On Gangtok

Rescheduling travel plans has its good side and bad side, as most choices made after a couple of Jim Beam shots. Originally, this was planned as a trip to Sikkim, with a short beginning holiday to Darjeeling. Then, life happened. An opportunity presented itself to us when there were warnings of landslides in Sikkim and I decided to stay longer in Darjeeling. But changes to a plan are much more than a pleasant phone call to different hotels in Gangtok, asking for a vacant room. It is truly a pain, but I am of the certainty that it is well worth it.

After something like four hours of periodically interrupted sleep in one of Darjeeling’s most accessible modes of transportation – the taxi, I reached the hotel in Gangtok. It was the front desk, informing me that they would arrange for all necessary papers and permits for my travel to the beautiful Changu Lake and the Nathula Pass (the trading post between India and China). May God bless them, for pretending to give me time to get back to them and being so nice about it. The hotel belonged to a friend’s friend so they quoted about 1200/- per night (from the usual 2,500). I took it. The room was lovely and the view spectacular. It could have been a lot worse, the rooms could have been unavailable or the new rate (season time) could have been astronomical. The hotel was situated 2 minutes away from M.G Road and is highly rated as one of the best in Gangtok.

The city’s dining options are similarly impressive. Allen’s Kitchen, as I would find out later, is one of the popular restaurants in Gangtok. The food was some of the best I’d had all trip.

From there, I took off to drive around Gangtok, to see my friend’s school, the Tsuklakhang Palace and Monastery, various view-points and then back into the city to get ready for the evening out. If ever there was an almost instant way to fall madly in love with Gangtok, it is to walk it, sans map, just losing yourself in the area.

The nightlife in Gangtok is exactly what we needed to fall for the city. Little Italy was easy to like at first sight with its bohemian interiors and crowd.

And when they say the restaurants close early in Gangtok, it just means they won’t have tables available after that time.

From there, I went to Café Live and Loud to discover a new brand of fabulous. With flashing lights and a crowded bar, which we were told is the most popular club in the city, was packed with friendly people, all drinking, all singing along to a number of familiar songs performed by the band Route 66. You should know that by familiar I’m talking specifically about the following songs: Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door, Layla and finally, and perhaps most importantly, Wild World, dedicated to yours truly.

And to end my trip in Gangtok, I went to a club called Orange, which was quite far from the city. This place was underground and filled up fast, and by filled up, I mean there was not a single inch of floor on which to stand and with only two bartenders the wait time between drinks became significant. It was around the time that we decided to dance that the DJ announced the last song was playing. Pfffft! But I will be back. Absolutely.

I had fun, unabashed fun. It was one of those trips I will be saying to my friends, “Remember when we were in Gangtok and…” for quite some time.

For those of you who frequent these pages you’ll notice something odd about this post. I literally never post videos, ever. But this performance by the band Route 66 was awesome enough and the recording is interesting enough that I thought today I would make an exception. The song is ‘Layla’. So how could I refuse to post this video? It’s shot with my phone camera in Café Live n Loud in Gangtok (Sikkim) …it turned out pretty okay I think.

See Darjeeling Like Nobody’s Business – Get the Best View

Darjeeling is a beautiful town located in the state of West Bengal. Well known for its tea estates, this small town has a typically busy market center lined by British architecture.

Tea Estates

Darj. has a history dating back to the 19th century. It has good connectivity by road and rail with the other towns around it. The Bagdogra airport is 4 hours away.

Most of Darj’s attractions are concentrated in and around the city center and it is best to walk along the narrow winding paths. Just keep an eye on the traffic.

Start with the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, the most famous zoo in India, built in the 1958. It’s the home for many species in danger of extinction like snow leopards, red pandas, gorals (mountain goat) and Siberian tigers.

A Red Panda

The Market Square contains the Capital Theatre, which I was told, was once a movie theater.

Keventers (breakfast joint) and Glenary's which houses Darj’s most famous pub, Buzz is also situated in this Market Square, just opposite the Capital Theatre.

Meat Platter at Keventers

Friends made during a pub crawl.

I think I need an "I ♥ Darjeeling" t-shirt!!

The city is also home to some of the best schools in the country with the most gorgeous architecture and surroundings. 

Loreto Convent

Chowrasta

Aloo Dum - Darj. Tea - T-Momo - Tai Po

If you do plan on taking a year-end vacation there then enjoy the food, rich culture, including drinking the local beer, Dansberg Blue Premium Lager Beer (founded by Sikkimese Bollywood Actor Danny Denzongpa).

Another one of the things to do in Darjeeling is a trawl around the traditional open markets held in Chowrasta. Shop till your heart’s content, the next great bargain may be just round the corner!

Ten glorious days of authentic Tibetan cuisine, alcohol, Aloo Dum, history, music and more. (Notice how food was listed first? Priorities, right?)

As much as internet on my cell phone allowed, I shared "What I Liked" along the way on FB. I hope you will join me for the rest of the journey in my next post on Gangtok!

This song just felt right for the mood of today. It’s cloudy, there’s a slight chill in the air, and it’s a lazy evening complicated by the decisions and planning associated with what to do during this long weekend. Thanks to Silversun Pickups for making this track – ‘Rusted Wheel’ that essentially is the soundtrack for my life. This song hails from an album the band put out in 2006 titled ‘Carnavas’. It’s one of my favorite tracks of the band and if you are reading this you should totally listen to the song right now.

See you soon!

Adios.

'Shopping at the famous Hong Kong market was interrupted by my dear friend, Z, who wanted to take me out for dinner. Z and I graduated together and I’m meeting her after 2 yrs. She seems to be much the same as always: warm and friendly, distinct, peppy and strikingly beautiful. While not very tall, she has a presence of about ten ordinary people. She has that thing called ‘charisma’.

So we went to the only place that was opened at 6:30 in the evening- a lounge called Fusion. It had a couple of old men conversing over a bottle of whisky and three of us girls, the only girls, gutsy enough to be out at that time of the night. Z brought a friend along named Corinne. Corinne is a model from Guwahati and came from quite a well heeled family. She had pictures of herself all over the room and while she was perfectly good-looking she constantly apologized for not looking her best.

Dinner at Fusion included an assortment of roasted meats. Our girl’s night out was then interrupted by this creepy guy who was absolutely dense. No matter how much we ignored him he still sat at our table and tried to make conversation. Finally we decided we had had enough of him and left the restaurant. Z took me to her home and I met her parents and a ton of relatives but not before we were stopped several times by cops who checked our car and our bags. I was at my formal best at Z’s home but that didn’t last for long when I realized my audience loved me already. So I started off with some jokes on Z and then some about myself and they laughed so loudly that I thought I’d fall off my chair. It took Z some time to get me away from my beloved audience and when she finally did, we went up to her room and to her little doggy- Snowball, who’s the cutest thing since pink candy! We made plans to take a trip to the capital city and then I returned home just in time to kiss my niece goodnight.’

........‘The people who live here are famously agreeable. Whatever you ask of them, they will seldom refuse. Theirs is a culture of almost unending positivism. So dedicated are they to being optimistic that it almost seems as if their speech lacks the term for its opposite. If they shake their heads, it is always to say "yes".
For them, the world is all about the good things. Every day is a festival, leisure chat a celebration, each word a gift. Their streets are paved with laughter. They amuse each other with music and tales. It's so upbeat it made me gape in surprise. Oh, yes, it's a great place to visit.’

Not many days have passed since the tragic events of the Mumbai terror. It serves us all to think back and remember where we were. I was on holiday when I woke up late, stumbled into the dining hall, and had to ask my aunt Anungla, “where is this happening at?” while I pointed sleepily at the tube. 'Mumbai' was her answer, and it took me a moment to properly understand that she meant our Mumbai City, the city I grew to love on my visit there.
Looking back it’s sometimes hard to find the words to accurately describe how we feel today, how that day changed us or the country as a whole.

Here’s a song off of Gotthard’s third studio album ‘G’, in 1996 that sums up everything I wanted to say. Comparing this band with all of those well-known acts might come across as a bit exaggerated but I guarantee you that each and every association is deserved. The lyrics are amazing. Take a listen to this track titled ‘In the name’ and you’ll see what I mean.

The second song, seals this post and clocks in at just under 4 minutes. It is brilliant. It is epic. You’ll definitely want to listen to it as I’m not sure another track on this blog (planet) will ever come close to matching the power and energy alive in this song. This is what I mean when I use the word epic.
Janis Joplin’s ‘Piece of my heart’ to Bhumika.

I'm Back....

...from my little three week holiday and better than ever. Well, that’s if being better than ever led to being sore, slightly over tanned, a tired like never before.
It’s been awhile since I wrote here. It’s been awhile since I even typed on a keyboard. That’s colossal since I’m only online every other second. What’s even more massive was the amount of messages I received on Facebook and on e-mail while I was gone. During my trip I met quite a few musicians and discovered some new music that I can’t wait to share with you guys. Got Theja Meru’s album ‘Believe’ {score!}, I received an album from a singer I had met called ‘Changsen Pongen’ {double awesome} and while I wont be around in Dimapur to watch White Lion in concert I got a hold of their music.

Three weeks escape could be considered a dry spell {a small death if you will}, but I shall try and attempt to return EC to the brilliance that it was before my heart was reminded, yet again, of how much I love the mountains. So on with the show.

Nagaland was brilliant and impressive abounding with several mountain ranges, beautiful lakes and streams, the food, the military, multiple camp sites, countless shopping, open mic nights, local talent and a general sense of achievement and connection. But now I’m back, I should unpack soon and I must finish this blog before that. Let us all commence crossing our fingers.

While I didn’t have normal access to the internet during my stay in Dimapur, I still kept a record of the things I had experienced and seen during my days there. The next few posts might be filled with bits and pieces of notes from my journal.

For all my readers out there,I hope your November was a funfest like mine and you spent it getting tons of shoes and loads of food in your belly. I know I did. It really is something to behold and as this is my first long vacation since I joined my company, I surely did enjoy it to the fullest.
But regardless, if you had fun or not here is a track that anyone can enjoy. Consider this an introduction to the greatness that is to come. I hope to have a steady stream of posts from now until the New Year with a lot of great music, and quite possibly the best stuff you’ll ever see and hear on EC. Honestly.

If I was in my room all alone on a Sunday afternoon then this track leaves me head bouncing. Wait for the beat to pick up about thirty seconds into this one. It is worth the wait. ‘There goes the neighborhood’ by Sheryl Crow. More music is being collected as I speak. I’m off to unpack my life in awhile. Have fun this week in whatever country you’re currently located at. Cheers, and come back often.

And for anyone who would like to get in touch with me, send me music to listen to and possibly promote, or just say hi contact me: evelinerajan@gmail.com