India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) - Keith Bain [612]
Near Rumtek
There are plenty of small guesthouses in the area, but the biggest and best would be Martam Village Resort (reviewed below) and the Bamboo Resort ( 03592/25-2516; www.sikkim.ch/bamboo-resort.html; Rs 4,200 double) set amid paddy fields. The rooms are small but clean; some come with balconies. Each has its own color scheme according to Feng Shui principles—frankly, the red and blue is a trifle overpowering. Another option is the Teen Talay Eco-Garden Resort ( 98-3201-4867; Rs 3,100 double)—more a homestay, it is run by an affable family who go out of their way to make guests feel comfortable, even throwing in tabla lessons for free. Sadly, the Shambhala Mountain Resort, located right next to the monastery, has become quite seedy and is to be avoided.
Martam Village Resort Although it covers barely an acre, this lovely resort (a bit of a misnomer) is an excellent place to stay for several reasons. Just half an hour from Rumtek, it is one of the few places where you get fantastic views, not of Kanchenjunga for once, but of the lower hills, their terraced fields of mustard, corn, and paddy creating a ripple effect: brown in winters and green and golden in the summers. Awakened by boisterous roosters, guests are taken for short or long walks through villages and forests full of giant bamboo and wild orchids by the enthusiastic Pema, who will point out the many varieties of natural herbs used for everything from toothaches and antiseptics to writing ink and paper. Facilities in the 14 thatched cottages are basic—rooms spartan, doddering heaters, bathrooms just okay, cuisine unimaginative—but the atmosphere all around more than makes up for these small inconveniences.
Gangkha, Martam, East Sikkim. 03592/20-3314. info@sikkim-martam-resort.com. 14 units (with showers). Rs 3,300 full-board double; Rs 2,500 single. Extra bed Rs 1,200. No credit cards. Amenities: Restaurant; bar; currency exchange. In room: Hot water, room heater, no phone.
Himalayan Brew
Chang, made from fermented millet, is the brew of choice in Sikkim. It’s usually served in a wooden tumbler (a tomba) with a bamboo straw and should look like a small mountain of chestnut-colored caviar sprinkled with a few grains of rice. Believed to aid sleep, it supposedly never causes hangovers. Many Western travelers would disagree. The locals advise you to not gulp it but let it sit as long as possible in the tomba, thereby allowing it to get stronger.
PELLING & ENVIRONS
Traditionally a stopover for trekkers headed for Yoksum, Dzongri, and similar high-altitude spots in western Sikkim, Pelling has begun to establish itself as a tourist destination in its own right, and as a result, concrete lodges have sprung up indiscriminately to cash in on the passing trade. Nevertheless, the surrounding scenery is spectacular, and the sunrise behind snow-clad Khangchendzonga will leave you breathless. Besides hiking or rafting, the top attractions are the nearby monasteries. From Pelling, a pleasant 30-minute walk along the main road toward Geyzing will lead you to one of Sikkim’s oldest and most revered monasteries, Pemayangtse (entry Rs 5; daily 7am–4pm), situated at 2,085m (6,672 ft.) in a cliff-top forest clearing. Set up as a monastery for Ta-Sang, or “pure monks” of the Nyingmapa order, Pemayangtse was established in 1705 by Lhatsun Chempo, one of the lamas who performed the consecration ritual of Sikkim’s first king. Its prized treasure is a 7m-tall (22-ft.) wooden depiction of Guru Rinpoche’s Sang-tok-palri, or “heavenly palace,” encased in glass in the monastery’s upper room. Note that it’s worth trying to contact Yapo S. Yongda, who resides here—he’s a fascinating source of information on Sikkimese history.
Southeast of Pemayangtse (30-min. walk), on a lower hillock, are the ruins of the late-17th-century Rabdentse Palace , from where