True treasures of Sikkim

Just got back from spending a week at the beautiful state of Sikkim. As soon as I woke up, a morning chant that I heard everyday in the car while we traveled started ringing in my head and that is when I knew I miss something about Sikkim, after little more introspection I knew it was not just the chant alone that I was missing, it was the person who played this music :) Yes! Few people you meet silently make a huge impact on you, Sherpa is one of those people for me. This whole trip would not have been the same without Sherpa. As he drove us through the mesmerising beauty of Sikkim, we just felt he is one of our own.  He did not speak much, but his kindness spoke louder. In this selfish ruthless world , he is a gentle reminder that humanity exists . You will always be missed Sherpa because you are one of the treasures of Sikkim I found and this picture with you will be the one I cherish the most from the entire trip and the 'Saili' song you introduced will be in my favourite list forever.

Talking about of these tunes that are stuck in my head , I mentioned both already . The chant - "Om Ah Hum" and the Nepali song "Saili". I am not really a religious person, but why is this chant "Om Ah Hum" stuck in my head ? I honestly feel it has some aura cleansing sounds :) That is why ! sometimes we don't really have answers for few things isn't it ? When it comes to the song "Saili" , I have played this song so many times and  bugged my co-travellers (now FRIENDS) so much that by the end of this trip people actually started calling me "Saili", and heyyyyy , I am not tired of this song yet. Though I don't understand a word in it, Artist has done a real good job with this melody :)

People who know me definitely know that I am a foodie. But surprisingly on the mountains my appetite was all weird, I could not really enjoy eating anything. Wait ! there is something that still stands out , its hot bowl of Maggie and a plate of steaming hot momos accompanied by a cup of tea :) You can not really find fine dining restaurants on these mountains. When you are freezing to death , all you can find is this maggie or momos. On a normal day I am not a fan of both these dishes but oh! the warmth and comfort they gave on these chilly windy roads :) maybe it also had to do with people who happily cook these things for you and serve it with widest smile that warms your soul. How can be people so warm and content ? Personally I feel life can get so hard at these hilly regions but that kind/content smile you get from these people , tells a different story and you will leave the eatery smiling yourself !

What can I say about the people who I traveled with ? The day it started we were all strangers and by the time it was over couple of them claimed a permanent space in my heart. I know you all will agree if I say travel companions who you travel with are such a major part of how you feel about the travel and I definitely got lucky !

You must be wondering I am talking about everything else except how gorgeous Sikkim is. There is a reason for that , I have no words to describe the natural beauty of this place. Look anywhere your eyes will catch something pleasing. The terrain changes every 3-4 kms and brings out its own color palettes , textures and uniqueness . To put it in simple words, it was like Norway, Switzerland , Scotland etc clubbed together and I am not even  exaggerating ! Not posting any pictures of what I have witnessed because trust me when I say no picture will do any justice to what my eyes could behold. So put Sikkim in your bucket list, it is simply worth it :)

By now you might be thinking this is not really a travel blog ! You are only half-right with that :) Because for me travel is not just the places I see, its the roads I travel, people I travel with, songs that will take me back down the memory lane to this travel, food that gave me immense comfort when I was away from home, random smiles I got from the strangers that filled my heart and with Sikkim I am 100% sure I got the full package ! Still I am lost somewhere in the mountains of Sikkim and  hungover with all the memories playing like a slideshow in my head :)