BPD: Tribal home-stay in West Sikkim

(BPD: Tribal home-stay in West Sikkim, 20-22 Apr '15)

After Darjeeling, there was an enticing option to go on a 5-day trek to Sandakphu valley through a Rhododendron forest in Singalila national park, West Bengal. I impulsively decided against it at the last minute, in favour of Darap in West Sikkim. I looked up the homestay and made a call to the owner on availability, after starting from Darjeeling and while travelling in the shared taxi. This turned out to be a great choice, for I had a good time and ended up staying 3 nights in this tribal village, near Pelling in West Sikkim.

Makaibari tea estate, on way to Jorethang

The journey to Darap was long, as is any journey by road in Sikkim, more so for shared modes of travel. I did 4 break journeys to cover just about 80 km in over 6 hours : Darjeeling - Jorethang - Geyzing - Pelling - Darap. Again there was a varied mix of people in the taxis - an unsure taxi driver with a faulty break-wire that gave away during our journey, a Nepali school teacher from Darjeeling, a milk cooperative employee from Sikkim and a bereaved Bengali visiting his in-law's place for his father-in-law's last rites.

Shiva's Homestay	Guest rooms, with a view

Morning view from the room...	A shot, by the bell

The Darap home-stay is run by Shiva and Radha Gurung, who live by the principle of 'athidhi devo bhava' and it was an absolute delight to be in their company. The highlights included the courteous service throughout that made you feel extra special, a reliable guidance on tourist spots of interest in Sikkim, yummy home cooked food, a beautiful & pristine village and a comfortable home with a good view of the Kanchenjunga range, and finally Sikkim's native Tsonga home-brewed beer.

Sikkim's own historic Bob Marley!	Tsonga beer ready to be tried

While at the home, I met a lot of interesting travelers as well. There was this Tamil couple from Bangalore - Arvind, a creative, prolific film-maker and balanced by his better half, Ramya working in the corporate world. We had a good time chatting late into the night on a variety of topics ranging from film-making experiences, travel, people and their prejudices. They were a great company and we instantly struck up a good rapport, but unfortunately the time was short and they were on with the next leg of their journey to North Sikkim, by the next morning. I had also met a couple from IIMK, Kerala who were on their graduation trip and ready to get into the corporate world. However, the guy was on the cusp of getting into the Indian Civil Services, with an impending final interview, just after the trip. Such was the nature of my trip - I bumped into a lot of interesting people from different walks of life and quickly became friends, albeit for a short duration. 

Early morning dew drops, in the garden	Unintended, hilarious caption in a poster!

Perfect 'local' breakfast!	Ever-gracious hosts: Shiva, Radha, Durga

Every day over dinner, Shiva regaled us with the history of Sikkim unto present state and also shared interesting folk tales about the local village and Pelling. After all, these are the things that a home-stay provides and and gives a different world of experience, which can never be matched by hotels or resorts.