On our last day in Gangtok we walked down to Deorali to check that we would be able to get a shared jeep to Ravangala there the next day. We also visited the Institute of Tibetology in Deorali. There was a lot to see, so Tim and I separated out to wander around. Tim spotted the human skulls that were used as tantric ceremonial drinking vessels to remind monks of their mortality. He also inspected a human thigh bone that was used in these ceremonies. Meanwhile I got caught up in ephemeral shopping activities, which meant that I missed out on experiencing these sacred objects. I did purchase some very nice silver earrings though. A ropeway runs from Deorali back into the centre of Gangtok, which gave us great views over the town as the sun was setting.

The jeep journey to Namchi was only about three hours. The restaurant in our hotel ‘Montana Vyoo’ served the most delicious Indian vegetarian food I have tasted in India so far and had enthusiastic and well educated staff. The head waiter suggested delicious dishes to us; he had worked in hotels all around India. The manager had been offered a job in London, but this had been withdrawn due to COVID – the UK’s loss. He had previously worked in the Middle East. Due to being off season we got a very reasonable deal and there were few other guests. Sadly, due to the cloudy conditions we only got a glimpse of the Montana Vyoos.

The manager of the hotel helped us to hire a taxi for the day that took us to Chardam. This is a weird mixture of Hindu Temple theme park and religious site. It is set high on a hill and is dominated by an enormous silver statue of Vishnu, which towers over the complex. There are replicas of many of the most holy Hindu temples across the site. In good weather fantastic mountain views can also be enjoyed, but it was still cloudy during our visit.

The rose garden is on the way back towards Namchi from Chardam, so we stopped there. I lost count of the variety of roses, in a gorgeous mountain setting. Our thoughts quickly turned to Tim’s sister Jane who loved gardens and was a talented gardener and garden designer. Sadly she died recently; we feel her presence whenever we visit beautiful garden locations like this one. I feel grateful to Jane and other people in mine and Tim’s families as well as a number of friends and acquaintances that we have lost in recent years. They have made us think about the ephemeral nature of life and encouraged us to live in the moment as much as possible, which is partly what this trip is about.

After we refreshed ourselves in the Rose Garden cafe, our driver whisked us over to the local Buddhist monument, Samdruptse. The Dalai Lama laid the foundation stone for this temple in 1997. Sandrupse consists of an enormous statue of Guru Padmasamhava (also known as Guru Rinpoche). He is one of the founders of Tibetan Buddhism and was a tantric Buddhist Vajra master. After spreading Buddhism in Tibet he visited Sikkim. At the base of the temple are giant prayer wheels. There are shrines inside the Guru and you can visit these and climb up inside him, getting fantastic views from the balcony areas.

Our last day in Namchi was spent doing a bit of moping around. The weather was wet and cloudy and Tim and I were tired and irritated with each other. Was this a wasted day? Sometimes when travelling it is important to take a bit of time out to rest, talk, reflect and get annoyed with each other. Even while we are lucky enough to undertake this journey we are going to experience off days. I guess that as the Buddha teaches, it is important to take a middle path.