Pelling, Pemayangtse, cremation ceremony

...When we visited Pemayangtse Monastery in early May it was bustling with activity. It was the tourist peak season, a famous Lama was staying at the monastery and crowds of pilgrims came in to receive blessings from him. Mourners had arrived to attend the cremation ceremony of a high clerical dignitary of Pemayangtse who had died a few days before.
Pemayangtse Monastery, 'the all-embracing perfect lotus', is located near Pelling on a hilltop with a marvellous view of Kanchenjunga. In the 17th century, Lhatsun Chempo, one of the three Lamas who had chosen the first Sikkimese king in Yoksum in 1642, built a small Lhakhang, a temple, here. The present monastery was constructed by a reincarnation of the founder in 1705. It ranks among the most important teaching places of the Buddhist school of the Nyingmapa. 108 monks belong to this monastery today and only novices of aristocratic Bhotia families are accepted. 108 is a holy number...

Sanga Choling

Pelling stretches out over an area that saddles the rise upon which Pemayangtse is built and another hill that can be climbed in 60 to 90 minutes on foot. This is where the oldest temple founded by Lhatsun Chempo, Sanga Choling, stands. The original building of 1697 was burned down and has been reconstructed over the last 30 years...
...The monastery of Sanga Choling lies on a mountain ridge and accommodates 20 monks. The numerous chortens on a terrace beside the main temple are a sign of its importance. Old mural paintings are preserved in a small building opposite the entrance. The huge prayer drums are covered with leather or are made of wood...

Tashiding

At approx. 50km from Pelling, also visible from Pemayangtse, is yet another old monastery, Tashiding, that was founded by Lhatsun Chempo. The large complex, dating back to 1717, stretches over a mountain ridge becoming narrower and narrower and consists of temples of different sizes, Mani walls with coloured pictures and symbols and a large number of stupas. This monastery is famous for the annual Bumchu Ceremony. On the occasion, the water level in a 300 years old container is said to predict the future fertility of the country. In the 30 minutes walk up to the monastery you hike through the fertile farmland with many large farms. The recently built pilgrim accommodation within the monastery complex give a hint of the prosperity of the parish...

Rabdantse

From Tikjuk, a neighbouring village of Pelling, you can take a leisurely walk to the ruins of the old Sikkimese capital Rabdantse. In 1670 the second Chogyal moved his seat of government from Yoksum to here. It is a quiet place that invites one to stay. It has a beautiful view of the Pemayangtse Monastery and of the deeply cut valley...

Kechopari Lake, cardamom

From the road between Pelling and Yoksum, the route to the 'wishing lake', the Kechopari Lake, branches off. Apparently only few tourists pass by here as the people that we meet on the way are shy and curious and glad to be photographed...
...Most of the Lepchas live from the cultivation of cardamom. In many areas, the undergrowth of the extensive forests consists of cardamom plants. Moisture and shadow is required to grow this plant of the ginger family...

Yoksum, Dubdi Monastery

Yoksum is a holy place for the Sikkimese because their first king was crowned here. The village is the starting point for trekkers in the Kanchenjunga area.
The newest building in Yoksum is a concrete hotel, put up for trekkers. You must not expect a high standard or a high degree of cleanliness here.
The throne of the first Sikkimese king is here in Yoksum. A small temple and a huge stupa announce the place of the empire's foundation. Under a gigantic cedar tree stands the stone throne on which, in 1642, Chogyal Phunstok Namgyal was crowned as the first king of Sikkim by three Lamas of the old Red Hat Sect. Lhatsun Chempo, the founder of the three first Nyingmapa monasteries, conferred his ancestral name, Namgyal, to the king. That was the beginning of the Namgyal Dynasty.
We climb up from Yoksum to Dubdi Monastery in 50 minutes. Built in 1701 it is probably the second oldest monastery in the country after Sanga Choling...

Trekking

A special permit is necessary for trekking in Sikkim which is obtained from the local agency. They have to arrange group tours as the hike may only be carried out in groups. But if you have more time, it is advisable to look for travel companions yourselves (e.g. in Hotel Tibet). Our small team consists of the guide, the cook, one helper, the Yak driver and two other members of the tour. Our baggage is loaded on two Dzos, a cross breed of cow and Yak...
...Because of the thin air we have to climb the mountain slowly that prevents the view being seen from the hut. When we finally arrive on top, the snow capped mountains already shine in a translucent blue. Wrapped up in warm clothing we wait by the wind shredded prayer flags for the first sunbeam on the summit. After the two foggy days of the ascent, we are rewarded by the fascinating sight of the highest peak of the mountain. It blushes beneath the light that seems to be flowing slowly downwards as if being poured over it. This process repeats itself on the other summits of the Kanchenjunga too, the five homes of the gods on the snow jewel. The sun then appears over Mt. Pandim. The mountain range of Kanchenjunga glitters in a brilliant white, a splendid background for the black and conical Mt. Kabur which every Sikkimese King ascended with his entire retinue for his inauguration to meditate in contemplation of the snow mountains...

Varsey

In Varsey, in the southwest of Sikkim, near the border to Nepal, there is a paradisiacal rhododendron nature reserve. We want to walk through it on a day trip. The best time to visit this terrain at about 2700m is between mid-March and mid-April...
...Our route leads through a dense forest. Besides high rhododendron trees - the earliest ones bloom red, then come pink and finally white ones - there are flowering wild almond trees and enormous horse chestnuts. The ground is dotted with strawberry flowers...
...Around lunchtime we are in Varsey which is on the tip of a hill in the middle of the rhododendron forest. Unfortunately, during the flowering season the air is rarely clear enough to see the Himalayas. A trekkers' provides accommodation for the night...