Holiday Diary Day 11: Gangtok - day of rest

Holiday Diary Day 11: Gangtok - day of rest

Yes! This is a day of rest. Have been junketing on some really bad roads and we had to give our backs a break from all this torture that we were subjecting it to in the last few days. So today we decided to stay put in the hotel.

So after a late start we took the kids for a walk to explore Gangtok. We were staying in Central Hotel which is located very close to the city center. It's opp SuperMarket on the NH that enters Gangtok.
This city is the cleanest city I've ever been in India and with the most orderly traffic. People follow road rules and are mostly polite to each other. There is no rubbish on the roads and this could be one of the reasons for the same.

Such signs abound in Sikkim and especially in Gangtok.

As I've already discussed with you before, the people here are also much more conscious of how they dress and groom themselves. So overall impression is of affluence, cleanliness, aesthetic appeal and a joie-de-vivre  that we don't often see in many other Indian states.
Right outside our hotel (in fact opposite it) is the Govt SuperMarket that houses four stories of shops selling clothes, clothes and more clothes with some footwear and accessories added for good measure. We visited it just once briefly.
Today we wanted our kids to see MG Marg. This is like the Mall in Shimla, Darjeeling and other Colonial Hill stations. It has a central promenade with shops lined on either side. The key difference is, this is the best maintained shopping road I've seen among all these hill stations. Traffic is not allowed in and there is ample seating for tired shoppers and gawkers to park themselves, catch their breath, have an ice cream or generally pass time.
Okay, I'm running ahead of myself. This the route to MG Marg from my hotel.

Over head pedestrian crossings abound in Gangtok

As you can see, these pedestrian crossings are so well maintained and user friendly that it considerably cuts down jay walking and indiscriminate crossing on busy roads

MG Mall, the Central Business District of Gangtok.

Our favourite restaurant in Gangtok, good dosas (for the north east)

Agarwals is a chain of Veg restaurants that have good chat, South indian dishes like dosas and idlis, Chole Bhatura and more. It's clean and reaonably priced and is a big relief for those who have had to make do with maggi noodles and momos for some days.

Favourite hangout and activity.

Befriending the guardians of our borders.

Sikkim Day - Band playing on MG Marg

Old and new co exist harmoniously in Gangtok. Old customs, new fads and tastes, and more. There was a whole contingent of people sitting around and enjoying this band - armed forces personnel, retired gentlemen, youngsters, tourists, Gorkhas and more.

Band in action - Sikkkim Day

The dragon is ever present in Gangtok and welcomes you at most entrances. This cafe has gone a little overboard with their dragon.

Gangtalk - a cafe and hangout joint

As you can see we went for a 2 hour walk that became a 4 hour hangout with some shopping and eating thrown in.

So as dusk settled in, we drifted back to our hotel to retire early for we had an early start to Pelling tomorrow.