Yuksom

Yuksom, a quaint town at the edge of civilization

June 2024

Yuksom is a quaint small town with a square consisting of a few shops where most of the locals can be seen hanging around. It is the beginning of the Kanchenjunga National Park and there are many treks starting from there. We boarded up at the hotel Pemathang (Pema means Lotus and Thang - a place) which is owned by the nephew of Danny Dengzongpa, the famous Filmstar from Sikkim. The day to day running is managed by another partner, Writh Dasgupta. Writh works as a sound engineer at T-Series in Delhi and stays in Yuksom during the season. Our caretaker was a cook called Gurung who in an earlier career used to be part of many trekking groups. He made some wonderful healthy dishes for us. Locally grown foods in Sikkim are potato, cabbage, carrots and leafy vegetables like Rai Saag etc. while tomatoes and Rice came from the plains. We saw a lot of maize crops growing around which is combined with rice for food as part of their staple diet.

Danny Dengzongpa is from Yuksom and studied in the local school. In fact a lot of land, hotels and property in Yuksom is owned by his family though he is not from the Chogyal or the royal family. We were told that Danny doesn't come to Yuksom often and the last time he was here was with Jackie Shroff  to promote his beer, Dansburg and also when his brother had passed away recently.

Gurung Monastery

In the middle of the square is a Gupta restaurant. The owner did his catering studies in Bangalore from a private firm near Domlur. He manages the back end  while his wife and daughter are on the front end of the restaurant. The lady served up some beautiful vegetarian fare and it was the only place where we could get curd, a staple for one of my vegetarian friends.

Kathok Lake

The town was abuzz with news that a young man and woman who were guides had just lost their lives in a freak accident - they were struck by lightning in the nearby Singalila mountains. The whole town for forlorn with grief as many of the town folk knew them.

At the square we met by chance, Sanjeev Limbu who runs Smile Sikkim, a trekking agency. A young enthusiastic man, he recently started out on his own and I instantly took a liking to him. We told him that we wanted a low intensity trek and he planned out a village to village trek for three nights and four days.

Coronation Throne

Sanjeev also gave us a local itinerary for the day and we went around Yuksom starting from Gurung Monastery, Coronation Throne and ending at the Kathok lake and Monastery. The path to Gurung Monastery was through the Secondary High School and we could see children playing football early in the morning before school started. Football is extremely popular and all across our journey, we saw football fields even high up in the mountains. No wonder, India's two well known footballers - Bhaichung Bhutia and Sunil Chhetri are from Sikkim. 

Near Gurung monastery, we saw a beautiful house overlooking the valley and were told it belongs to a teacher. Teachers are one of the highest paid Government jobs in Sikkim, so looks like the state has got its priorities right. Every where we went, we saw children dressed smartly in their White and Black school clothes going to school. 

Meanwhile, Dasgupta gave us a reference of a homestay in Ravangla which is also in West Sikkim called Borong nature camp, which we decided would be our next destination after Yuksom. We dropped going to Gangtok and East Sikkim as we heard stories of packed crowds, washed out roads and heavy traffic. We decided not do this point based tourism and go to "Pointless" places instead where we could relax, explore nature and hang around with the locals.

Pelling

Pelling, views of the Kanchenjunja 

June 2024

I and two of my school friends were keen to do a trip together and after looking at various options, we decided to go for a 2 week journey to Sikkim. Landing at Bagdogra airport, we took a 6 hour taxi ride and reached Pelling in West Sikkim which was our starting point to experience this enchanting region. 

Pelling is at the top of a hill and has a plethora of hotels on one end all jostling for space to get a view of the Kanchenjunga. We checked in at Mandavya homestay which was a little far downhill away from the crowds. The next day morning, we were able to get just a tiny glimpse of Kanchenjunga as it was cloudy due to the oncoming monsoons. The white peaks peering out of the clouds felt magical and uplifting.

The homestay that we stayed in was a lovely Chhetri family of the patriarch, his wife and kids. The eldest son was managing the homestay. The daughter is a physics teacher and had a Master's in physics. His youngest son is in Gangtok. Both our host and his wife are teachers. A very warm and welcoming family, we had many good conversations in the Kitchen cum dining space. The daughter is getting married this year and she met her to-be husband while she was studying in college. In Chettri marriages, all the guests give money to the family for expenses. For a boy's marriage they have to call the entire village and for a woman, they typically call close relatives and friends. Light heartedly, she promised to invite us for her wedding. 

What we learnt was that Sikkim has 11 languages, each with their own script and is taught as an optional all the way upto college level. The common language used everywhere is Nepalese. The original inhabitants of Sikkim are Lepchas and then there are the Bhutias, the Chhetri, Rais etc. Interestingly the Bhutias and Lepchas are buddhists and eat beef and pork, whereas the Chhetris and Rais are hindus and don't. Therefore inter-community marriages have interesting dynamics.

View of Pelling Town from our Guest House

Every body helped out in the Kitchen making food for the guests. One of their cousins was also taking care of us. On the last night, we were joined by another cousin who had a Government job and is now planning to give his UPSC exams. He spoke English very well and we were impressed with his quiet determination and answers to our questions, polite and well grounded for a 21 year old. 

Our Hosts

On the first day, we walked up to the town from our homestay. We went to the Sky Walk and spent some time at the Sanghak Choeling Monastery. This monastery is one of the earliest in Sikkim and was established in 1647. There we met some young student monks who were clearing out the grass and outgrowth as part of their morning duties. Their classroom and dormitories were on one side of the property. On peeking into their classroom, I saw an interesting mix of Maths, Physics and Tibetan Scriptures on their benches. 

Sanghak Choeling Monastery

Surprisingly, we found no medical shop in Pelling. For the hill people, medicine is an after thought. A day later, while my friends went for paragliding, I spent some time at Pemayangtse Monastery. After that I tried to find my way to the Rabdentse Ruins, but the path was not well marked, so gave that up. Rabdentse was the second capital of the former Kingdom of Sikkim from 1670 to 1814.

The next day, we were given a warm send off by our hosts with traditional Khata scarfs and after saying our good byes, we started our journey to Yuksom, the first Capital of Sikkim.

Thakek and overall impression of Laos

The Thakek Loop

Jan 2024

Thakek is in the Center of Laos and the journey from Vientiane goes around the Thailand bulge along the Mekong river to reach there. The Mekong forms the natural boundary between Laos and Thailand for a large part of the country. Thakek is famous for a circuitous journey around it called the Takek loop and is very popular amongst motorcyclists and cyclists.

The town itself is very quaint and the riverside area has some beautiful sitting spots and restaurants and one can watch the brightly lit Thai side. A little on the North is the Thai–Lao Friendship 3 Bridge through which one can move between the two countries. I was thinking that it is impossible to monitor the border since it was a porous natural border like India and Bangladesh and if there was an internal or external war in Laos, there is nothing that the Thai authorities can do to prevent people from crossing over to their side.

The bus to Thahek arrived around 9 PM pm on 23rd Jan which was about an 8 hour drive from Vientiene. I checked into Song Lao Guesthouse which is where a lot of people doing the loop stay in. The next day, after hiring a motorcike, I started the Thakek loop. This would be a 3 day, 2 nights journey starting from Thakek to the Kong Lor caves and then back to Thakek through highway 13 in a loop.

Loop - Day 1

The first stop was Tham Nong Pa Fa (Tham is cave and Nong Pa Fa means lake of soft-shelled turtle) or the Buddha Cave which was accidentally discovered by a local villager and has a collection of 229 bronze Buddhas over 300 years old. The surroundings and the lake is serene and beautiful.

I sopped over for the evening at Nam Theun which is beside the river of the same name. There are a couple of guesthouses and the one I stayed in was called Phosy Thalang just beside Sabaidee Guesthouse. They have a wonderful restaurant overlooking the lake and with great views. At the reception desk was a French young man called Thomas who had run out of money, so decided to volunteer to be the desk manager for some time. The Laotian family running the restaurant provided free boarding and lodging and he in turn would manage all customers since many of their customers were French. Good arrangement! Thomas said he was waiting for another friend to join, then he might move on to his next destination. 

All through the journey, I could see small manmade lakes due to the flooding of the land as the river was being dammed upstream to form a reservoir. Laos was involved in constructing multiple dams across the country to provide power mainly for its neighbour Thailand. They had the ambition of becoming the "Battery of South East Asia" due to their abundant water resources. However, this modern style development will have its own impact and together with the improvement in Roads and the high speed rail built y the Chinese, we are going to see a different Lao in a few years. In a way, this would be last Shangri-La before it got absorbed by the Capitalism Juggernaut coming in fiercely at it from all sides.

Loop Day 2

I left early next morning as I wanted to reach the Kong Lor caves by afternoon before it got too hot. You take the bend at Lak Sao into highway no 8 and then travel further till once comes at a fork which leads into the south and inland towards the caves. All along are Karst mountains and soon I reached Thongdam Guesthouse which was a few meters away from where the gates to the caves started. I settled down for the evening and take a well deserved break after the day's driving. The room was nice and the guesthouse lay among the rice fields. There were other guest houses  nearby and soon the wrooming of motorcycles could be heard as other travelers started reaching the village.

In the evening, went up for dinner at a local restuarant called "The Best One". Run by a couple, it was a lovely setting amongst the rice fields with ducks around us. Soon, we were a group of 10 odd people and had a great time discussing the various countries we were from and some travel stories. 

Loop - Day 3

The Kong Lor cave open at 8 AM and I was the first at the counter with another person from Netherlands and both of us shared the boat to go into the cave and come out on the other side. Kong Lor was the highlight of the Laos trip along with Luang Prabang. The trip is through a 7.5 Km underground river inside the mountain that goes into the Kong Lor Valley and emerges on the Natane valley on the other side. It is pitch dark inside and all of us had headlights which was the only thing available for navigation. Our boatman maneuvered the diesel motorized boat expertly along the bends of the river which is pretty shallow and therefore required a knowledge of the river. 

Along the way, we got off to see stalagmites and stalactites and since we were the first, as our boatman switched on the electric lights at each point along the journey, the formations came alive in a spectacular fashion. 

After spending some time on the other side, I made the return trip back through the cave and then checked out of my homestay for the drive back to Thakek. On the way back, there is an excellent spot called The Rock Viewpoint which is a must stop for a cup of coffee and lunch and also to go deep into the Karst mountain and see the eco system there. Very thoughtfully designed and managed, one can take a small self guided hike within the mountain and there is also facility for Ziplining from one point to another and back. 

Back To Thakek

Back at Thakek, I spent the evening and the next day at the river bank and its restaurants. Of interest is the Wat Nabo Si Pattanaram which is a beautiful temple and contains the city pillar.

From Thakek, the next place which people often go to is Pakse which was further south. Instead I decided to exit the country through the land route to Vietnam so that I could reach Da Nang and take the flight out of the country to India. The other option was to bus it down to Bangkok which would take a lot of time. Pakse and the 1000 Islands which are Islands within the Mekong river (Similar to Majuli in Assam on the Brahmaputra) had to be kept for my next visit to the country.

The border crossing to Vietnam was not as smooth as crossing over to Laos from Thailand. I had an American and a few Germans for company. However, the journey was pretty smooth and soon I found myself in Vietnam and from there back to India. 

Overall Impression of Laos

Laos is a lower middle income developing country and therefore its standard of living is similar to India and below its other neighbors including Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia. Transportation, stay and food costs are therefore expensive compared to these other countries.

However, Laos is changing at a rapid pace. While India may have been the cultural influencer in the past, today its the Chinese that are in favor and helping the Laos government build cities, ports and railways. The high speed link from China through Vientiane to Bangkok is a regional gamechanger. It has brought in Chinese tourists into Laos. Today, Mandarin is being taught in Laotian classrooms. in preparation for further business from China. 

Similarly, there are many hydroelectric projects being built in collaboration with France, its erstwhile Colonial power to meet demand from Thailand. Highways are being laid and becoming better.

Food wise, Laos is influenced mainly by Thailand and in turn is closely linked with the Isan region of Thailand which is culturally similar. Laotian food doesn't have the refinement of Thai cuisine, but is unique with tangy Umami and earthy flavors. Most Laotians are Buddhists and society is religious and conservative. Laotian people are easygoing and warm and welcoming though tourism still needs to develop compared to its other neighbors. 

Overall, its a great country to explore with its two Jewels of Luang Prabang and the Karst hill regions of Thakek and Kong Lor. Laos is the place for travelers who love nature and outdoors with a penchant for timeless culture. It is rapidly changing though as the country hurriedly hurtles into modernity, so time is limited.  

  

Vientiane

Capital City

Patuxai

Vientiane is a mid sized town and capital of Laos. It is located on the river banks of Mekong but the river can be seen only at a distance as there is a big sand embankment along side the city. The city was founded during the late 13th century, and in the mid-16th century the capital of the Lao kingdom moved from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. 

After reaching Vientiane, I checked in to my hotel Moonlight Champa. A few meters nearby I found an excellent Laotian restaurant called Lao Derm and I settled down for a traditional Laotian papaya salad Tham Mak Hoon with sticky rice. 

In the evening, it was time to walk around and check out the surroundings. Nearby was the Patuxai or the victory monument ((Patu means "gateway" and Xai is derived from Sanskrit Jaya which means "victory") This gateway built in the 1960s is modeled after Arc de Triomphe in Paris and is the most prominent landmark in the city. The design however has typical Lao and Hindu motifs. The central cloister vault at the ground level is decorated with depictions of the gods Vishnu, Brahma, and Indra. All through out Laos, I could see the influence of Hinduism in their past, while economic realities of the present have made China their natural partner now. 

Recently added to the Patuxai is a fountain donated by the Chinese where local families were having a good time playing in the water and taking photographs. 

The Wats of Vientiane

Ho Phrakeo

The next day was a Sunday and I took a bicycle from my hotel to cycle around the city.  I started with Patuxai before the crowds came in and went up to the top of the monument where you can get views of the surrounding area. From there, I went to the Ho Phrakeo Museum which is a temple built in 1565–1566 on the orders of King Setthathirath after he moved the capital from Luang Prabang to Vientiane. The temple was built on the grounds of the royal palace to house the Emerald Buddha figurine, which Setthathirath had brought from Chiang Mai, then the capital of Lanna, to Luang Prabang. The temple was used as Setthathirath's personal place of worship, and because of this, there were no resident monks in this temple unlike other temples in Laos. Inside the museum there is a fascinating collection of Buddha statutes, Khymer sculptures and a Lacquered door. 

In the afternoon  and evening, went sauntering around some antique shops and spent time drinking coffee at the many great cafes around. 

Other notable temples to see in Vientiane are Wat Sisaket (near Ho Phrakeo) and Wat Si Muang. The former is the oldest temple still standing in Vientiane and has a 

Pha That Luang

cloister wall with more than 2,000 ceramic and silver Buddha images. The temple also houses a museum. Wat Si Muang and the nearby Hor Lak Muang houses the city pillars which are the foundations of the city. 

The Great Stupa

Finally, before leaving Vientiane, I went to see Pha That Luang (The Great Stupa), the most important national monument in Laos as well as a national symbol. This is a large, gold-covered Buddhist stupa which was built in 1566 by King Setthathirat. The original stupa which was built in 3rd century BC was believed to have contained a sacred relic of the Buddha. It is a big complex with multiple temples and grounds to move around and watch the locals performing their faith. 

After a few days in Vientiane, it was time to move on south towards Central Laos and the Thakek trail!

Vang Vieng

The party never ends

Jan 2024

Evening View from Green Restaurant

I was picked up by a Mercedes Mini Van which was very comfortable, especially required as the roads were not too good in many places. My travelers were a bunch of Europeans who were picked up from various hotels, before we started driving.

There is the main highway towards Vang Vieng but apparently it as under repair and would take a lot of time, so we took the mountain route which was faster. Just as you cross into the Vang Vieng province, there is a nice mountain cafe with good views over the valley. After 5 1/2 hours, we reached Vang Vieng and from the main road, the vang Vieng Global Guesthouse where I was staying was a few minutes.

I was warmly received by the reception lady who introduced herself as Anna. After checking in, I took a list of restaurants to go to from Anna and went around checking the place out. I went down to Green Restaurant which has the most spectacular sunset and spent the twilight hour enjoying the views over food and drinks.

Vang Vieng is along the Nam Song river and it is popular with backpackers, seeking adventure sports and for its spectacular limestone karst landscape surrounding the town. The town is very popular for tubing, a sport where one floats down the river on tubes, but due to accidental deaths and bad reputation over the years, it is restricted now and there are many other adventure activities to chose from.

The next day, I hired a bike and went out to explore the different Lagoons and caves around Vang Vieng. The karst mountains are lovely and worth exploring around. Finally it was time to leave Vang Vieng for Vientiane, the capital of Laos. Meanwhile I was quite impressed with Anna's energy and how she engaged with all the guests. I hadn't seen this kind of attitude in Laotians who are more relaxed and easy going. The French colonists had a saying "The Vietnamese plant the rice, the Cambodians watch it grow, and the Laotians listen to it grow." That pretty much sums up the Indo-China experience! 

While sitting at the reception, Anna told me her story. She was originally from Vietnam (No Wonder for her work ethic), but moved to Vang Vieng after she caught her boyfriend cheating on her many times. She was hoping to find a white European in Vang Vieng (many of whom pass by) and settle down in the future. I told her Laos was not the place to be in as the travelers are just passing by and instead to go back to Da Nang where she would do very well as economic opportunities are high there and there are more westerners looking to settle down. I wished her all the best, then boarded a van which would take me to to Vientiane which was about a 2 hours drive away.

 

Luang Prabang

A World Heritage City

Jan 2024

Luang Prabang is a small quaint town at the confluence of the Mekong and Nam Khan rivers.It was the royal capital of the country until 1975. The town has Laotian and French architecture with beautiful temples, traditional houses and colonial villas. At the square is a night market where you get wonderful street food and wares. Its a delightful place to wander around and the place is dotted with Cafes, restaurants and local food stalls. 

A world Heritage site, the roads and building are well maintained and one can spend a few days just walking around the Wats and the cafes. On both sides of the town are the riverfront restaurants and residences. It is a pretty sight all around. 

The next day, I had an early start. I walked around to the Wat May Souvannapoumaram,  Wat Sensoukharam both of which were built in the 18th century, then went to the most important temple Wat Xiengthong which is near the confluence of the two rivers. Xiengthong means Golden City which was the name of Luang Prabang earlier. This Wat or temple was set up in 1560 and is a representation of Laotian architecture.  The Sim which is the central shrine hall is composed of nine cascading roofs and is decorated by gold stenciling. The roofs sweep downward in an elaborate array, unique to the architecture of Laos.

Luang Prabang means "the place of the Buddha," for the sacred image of Buddha from which kings would derive their divine right. After the Emerald Buddha which has got a special place in the lives of Laos and Thailand, this is the most sacred image of Buddha in the lives of Laotians. This buddha image is located in a specially made temple Haw Phra Bang in the grounds of the Royal Palace Museum. I spent some time in the museum and then managed to see the Phra Bang before they closed the temple for the afternoon.

In the Palace Museum grounds is also where there is a Laotian Ramayan performance. Unfortunately the performance was cancelled. On enquiring, I was told that the entire troupe had gone to Ayodhya, India  where the Ram temple was being inaugurated. Apparently all Ramayan troupes from South East Asian countries were invited to be part of the celebrations.

I ambled around the river front and then had my lunch. In the evening, went around to the Night markets and enjoyed hanging around. The next day, I got up early in the morning to watch the Alms Giving ceremony. Every day the monks come out with their begging bowls early in the morning and residents and tourists alike give them rice, vegetables and any other food items. It was quite touristy, but if you go away from the crowds in the inner lanes, you can see ordinary residents giving alms with devotion and empathy. 

I hired a bike and went to visit the Kuang Si Waterfall, one of the most famous in Laos. The road to the waterfall went along side the Mekong before it turned inward to the waterfall. On the way was an Elephant Sanctuary. You need a ticket to see the waterfall and it is a well kept place with adequate parking, a walking trail and stops in between to see the waterfall cascades. I spent half the day there going up to the top of the waterfall and stopping at various pools in between. It is one of the most prettiest waterfalls I have seen and a definite highlight of Luang Prabang and Laos.

On the way back, stopped by at Mekong Cafe which had great coffee and views of the river, before reaching Luang Prabang in the afternoon. I then went to visit one of the oldest antique collectors in Luang Prabang, the Pathana Boupha Antique House. The owners are from a prominent local family and the late patriarch of the family designed many of the costumes and ornaments used in the former Royal Palace. 

After browsing through the many antique pieces, I settled on buying a 100 year old wooden Buddha with gold leaf Lacquer. Even if one doesn't buy, It is worth coming here just to check out the beautiful old building and antique collection. 

The following day, I started out on my journey to Vang Vieng, the party capital of Laos. 

Laos - Food

Earthy and Umami Flavors

Jan 2024

Laotian food has a mix of influences from Thailand and Myanmar. While the food is similar to Thai, there are some important differences. 

Let's start with Laab which is the National dish and a type of meat salad. It is a representative food of Laos that consists of mixed meat, fish sauce, red pepper, garlic, herbs and spices. The secret ingredient is an earthy strong fish sauce called Padek which has a very earthy umami flavor. Laab is unique to Laos and you have different kinds of meat salads, which use beef, pork, fish etc. 

Laab is derived from the sanskrit word "Labh" which means lucky and is considered a food of good luck in both Laos and Thailand. Laab is very popular in Laos and Isan and Lanna regions of Thailand which has a lot of Laotian influence.

Tham Mak Hoong with Khao Niew

The second important food is the Green papaya salad or Tham Mak Hoong. Tham means smashed and the papaya salad is made up of strips of green papaya smashed together with fish sauce and Padek to give it a strong umami flavor. It is funky, spicy, and aggressive in flavor and a little bit of an acquired taste, but enjoyable once you get used to it. The papaya salad juice is dark due to the mix of crab paste, shrimp paste, and Padek.

The third important dish of Laos is the sticky rice, Khao Niew. The rice doesn't stick to the hand and can be picked up with the hand and dipped into the sauces of salads to be eaten. It is similar to eating with a Roti. 

Yao Khao and Khao Tom

There are different variations of the salad and one which is popular is the Yam Salat which comes from the Luang Prabang region.  This is a fusion salad and has French influences. It is made with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, watercress, mint, coriander and spring onion. It’s topped with chopped peanuts, slices of boiled egg, crispy shallots and a distinct sweet and creamy dressing.  

There are also the rice noodles starting with the Khao Piak which is an Udaan style noodle made from rice flour and tapioca. Then you have the Khao Poon, a fermented rice vermicelli noodle. Finally, there is the Khao Soi which is made from flat rice noodles dipped in a pork broth and embellished with a bolognese of minced pork, tomatoes, garlic and fermented bean paste. 

Then there are different crispy rice salads like Nam Khao, Spring rolls like Yao Khao, coconut sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves like Khao Tom and coconut cakes like Khao Nom Kok (which look and taste like Kerala Unniyapams)

So that's broadly the cuisine of Laos.