Into Enchanted Territory
Past lush forests and verdant hills, with the Teesta snaking its way manyhundred feet below, the drive to Sikkim is always a memorable experience. Andentering the state through the welcome gateway at Rangpo is akin to steppinginto another country. A smiling police constable peers into our SUV and politelyenquires about the purpose of our visit before waving us through, but not beforeapologising for the enquiry and welcoming us into his state. After that, thedrive uphill acquires a greater degree of pleasure, and not the least becauseinstead of ugly structures that dot the highways to all hill stations in India,the structures along the road to Gangtok blend perfectly with the hills. Rangpo,halfway between Siliguri and Gangtok, offers a variety of eateries servingeverything ranging from puri-sabzi to momos and thupkas. We, obviously, choseone offering the latter, but were a trifle disappointed to learn that norestaurant there offers pork momos. For that, we’ll have to wait for Gangtok.