Gangtok – Dogs are barking in the night

21. – 25. April 2025

 

 

On Sunday, my accommodation provider had organised a porter for my luggage. It wasn’t actually that difficult, but there were two other advantages: the woman knew the best shortcut and also organised a good seat for me in a shared taxi. You have to walk a lot in Darjeeling anyway, not only to avoid clogging up the streets but also because the hillside location means there are lots of steep alleyways and steps that no car can negotiate.

 

I ended up sitting between a nurse in training and her uncle. She spoke good English, was from Darjeeling but did her training in Gangtok. And just had short holidays at home. She lives in a hostel there, which is quite good – except for the food. The training is also good, but uff, really hard. After 2 years she can remember it better with all the physical connections etc. At the moment she is often on the psychiatric ward. It’s quite difficult with the people, who are sometimes aggressive. They always work with security guards.

 

Sikkim really does have an alcohol problem. I’ve been told that several times now. The brother of one person got severe depression after a long alcohol addiction and then rehab and then commited suicide. Fortunately, I don’t personally know anyone who drinks too much.

 

The road used to be miserably winding and somewhat strenuous – and it still is today. I’m always happy to see toilet signs like the one above. I had a short one, but the cashier didn’t check it.

 

It’s been 9 years since I was in Sikkim. I saw Gopal in between, but not his daughters. And when a young woman rushed towards me beaming at the end, I actually didn’t know which one it was. Niti, the older one, is on holiday and wants to study psychology afterwards.

 

 

We drove to the pedestrian zone to eat something there and I was amazed. Gangtok had also changed – there were more and fancier shops and malls. Also, unlike Darjeeling, it was really much cleaner and had a nicer atmosphere.

 

Gopal has a huge family – and if you add his wife Gauri’s, there are an insane number of people, which I also get mixed up easily. Lots of young people. And we visited some of them in the evening. There was a big meal, a funny relative in what I thought were flowered pyjamas was tirelessly bringing in treats. As the family members don’t see each other that often, there was an awful lot to talk about and look forward to.

 

 

My big problem: I was so full, tired and ‘through’! I would have loved to lie down in the corner and close my eyes. But I couldn’t. So I persevered. And when it was finally time to say goodbye, even that took such a miserably long time with so many people. And then we had to drive a long way and climb up a hill. Gopal’s parents live there and as no one else is available to stay with them, Gopal and Gauri do it. And they have to drive a long way up the mountain every evening – and back down again in the morning for work.

 

I sank into bed and couldn’t sleep well because of the barking dogs just round the corner. In the morning, I felt a bit sick in the stomach and after we had to take a miserable diversions (the days are reserved for cars with even or odd number plates on alternating stretches of road), my body went on strike. During a hotel tour I vomited. We then went to the office and there I was able to lie down, but started to freeze because I was starting to get a fever. What a misery! Going back seemed impossible and we rented me a room in a nicer hotel. I sank onto a soft mattress with a clean blanket, shivered, slept, sweated, slept – and cancelled further travel plans. The next day I stayed in that very bed and enjoyed myself a little.

 

The family was worried. They wanted to look after me so much! But the worrying was really too much for me and I just wanted to lie alone in clean sheets and have a loo round the corner. It was difficult for Gopal’s family, they wanted me to recover immediately – even with the help of a doctor. I found my body strike rather ‘normal’ and wanted to give it time to heal on its own. So it was still slightly stressful, but I’m glad that I got my way with the hotel.

 

The rest is quickly summarised: after 2 nights I had to change hotels, but this was even nicer than the first one. And I felt better and better, only my appetite didn’t come back. I was able to go out again on day 3 – but I was very happy not to be dependent on Gopal as to when I could go back to my room.

 

 

 

Dudhil, another relative, aged 22, a keen moped rider and zoology student, who had his day off from lectures, helped with the transfer. Together with him, I also felt strong enough to pay a visit to the glamorous West Mall and Starbucks. You don’t feel like you’re in Sikkim anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It usually rained sometime in the afternoon. And one late evening/night it rained so heavily that a tree fell on the cables and something else – in any case, electricity and communication were lost. You couldn’t even call each other to find each other! It was fixed again in the evening.

 

Another great thing about Sikkim is the abundance of flowers! Fantastic flowers everywhere!

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, I hardly took any photos. It seemed to me that this was just a little half-accidental stopover so that we could somehow see each other again. In any case, Gopal is always a pleasure to see. He is stubborn and full of fun.

 

 

I’ve known him for 12 years now and he’s been to Germany twice. I actually really like his family life, but this time I was overwhelmed. We decided that my next visit would be with time and leisure!

 

 

Sikkim also has some new features that would be worth experiencing in more detail.

 

I’ll finish the blog here (apart from the obligatory afterthoughts) by saying that I drove to the airport on the 25th, flew to Delhi, stayed in an airport hotel and then flew home.

 

There’s just one more comment: the taxi driver was in a bit of a storytelling mood and I had also met a lot of young people, not just this time – and what really surprises me: Love and relationships don’t seem to play a role for them. Getting to where you want to be professionally, cultivating interests, family and friendships, that’s it. Even if they certainly don’t tell me everything, it’s interesting in contrast to my early 20s and before and what I know from Germany. I’ll have to find out more about that!

 

What I somehow forgot to mention here (e.g. the terrorist attack in Pahalgam) – it will all be included in the afterthoughts. I’m still a bit exhausted!