Up early but defer heading to the Kathok Wodsalling Gompa for morning puja at 6am as by sounds not many monks. Will wait for Tashiding or closer to Gantok and a bigger monastery. When we do get up we go for a walk to investigate anyway. The Gompa is quite square and new. Closed so unable to get a feel for it beyond the front entrance. Still some time before breakfast so continue through town following some Doziko teams and their handlers wearing golden colored gum boots. Turn back to the Ngadhak Changchub Choling monastery which is pretty much a carbon copy of Kathok from outside bar the animals in the entrance arch.
Post breakfast a lack lustre porridge, set about repairing flat. Confirm that both tubes from yesterday punctured in same spot so exam tyre again and note that some of the inner wire has bent inwards and is quite sharp. Decide to swap to the spare tyre and reserve this one for latter use if needed. Have had too many flats with it. Play around with tubes and most have punctures. Repair a few and then use one in the new tyre.
Meet a Swiss couple currently living in Delhi for next few years who have just returned from a trek in the Kanchenjunga National Park. Also talk with a girl from Oslo finalising her Masters and an Australian IT guy from Melbourne. By the time we have cleaned up both bikes repaired a few tubes and replaced tube and tyre it is 12.
Hit the road soon after and it is back downhill to the road junction before turning left. The road unfortunately continues to drop as we pass several running waterfalls. One just after bridge called Phamrong falls the highest in west Sikkim, and when I climb up to the mid way pools three kids are busy bathing and washing their clothes. Given the humidity this seems like quite a good idea. Back down to Soph before we start climbing following the hills contours again in some quite steep patches. Some sections of road really broken up tar and a couple where the road surface has slipped.
The road continues to climb higher going through a sharp series of s bends where we climb first on one side of a house and it's small veg patch and then a couple of minutes latter on the higher side. Big mani stone carving in the middle of the veggies and tall long prayer flags mounted on bamboo stalks standing side by side and rippling in the breeze. The view back through the valley looks toward Pelling high on the ridge opposite a little to our right and Tashiding sitting in a saddle before a high knoll that drops in a forested cone shape to the river below. For the past few days we have circled around the valley wall falling only to the river and small sections of agriculture below. Tashiding we have heard was once referred to as the heart of Sikkim but whether this is just a west Sikkim perspective not sure.
Following a small village the road levels and then starts to rapidly drop away as we switchback down the ridge side to the saddle. Start hitting buildings about 1 to 2 kms out and school students. Some older teenagers already out playing cricket in the middle of semi steep roads moving the stumps only when they hear or in our case see the oncoming vehicle/ bike. Come to an unsigned fork in the road one heading up sharply and the other continuing down. Double check with some school kids and they identify that the markets are up the steep road but that the other also goes into town. Choose bazaar option as easier to start high and finish low. Markets really are markets and taking up the majority of the small steeply angled main street. Look for New Tashiding Hotel as recommended by LP, people keep on directing further down the road as we walk the bikes through the stalls. Have a look at three places one opposite a row of whitewashed chortens, one down past where the road from the previous junction connects to the main street and the third along the road to the monastery. The place near the monastery government run guest house 1500 rup, the other two with shared bathrooms 250-300 rup, both clean and friendly owners. Go with the place opposite the Chortens as it is on the left side of the ridge and looks down toward the river far below.
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