in the center of Gangtok. We set out on two bikes. These bikes were given a royal bath on the way. Khan and Thorappan watched with gleaming eyes as the dirt and dust from the Himalayas washed down and their machines got back their colour.

MG Marg lies in the heart of Gangtok town. Vehicles are not allowed in this one kilometer long ‘marg’. The path is paved with granite tiles and there are illuminated shops on either sides. These ranged from hotels and pubs to gift shops selling souvenirs. There are benches in the middle for people to sit and relax. The place bustled with tourists and locals window shopping and taking leisure strolls. We went into an alley to try rolls from a pretty old and renowned shop. However, the place did not serve non-vegetarian rolls. There was another shop nearby, which did not boast of a rich heritage, but did serve non-veg rolls. There was just enough space for four people to stand inside that shop, though it was occupied by eight individuals munching delicious rolls.

As the sky darkened, the street lit up. There were lamp posts all along the street. The shops too glittered in decorative lights. It started drizzling and umbrellas popped up like mushrooms. We walked into shops to get ourselves a few tangible memories from Sikkim. These ranged from bottle openers to bamboo coasters. The prices of same items differed from shop to shop. For example: Mahesh bought a set of coasters for INR 200. A couple of shops ahead, it was sold at INR 150. Eventually I got it for INR 120 at a shop at the end of the street. Mahesham was utterly disappointed.

MG Marg…

Khan and Mahesham went from shop to shop looking for prayer beads of a specific color. The ones that pleased their minds cost a few hundreds and therefore they kept looking for better deals, shop after shop. After a point, Thorappan and I got really bored. At the end of the street, there was an alley going down and there were make-shift shops on both sides. Khan and Mahesham wanted to hunt in those shops as well. I decided that I wasn’t going to walk anymore. I knew Mahesham quite well. During our college days, I used to accompany him to shopping malls, where he would go to each and every clothing store, shortlist a few pieces from every place and go another round again to select one from the shortlisted candidates. My legs used to terribly ache those nights. Therefore, at the end of MG Marg, I just sat down and waited for him to hunt for his Sikkim souvenirs.

Down the alley…

While returning, we bought a few bottles of brewed grains to make the most of the last night in Sikkim. We had tukpa and a dish made from pork ribs for dinner. The chilly air and bottled stars gave us a good night’s sleep.

The initial hours of the next morning were very crucial for Mahesh and me. We had to book tatkal tickets for our return journey. We had two options: one – parcel the bikes and fly back home. This had a great deal of uncertainty, as we wouldn’t be able to predict when our bikes would reach us.  Two – travel by train and bring the bikes on the same train as luggage. Option two seemed more convenient, as it would allow us to pick up our bikes from the arrival station and ride home. Mahesh had to catch the Silchar-Trivandrum ‘Aronai Express’ from New Jalpaiguri and get down at Kochi, from where he had to ride (around 100 kilometers) home. I too could travel on the same train and get down at Chennai, from where I could ride to Pondy. However, we were worried whether there would be enough space for two bikes in the luggage coach. Since the train originated from a different station, it was possible that its luggage coach would be filled up when it reached Jalpaiguri. I had two other options of which the ‘New Jalpaiguri-Chennai Express’ was undoubtedly the best. Since the train originated from Jalpaiguri, there would be enough time for me to ensure that my bike was loaded on to the train and likewise for unloading it in Chennai.

At 9:30 AM we were all seated on plush sofas in the balcony of the hotel. It overlooked a range of mountains and the view was a very soothing one; except when you were booking tatkal. Mahesh couldn’t just sit anywhere; he walked up and down, like a father-to-be in front of the labour room. I decided to ride on my luck and booked a waitlisted (WL 6) second AC ticket, at around 9:45. This allowed all of us to try for Mahesh’s ticket. At 10, the IRCTC website froze on all our devices. By the time it came back to life, all AC tatkals on Aronai Express had been sold out. When tatkal closes its doors, you go to tatkal-ka-baap – premium tatkal. But as we all know, that guy is so dynamic! Second AC tickets were available at 7k INR (more than double the price of a normal second AC ticket), and poor Mahesh had no other option but to go for it.

There was no water in the hotel due to some problem with the plumbing. Most of us postponed our morning rituals. The room boys went around with buckets of water for other guests. We got ready to ride down to Siliguri. There were a few confusions during checkout, as our multiple bookings from various apps had messed up the calculations of the receptionist. It took us a while to settle it out.

It must have been 11:30 AM when we left Gangtok. Khan led the group, followed by Thorappan and me. Mahesham trailed behind – he had left Gangtok with a heavy heart and a light pocket.

Thorappan on cam…

We cruised down leisurely. All of a sudden, Khan was seen doing some acrobatics on the road. I couldn’t comprehend much. A car in front of him had taken a sudden sharp right into a petrol bunk and he almost rammed into it. Looks like ‘Lady Luck’ was riding pillion with Khan. She then shifted onto Thorappan’s bike. For, after a while, he along with his Duke was in the air for a few seconds after going over a brick lying on the road. The boys took a break to catch their breath after back-to-back scares.

We had lunch at the same place where we had stopped on our onward journey – the one that overlooked a two-storeyed house made of wood and bamboo. Having skipped breakfast, we were very hungry. One plate of momos which was ordered as a starter was followed by three more. Had there been more momos in the shop, the number would have been even higher. A plate each of spicy ‘Wai Wai’ noodles made it to the main course.

Post lunch, we descended at our own pace. Soon, Khan and Thorappan were pretty ahead of me. Mahesh was quite far behind as well. I switched to auto-pilot mode as my mind revisited our memorable moments in the mountains.

There was a slight traffic congestion on a bridge. Batman must have been in first or second gear then. A lorry in front of me braked suddenly and my nervous system responded immediately, but the messages sent out seemed to have got messed up. I was down on the road, Batman on top of me. The little blue water bottle that had been resting in my tank bag rolled away.

(to be continued…)