[Red Liner]

What is it about motorcycles that attract a man (or woman) like a moth to a flame?

That would be a super cool trail to get onto.



Man proposes and god disposes!

We had reached Pelling. Pelling is a small town in the northeastern Indian state of Sikkim, at the foothills of Mount Khangchendzonga. We visited the Chenrezig statue there.

After a quick halt for lunch at Pelling, We were now enroute to Yuksom. Rustic lands beckon again

We rode past little towns perched into the mountains.

The evening was setting in, and we stopped to enjoy the verdant landscapes that unfolded before us.

I enjoy stopping at non descript places like these to just stare into the wide open expanse and go within.

Contradictory isn't it? Look out to go within. Travel to find yourself. Meet others to get to know yourself better...

[Red Liner]

Enroute, we stopped over at the beautiful Pemayangtse Monastery.

Planned, designed and founded by Lama Lhatsun Chempo in 1647, it is one of the oldest and premier monasteries of Sikkim, also the most famous in Sikkim. The main statue of Padmasambhava (also known as Guru Rinpoche who revived Buddhism in Tibet and was also the propagator of Vajrayana or tantric form of Buddhism ) seen here is in his wrathful form as Dorje Bhurpa Vjarakila with multiple heads and arms.

The monastery was built for "pure monks" (ta-tshang) meaning "monks of pure lineage", celibate and without any physical abnormality. This practice is still retained. Only the monks of Pemayangtse Monastery are entitled to the title "ta-tshang".

The monastery, located at an elevation of 2085 m, is built with scenic backdrop of snow-capped mountains on two sides. Built as a three storied structure, the monastery depicts paintings on its walls and statues of saints and Rinpoches, deified in various floors. The monastery was damaged by earthquakes in 1913 and 1960 but has been refurbished several times.

The history of the monastery is very closely linked to the reign of Chador Namgyal at Rabdentse. Chador, a very religious person, had taken several initiatives to the spread of Buddhist religion in Sikkim. He had decreed that the second of every three sons of Bhutia family shall be ordained a monk of the Pemayangtse Monastery.

He not only patronized Buddhist religious places but also introduced the religious dances (mystery plays) to highlight the martial and native traditions of Sikkim.

We reached Geyzing, which is were we intended to stay for the night.

We rode right out to the farthest corner of Geyzing to stay at this beautiful homestay referred to us by a friend. An absolute treasure find.

Our cottage for the night. We slept exceedingly well after a sumptuous dinner cooked by the family in charge of looking after the place.

[Red Liner]

Originally Posted by GreasyCarb55

@RedLiner I've gone through this thread from start to finish about 3-4 times and it keeps getting better every time I read it.

If I ever go on a cross country ride across India I'm throwing on some dual purpose tyres on my bike and making a beeline to the north east.

Do it already and make sure you log it here for the rest of us to join you!

[Red Liner]

It was time for some bike maintenance and we had plenty of help at hand.

This guy was getting on with time, and he didn't seem to want to eat much. I knew he was close to crossing the great beyond, so I spent much time petting and cuddling the loving boy.

The next morning we were off from the homestay, and we stopped over at the Sanghak Choeling Monastery.

The Sanga Choeling Monastery, also spelt Sange Choeling Monastery, established in the 17th century by Lama Lhatsün Chempo, is one of the oldest monasteries in the Northeast Indian state of Sikkim. The literal meaning of Sanga Choeling is "Island of the Guhyamantra teachings", where gling means a vihara and "secret Mantra teachings" is a synonym for "Vajrayana Buddhism".

Sanga Choeling Monastery, built in 1697, is also known as the place of secret spells. It has clay statues dating back to the 17th century. The monastery was affected by fire several times and was rebuilt.

We saw a few child-monks in training doing some chores around the monastery. The work wasn't easy. They were carrying bricks and other such things around the construction site. Probably not a place for kids to be hanging around anyway.

We left our gear behind to take a walk around. I stopped to look back when...

Pretty colour coordinated don't you think? His friend came running over and wanted to try on the other lid. What the hell, maybe course correct from monk to BHPian?

Fun time was over though, and all of us felt a bit sad leaving each other behind. I still think about these kids now and then and wonder what they are upto at this very moment. What are the moments that are most intimate to me? Was it this priceless tender moment with these little innocent children? Or was it paying my respects to this ginormous manmade statue in the hope of a better life? You tell me.

The views from up there were surreal, only broken by all the concrete.

What are the moments that are most intimate to me? I'll tell you. Maybe its the one that changes you to be a kinder person.

[Red Liner]

We began riding towards Uttarey.

Uttarey is a village that lies on the western part of Sikkim and shares a land border with Nepal. But we were heading there specifically to see the Singshore Bridge.

The waterfalls enroute were a dream. Filling up our bottles was never this easy.







We finally reached the entry way to Western Sikkim!



And this is what we had come to Uttarey for. The beautiful Singshore bridge!

The Singshore suspension bridge is the highest bridge in Sikkim and the second highest bridge in the Asian subcontinent with over 100 meters in height. The view from the bridge is overwhelming with the sight of beautiful waterfalls and breathtaking views of green hillsides. The gorge over which this bridge has been constructed is very wide and deep. The depth is nearly 700 ft!

We were famished. It was time to cool off with some Rhododendron juice!

This was definitely more like wine though! Served out of a soda bottle, the drink could have passed off as concoctions of rose, strawberry or raspberry, but the flavour although sweet, was distinct. Made of the local flower burans (a type of rhododendron), from which it gets its name it honestly doesn't need any sugar or preservatives, as the flower itself is very sweet. But the Indian sweet tooth is probably the biggest reason for the Diabetes epidemic we have going on here in India, and unfortunately everything edible is doused in sugar :(

This bloke came by and was pretty stunned that the bar was higher than him lol!



Can you count the number of falls in this picture?

The roads were surrounded by bountiful waterfalls like the one above and lush forests. Truly a land that was rich in flora, fauna, and everything mother nature stands for.

[Red Liner]

This had to be the biggest map I had ever seen in my life!

We weren't heading to Poision lake yet, but to Barsey or Bersey Rhododendron Sanctuary.

I just loved these "walls". Way better than some stupid billboard announcing where you are, don't you think?

After a ride through some very thick jungle - it was a sanctuary after all! - we reached the entry way to the Barsey Wildlife sanctuary.

There was nobody around the sentry gates to sign us in. We plodded on, eager to spot wildlife in the deep forests, but apart from a couple of birds that was that. We rode right upto where the road ended and hooked up at this little homestay right at the fringe of the sanctuary - after which its two legs or bust.

We were served with light refreshments by our loving and kind host, Bhaichung.

That my friend is NOT Rhododendron juice. But Wild plucked strawberry fermented juice! And some peppered carrots to go with it. Man, THIS is why you travel.

After spending some time with Bhaichung, and figuring out what we could do the next day, it was time for Karaoke! Oh man, we had a mental time singing some crazy stuff over some crazy good strawberry wine! Dinner was served right after - cooked by his sister and him just for us. What a feast! Honest food cooked from the heart in the hearth - beats any goddamn Michelin star!

Tummies tucked in, and hearts full of joy, it was a night well slept under the beautiful stars high up in Sikkim. The next morning, we would hike into the Barsey National Park.

[Red Liner]

We were going to do a day hike into the sanctuary today.

The Varsey Rhododendron Sanctuary or Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary sits in the Singalila Range in western Sikkim. It borders on Nepal to the west, and on the state of West Bengal to the south across the Rambong Khola stream. The rhododendrons bloom during March and April.

The colours in the forest were mesmerising. Different shades of green? You got it.



The trail was easy for the most part, winding surreptitiously.



Views of rolling hills, some of them in Nepal greeted us now and then.

These are Rhododendron flowers. I guess a month earlier and the entire sanctuary would have been in full bloom.

A chapel in the forest?



Somewhere down the trail, we were greeted by this little boy.

Who then decided that he would be our guide for the rest of the hike and bring us under his protection.

We stopped here for a bit to give our senses some time to grasp what we were really here for.



To just be.

[jungle1212]

What an amazing thread @Red Liner!

I never realised that I spent the past hour hooked on it.

Thank you!

[Red Liner]

As we kept ambling our tired legs up the trail, we came up to this watch tower.



We figured this would be a good spot to take another break. So up we went.

We were hungry and so was our new friend, the food was quickly unwrapped for all of us.

It felt good to take a break from the sun and enjoy the cool sights around us.

We continued plodding on until we came up to this shrine. In India, we have shrines everywhere - especially next to rivers, mountains, the oceanfront, and in jungles. The ancient Hindu religion was and is pagan in its roots, so no surprises there. Almost all the old world religions were Pagan - the Incans of South America, the Red Indians of the North, the Aborigines of Australia, the Aryans across Asia, the Bon's in Tibet, and the tribes of Africa today. Sometimes I do think we were better off as Pagans.

Are we motorcyclists Pagans? Come to think of it, we do enjoy camping out in nature. We rise up with the sun, and go to bed with the stars. We worship the muck on our boots and the dust on our faces. We call our motorcycles steeds, horses, and we do give ourselves forum names reminiscent of the Indian Braves. We ride out far distances in search of "adventure". We enjoy meeting other tribes of motorcyclists from around the world. We wear our "tribe" (club) badges with pride and flaunt our riding gear like the Gauls of France going out to war with the Romans. Maybe its not such a bad thing after all!

With my head swirling full of Pagan gods, my little furry friend bade me sit down once more.

What of the gods and goddesses? All one needs is a roof over the head, food and water to get you through the day, and clothes if living in "society".

We trundled back to our little cottage together, weary in our legs but full at heart. We slept early, knowing that we would have to start riding again the next day.

It was time to say good bye to our kind host and his sister (not in the picture). The previous evening gave us more time to get to know them better. Bhaichung, pictured here and his elder sis lost their parents at a young age and have been taking care of each other since. They run this little homestay and also brew Strawberry wine and Rhododendron juice to sell at the market to make ends meet. Their lives were not easy, and was certainly quite tough to the almost meaningless comforts that I experience back "home".

When we travel, we usually never spend that "extra" day at any one place. We're swinging in for the night and we're out by the next morning. That's not enough time to get to know the place and more importantly the people around. Then we're just tourists aren't we? See the sights and sounds and off we go. Stay in some impersonal hotel or suite and get served by people paid to make you feel entitled. But when you stay at far flung places like these, you stay at people's homes, you share their food, you listen to their stories, you empathise with their hardships. Isn't that why you must travel? I'll be happy to trade 10k fans on instagram for that, yessir.

A word about these pretty ladies. They are Forest guards, and a part of the Indian Government, to help protect our dwindling animal life in our tiny sanctuaries from poachers. We had met them the previous day and had a few long chats. I don't think anyone even bothers to stop by and talk. Which is a pity.

[Red Liner]

Today's ride was going to be very short, so we took our own sweet time to leave the lovey forest damsels behind.

We would cross Kaluk, and stop just before the Richenpong Monastery.

We were nearing Kaluk, and little settlements were beginning to make their presence felt amidst the thick vegetation.

Just ahead of Kaluk, we went offroad a bit and managed to find a little resort villament with cute cottages with just the right price for the two of us. We spent the better part of that evening watching the sun set.

When was the last time you did that?

[Red Liner]

The local hens kept us company that evening. A sumptuous dinner followed after which the sleep came easy.

These little berries grew quite abundantly in the quaint garden that surrounded us. We helped ourselves to many of these.

The place we stayed at was phenomenally clean like the rest of Sikkim State. After traveling through most parts of India, I have now come to realise that cleanliness is something that has to be entrained as a value system from when you are born.

The next morning was blissful and we decided to head to the Richenpong Monastery for a look around.

Rinchenpong Monastery is situated at the giddying height of 5,500ft. The third oldest monastery in Sikkim is perched on a mountain trail and offers a brilliant view of the Kanchenjunga. Besides the picturesque location, this gompa has a statue one doesn’t find in most other monasteries- Ati Buddha seated in the Yab-Yum position. For nearly three centuries, this monastery has been part of Rinchenpong village and if you want to cover the heritage circuit of Sikkim, there’s no way you can skip this one.

Everywhere in Sikkim, the beauty of a monastery is somehow heightened by the village. Rinchenpong is a quaint little hamlet above which sits the gompa. Geographically well-endowed, this village offers a stupendous view of the Kanchenjunga and other mountains of the Himalayan range. As one takes the trail that leads up to the gompa, bounded by towering prayer flags flapping in the wind, one understands the perfect union of ancient structures and nature in Sikkim.

The entrance to the monastery is lined with colorful prayer flags. Housed in a traditional hut, the outer periphery is decorated with prayer wheels. Child lamas can be seen in and around the monastery as the place also serves as a training center for lamas. The main door and windows have intricate detailing in a myriad of colors. Inside, the Buddha statue is placed on a platform. Visitor entry is allowed in the sanctum but photography has recently been prohibited.

We had to keep pushing on. We were riding to Yuksom for the night.

Enroute we stopped over at the Amul Alpine Cheese factory - the only one in India?

Dentam is a scenic village located 50 km from Varsey in West Sikkim District, one of the famous hiking trails. It is at an elevation of around 1,500 m. Dentam commands a constant view of the Kanchenjunga. The entire area of Dentam is surrounded by forest of rhododendrons. Dentam is famous for the Alpine Gouda Cheese factory which is a product of Indo – Swiss collaboration.

Sadly the place was closed for whatever reason, and I couldn't sample any of their famed cheeses. We proceeded to stop over at this old hindu temple which naturally had a tree growing right at the centre!

We stopped for a chat with the local folks in charge of the temple, and refilled our bottles with the natural spring water that was flowing right through the temple. Wow!

[Red Liner]

We were gonna make a ton of stops along the way so don't judge the time/distance!

Right before Yuksom, we were going to stop at the famed and beautiful Khecheopalri lake.

Khecheopalri Lake, originally known as Kha-Chot-Palri (meaning the heaven of Padmasambhava), is a lake located near Khecheopalri village, 147 kilometres (91 mi) west of Gangtok in the West Sikkim district of the Northeastern Indian state of Sikkim.

The lake is sacred for both Buddhists and Hindus, and is believed to be a wish fulfilling lake. The local name for the lake is Sho Dzo Sho, which means "Oh Lady, Sit Here". The popularly known name of the lake, considering its location is Khecheopalri Lake, ensconced in the midst of the Khechoedpaldri hill, which is also considered a sacred hill.

The lake is an integral part of the much revered valley of "Demazong" meaning valley of rice. This landscape is also known as a land of hidden treasures blessed by Guru Padmasambhava.

As we walked to the lake, we found many such inscriptions beautifully hand carved into the rocks facing us. These inscriptions are usually mantras or prayers to the gods.

An interesting feature of the lake is that leaves are not allowed to float on the lake, which is ensured by the birds which industriously pick them up as soon as they drop into the lake surface.

As we walked into the precincts of the lake, I was stopped in my tracks by the sight of this boy offering his heart, mind, body, and soul to the divine - not in the least bit embarrassed or disturbed by all the visitors who were making a racket in that serene atmosphere.

He was offering juniper leaves into the altar, which would then burn much like incense. It is actually called Incense Juniper! The juniper tree holds great significance in the buddhist tradition as well as the himalayan region. Apart from its myriad of medicinal uses, the leaves of the tree also signify something special amongst the monks and their spiritual practice.

The juniper tree represents the practice because it holds to emulate the tree in strength, wisdom, usefulness and beauty. The strength of the juniper tree is seen in its capacity to survive in harsh and bare climates, growing out of rocks and surviving in areas with very little water.

[Red Liner]

We accumulated plenty of good karma by feeding all the beings in the lake.

Soon it was time to say good bye to Sho Dzo Sho ~ oh lady sit here lake. Pretty sure a lotta pretty ladies must have sat around here.

On our way out we came across two very cute critters. You tell me which one's more a-dog-rable

Alas, both wouldn't fit into my tail bag, so off we were on these roads to Yuksom.

I tend more towards riding offroad if given a choice, but something about riding winding little mountain roads flanked by lush green jungle always gets to me.

We finally reached Yuksom, found a fabulous homestay run by a local family, perched our bags, got into our walking shoes and off we went to explore the little village of Yuksom!

Yuksom is the trail head for a lot of hikes into the high altitude mountains of the region and we kept seeing more hikers and mountaineers than motorcyclists around here. In fact we were probably the only motorcyclists here!

We walked right past this mysterious lake, which we promised to come back and visit later.

As we kept walking uphill, we heard mischievous noises behind us. Looking back, I noticed two kids on bicycles roaring at each other about something in their local dialect. And suddenly one of them threw a mobile phone straight down at us. I was aghast watching the phone splatter into pieces. I stopped the boys and asked them about it. One of them ventured that the phone doesn't work and what do we do with it? I guess boys being boys, I probably wasn't too far from being one myself. On further enquiry, i found the kid who had thrown the phone in disgust was studying to be a lay monk! Now it seemed to all add up lol.

Kid monk became a friend rather quickly (after a round of chocolates and what not), and offered to take us walking around Yuksom. What luck!

The weather in the mountains here, like most mountains elsewhere I guess, is always precarious. Like the mood of a woman. It poured without a moment's notice and we weren't allowed to ask why? So we just stood under a shop corner and waited for the mood to change. Like we do with women.

[Red Liner]

In 1641, Lama Lutsum Chembo travelled from Tibet to Denjong (meaning hidden country) now known as Sikkim to propagate the Buddhist religion. He was then joined by two other lamas, Sempa Chembo and Rinzing Chembo. The trinity of Lamas came from the Kham district in Tibet. Their primary aim was to perpetuate Tibetan hold on Sikkim and to propagate Buddhism in Sikkim.

They assembled from different directions at Norbugang, which later came to be known as Yuksom. The area in the Rathong chu Valley at Narbugong was considered as blessed by the 9th century Guru Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche). In 1642 the Lamas went in pursuit of the fourth person, as the current three lamas represented three directions of North, South and West and Padmasambhava's vision had predicted the requirement for a fourth person from the east.

Near present-day Gangtok, they found a man churning milk. He offered them some refreshments and gave them shelter. So impressed were they by his deeds that they realised that he was a chosen one. They also identified Phunstsog Namgyal's ancestral royal links with Tibet and decided that he was the right person to become the temporal and religious head of the region so brought him to Yuksom.

A park called the Norbugang Park has been created at Yuksom, 42 km (26 mi) from Pelling town, which encloses a prayer hall, large prayer wheel, the Norbugang Chorten (stupa), and the purported Coronation Throne (Norbugang) set below a large cryptomeria pine. The wooden head board at the location of the throne, made of stone, appears like an altar.

The Norbugang Coronation throne, which has the "appearance of an old Olympic Medal Podium" is made of stones, which has been white washed now. The stone throne has four seats, with the top one intended for Lama Lhatsun Chhempo. The coronation took place under the pine tree, which is still present today. Just opposite to the throne is the Norbung Chorten (stupa), which is said to contain water and soil from all parts of Sikkim.

They then crowned him at Norbugang near Yuksom as the temporal and religious king of Sikkim, with the title "Chogyal". The crowning took place at Norbugang on a pedestal set in stones, in a pine-covered hill, and he was anointed by sprinkling water from a sacred urn. At that time he was 38 years of age.

A foot print seen here is attributed to be of one of the lamas involved in the crowning ceremony. By removing the head board, imprints are clearly seen of toes and soles of feet.

So this guy is the father of all modern suspension bridges. Prayers and veneration, oh great one, every time I take my motorcycle across one over a gorge!

The lady of Yuksom was still moody, and the rain came down quite furiously now. We took shelter in the monastery.

We were the only ones there, and the precincts were quiet and amiable for the mind to turn within.

Finally the weather relented, and we sped back to our homestay with monk-kid. We celebrated the day of having made new friends with each other by taking out a box of Indian sweets. Monk Kid, as was customary, recited his prayer before we started snacking. Just as I snapped his picture, he realised what I was upto and...

[Red Liner]

The next morning, I woke up to her, and she was as pretty as she could be. I'm talking about the weather.

The morning was spent messing around with the kids of the family. Oh, how I miss them!

Future inmates in the making. That lid's been strapped on just right.



The 3 mus-kit-eers

Kid monk came by and fetched us for a walking trip to the heritage Dubdi Monastery. It was a beautiful trail on a fresh mountain track to the hallowed precincts.

Dubdi Monastery, occasionally called Yuksom Monastery, is a Buddhist monastery of the Nyingma sect of Tibetan Buddhism near Yuksom. Established in 1701, it is professed to be the oldest monastery in Sikkim and is located on the top of a hill which is about an hour's walk (3 kilometres (1.9 mi)) from Yuksom.

It was also known as the Hermit's Cell after its ascetic founder Lhatsun Namkha Jigme, who along with two other lamas from Tibet met at Norbugang near Yuksom and crowned Phuntsog Namgyal as the first King or Chogyal of Sikkim at Norbugang Yuksom in 1642. The literal meaning of 'Dubdi' in local language is "the retreat".

It is the only monastery (purported now as the first monastery built in Sikkim) surviving out of the four built at that time, the other three locations are now identified by: a cluster of four juniper trees was the location where a monastery of Khardokpa sect existed; another location of a monastery established by Lama of Nadakpa sect now seen in the form of a rocky mound and two juniper trees, and the third site has now a chorten, which was originally the location of the residence of the King of Sikkim who was crowned at Yuksom by the three lamas.

Monastery had thirty monks some time back. Now to gain access to the monastery, the only monk who stays in the monastery has to be informed in advance.

I like how the lid, the kid monk, and the stupa are all inadvertently in the same frame.

Do we motorcyclists consider the helmet our very own stupa into which we bow our heads before climbing our steeds to explore the great unknown...or starbucks? How many of you say a little prayer before you slip that lid on your head? How many of us feel instantly invincible after that helmet comes on? Maybe your boss told your work was crap, or the wife called you a good for nothing.

But the instant you slip that helmet on, everything seems to change. You leave the boss, your wife, the kids, the responsibilities, the mortgages, your mobile phone all far away into the hazy distance. Your confidence levels seem to surge back almost instantaneously. You feel like a different man (or woman). Adrenaline coursing through your blood, you relish the thought of attacking that new mountain trail or the switchbacks all alone. You go back to the times when early man discovered the great plains of Africa, or the deep jungles of the Amazon, or the mighty mountains of the Himalayas. Just you, your motorcycle, and the great outdoors.

For the next few hours, nobody is able to touch you. Nobody can touch you. Until you slip that helmet off.