After an overnight train from Kolkata that was surprisingly on time, we got a jeep to Gangtok (about a 5-6 hour drive). We arrived that evening to Gangtok which was absolutely beautiful. We were staying at a Guest house/ Home stay but we were in separate rooms but we ate with the family. The family we stayed with was a very extended family consisting of a mom with her two sons and one of her sons had a family of his own. Needless to say there were a lot of people to keep track of. After an amazing meal with the family we all went straight to bed. The next day we were able to lay around. I went and explored town and it was extremely beautiful with a market place where cars were not allowed to drive. The town feeling was not quite like anything we had experienced in India so far with such a western feeling. Clothing stores with brands that we recognized surprised us at first.
The second day in Gangtok we started volunteering at a government school, about an hours drive from where we were staying. The kids were absolutely adorable and Julia, Avy and I started off working with the littlest kids (ages 5-6). Throughout the day we worked our way up to ages 9-10. I thought the school was going to be a lot worse off but the setting of the school was absolutely beautiful and the buildings weren’t in too bad shape. The last day volunteering at the school they were having an AIDS awareness day and they had been practicing singing and dancing acts for quite some time. When we showed up one of the teachers asked us if we wanted to perform and we decided we were going to take the day and learn Lean on Me. Unfortunately, I was sick during this time and so wasn’t able to go on the final day but I hear it was an absolute success.
After our last day of volunteering at the school we started getting geared up for our upcoming trek. Arthur, our trekking guru and everything else about Sikkim was helping us get prepared for our trek, while at the same time making sure everyone was well and excited to trek about 30 miles in all. On Sunday, we left for Yuksam (where our trek began) with Arthur.
In Yuksam we were staying at a place called the Ejam Residency, which was extremely plush with amazingly comfortable beds. After another amazing meal and good nights sleep we all began our trek into the Himalayas.
-Jake
P.S. Props to Shayna for Photos