Pouring outside, would be sooo easy to stay another day. Load Bob in the hotel as a river of water rushes down the road straight out front. Unfortunately no large verandah to load up out of the weather. Roll down to Sonams for breakfast and last good coffee for a while. Bikes undercover on the doorstep of closed cyber cafe. Given hotel recommendations to cover us through the West of Sikkim which is fantastic. Soph makes a canine friend as clashes of thunder sound very close over town.
Walk through the mall, apparently fined if caught riding. Extremely unlikely anyone would bust you in this weather however. Out of the rain for a short while as walk through a temporary undercover shopping Expo set up just off the mall. Start cycling again further along Jawahar Rd which continues around just below the zoo. It drops down onto Hill cart opposite the back road to Jorethang. Still pouring rain, as we pass everyone walking with umbrellas. We stop under a currently vacant stall cover and are asked by a passing older man "no umbrella?" as if cycling with an umbrella was an expectation.
Impressive school, St Josephs described to us as looking like Hogwarts, on the corner. Difficult to confirm as we pass between the school and it's sports grounds without hanging around. Continue down towards Mount Hermon and a few more largish schools. Passed by jeeps full of secondary aged school students. Maybe an excursion. It would be difficult to get even a small bus down this roads.
Road steep and patchy as we pass out of dense foliage and into a sea of tea estates with the odd village breaking the dotted green carpet. Mist is drifting through and women (predominantly) are working with umbrellas picking the leaves and placing into a woven basket (dokyo) on their backs.
Checking directions multiple times as small siding roads don't look much different from the road we are on. Given confirmation from an older lady at a y intersection. Her directions lead us toward a slightly more finished road but our accompanying jeep (Tata Mahindra) traffic drops off. Double check two minutes down ridge which confirms that we have been given a bum steer, fifteen minutes to get back up to the junction. The alternate road when we take it is rough and even steeper.
Chia at a bamboo bar on ridge with view down towards Jorethang and Naya bazaar. Road continues through tea estates all the way to the valley floor where it rises and falls as we circle around to the bouncy metal plated border suspension bridge and officially enter Sikkim.
Decorated gate entry welcoming us to Sikkim where we sign in and are required to show our Inner line permit and Passports. Steep rough road up to the higher main road where we turn right to Jorethang. Across large metal bridge covered with pools of golden brown water. We are already filthy from the wet descent so it just adds another layer to us and the bikes. In the streets of town it appears quite a bit of infrastructure work is going on. Pass a large quite modern looking complex on our left but unsigned, so not sure. Dengue fever explanatory sign on our right is more concerning. Momos at a veg restaurant where a group of French and Austrians are having lunch. Invited to share table with Austrians, one of whom has been in this area before and works back home with fair trade establishment and placing disabled people in jobs.
Street bins but slightly camp styling as animals such as monkeys. Stop at a well signed tourism information place and obtain our best road map of Sikkim yet. Still no topography however. We discussed with some guys in Darjeeling the Blue Army Topo maps and were told that they do exist but not sold nor advisable to be seen using one.
Back out of town crossing the still water logged bridge but then turning right following the river into a new valley. Road continues to be plagued by holes and poor surface, work crews are around but not in any apparent rush. Further along notice dark black grey water running in the deep side concrete drains before passing a massive tunnel under construction into the hill side. Part of Sikkim's large Hydro power development. The road gets a little better but still impairing a smooth ride. Another tunnel follows then a third which is a road diversion. Fantastic as it is only our second tunnel in the past 3000 or so kms but glad to see the day light on the other side.
Enter Reishi a busy little river side town where we had read there are hot springs, but quick conversation with some locals identifies that the Tatopani springs are 3km further on. Pull over following a small bridge and waterfall where there is also the unmistakable smell of sulfur, but no sign of signage or infrastructure. Starting climbing a little away from the river and then notice on the far bank a Buddhist temple with prayer flags and some baths on the edge of the water flow. Soph stays at the top in a small general store as I take the winding concrete path down to the river. Cross over one of two suspension bridges colored and alive with hundreds of prayer flags.
Across the bridge and along a path past the very basic Trekkers huts to the temple and nearby whitewashed chorten. Behind the locked temple a gated entry leads to one of the four holy caves in Sikkim. This one I believe predated Buddhism and was originally a Bon site (Animist) known as the cave of the Occult fairies. Similar to the Christian faith in europe sometimes local spiritual sites were built upon or customs adopted by the new faiths. Thereby gaining greater adherence with the locals. On entering the cave met by a crazy cricket, not a fairy as one would expect but quite vocal. The cave itself was unusual and lit via pockets of sky showing through parts of the eroded ceiling. More a pirates lair rather than bats cave. Some butter lamps and prayer flags my only accompaniment in the otherwise still cave. One or two mani stones and a painted carving partially covered by a white silk scarf.
Back outside past the refreshing looking water and back up to the road side. Crowd of dogs floating around for the possibility of some food as we add to our salt content with some chips. Road now getting much better with consistently smooth tarred surface, must just be the heavy infrastructure that is knocking it around.
Now that the road is better spend more time inspecting the road side and the increasing lushness of the foliage. Spot a huge snail on the road and swing back around to the other side to arrange a photograph. On coming truck and car passing in opposite direction. The driver of the truck smiling and waving as he passes and squashes unknowingly the snail into the surface of the road beneath a tire. Is it bad karma to be the cause of another sentient beings demise?
The river gets a little wilder and closer as we pass a small village with bamboo constructed temporary river crossings. Through town cross a bridge over a river and to side of the confluence with the Rangit. A little climb further and we spot a large Hindi temple complex to our right on the far side of the river and the town of Legship nestled as the base of the ridge above.
Look for the Ganesh pure veg restaurant where we have been told there is good accomodation. Turns out there is a pure veg place in town but called Kanchen Hotel - food and lodging, run by owner called Ganesh. Confusing. Clean up in cold water before cleaning the bikes with a tooth brush across the road on a building site, with the usual entourage. Have a great dinner. Bed and sleep comes very quickly.
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