From Darjeeling to Gangtok and to Subecha's home

 “Do I need to take my passport to come to Sikkim?” I asked Subecha. It was a basic question that reflected my lack of prior knowledge before undertaking one of the most pristine memories in my travel diaries.

I reached Gangtok on February 26, 2026, in a car that carried the nine of us from Darjeeling Chaurasta, aka the junction. I landed at Bagdogra Airport on February 23, 2026, and over the next three days, I fell in love with the people of Darjeeling. I also empathized with their daily struggles, which included working at tea gardens for as low as Rs 300.

The Himalayan Zoo, as well as the Mountaineering Institute, were fascinating, and the museum offered a how-to guide on mountain climbing. I also bought a small backpack travel bag from there as a memory of that trip.

However, I was a bit concerned about paying Rs 1,000 for the toy train joy ride. Despite that, it offered a round trip from Darjeeling Station to Ghoom Station. The fact that we travel by road while covering this two-hour journey itself is a different experience. Plus, I also got a chance to spend time with Indira aunty, who has taken up travelling as her new hobby in her 70s.

The stay at Hidden Monkey’s Backpackers, which offered me a dormitory, was also a cheap deal. The delicious momos and thukpa, as well as the daily meals from small shops, all turned out to be tasty. In particular, I enjoyed making conversation with the aunts and uncles who made food at these shops. For instance, the momos from an aunty near the Himalayan Zoo, the tasty rotis from the taxi stand by a deedi (sister), and the food from Mom's cafe (near Darjeeling Railway Station) do stand out.

At one point, I even thought about whether I should go to Gangtok because Darjeeling was giving me such a fulfilling experience. That feeling doubled after I visited the Tiger Hills viewpoint and Ghoom Monastery.

I am more of a solo traveller. I rarely travel with friends or family. Most of my plans are born from instant thoughts, and Darjeeling, too, was one such plan, where I informed my friend Pritten about the trip only after planning it.

That decision was taken when I was coming back from Athirappilly Waterfalls in Thrissur. I had wanted to visit Darjeeling since my Class IX days. But the decision to go there was taken in a matter of 15 minutes, with tickets being booked and places to see being researched during the train journey back to my village.

In Gangtok, I have a friend, Subecha Pradhan, who considers Pritten (Pinto di, as she calls) her “mentor.” I have known Subecha since 2021, as she is a member of Each One Teach One, an informal educational initiative started by me in 2015.

The decision to inform Subecha about the trip was also not a pre-decided one. We had not been in touch for a few years due to our busy schedules, although that was not a concern. Meanwhile, I saw a WhatsApp status of her singing, and messaged to congratulate her.

She asked me when I was visiting Darjeeling, remembering one of our previous conversations.

“Next month,” I responded, and explained my travel plans to her.

From that moment, Subecha was there throughout the entire Gangtok plan, to the point where she even came along to drop me at Bagdogra Airport on March 2.

Despite going to Gangtok, I was not sure what was in store for me, because it had been a long time since I travelled to a place with a friend. Usually, I go fully solo, meet friends at destinations, and move on.

But here, like I did with Raseela and Noble, two of my friends with whom I stayed and explored Mysore and Nalgonda, I would be doing something similar.

I would be visiting Subecha’s home in Teesta and the valley on February 28, from where I would go back to Kochi after three days. I did not overthink any of it, but it was a new experience of sorts.

I reached Gangtok around 3 pm amid cloudy weather, and Subecha, who is doing her PhD at the University of Sikkim, was there to receive me at the taxi stand.

We exchanged handshakes, climbed the steps, and finally reached the Sai Guest House (a budget-friendly option, with less than Rs 900 for two days). I placed my bags there, befriended the owner, and we started exploring.

Subecha initially took me to a nice Sikkim restaurant that offered a traditional Sikkim thali. The taste was delicious, and I had a hard time finishing it because it had a good quantity for a simple eater like me. But each curry was loaded with leafy and healthy nutrients, and the soup also went well with the rice.

We then moved to the Sikkim Orchidarium. Even though I am a lover of flowers, I was initially not too keen on visiting it because I prefer seeing flowers in their natural condition rather than in an exhibited form. But I kept that thought to myself and went with an open mind.

Subecha was right. There were hundreds of varieties of flowers, and everything was arranged well with the help of technology, three-dimensional views, and other displays.

It was a treat for any photo lover, and Subecha wanted me to pose at various places to help create memories. However, being more of an experience-loving person, I do not take many photos. In fact, I took just eight photos in total after covering around the same number of destinations in Darjeeling.

But Subecha is a smart photography enthusiast who has the skill to identify unique angles and compose frames. She made me pose a lot, to the point that I was silently worried whether I was enjoying the scenes or posing for photos.

The number may not seem like a lot for an ordinary traveller, but I am someone who takes fewer photos and saves memories in my mind. It has both good and bad aspects.

She took me around Enchey Monastery, the Department of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies at the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology (NIT), and MG Marg, all vibrant places. While the monasteries offered a calming, soothing experience, the busy streets showed me the impressive hygiene levels in Gangtok.

Naturally, I was falling in love with Gangtok.

The next day, I got a text from Subecha.

“Chetan (brother), did you feel the earthquake?”

That was when I realized that the shake I felt while doing my remote job at 4 am was not that of any moving train (where is the train in Gangtok?), but due to an earthquake of 4.0 intensity, which was not too high.

But the earthquake indeed put our plan to visit Tsomgo (Changu) Lake in jeopardy.

The region had been witnessing negative temperatures for the past few days, and travelling there was not an easy task. We even decided to call off the plan before Subecha suggested that we should still do it, as we had time until Saturday afternoon before going to Teesta Bazaar.

As planned, I reached the Gurudwara location around 6 am. But I was early. I took a photo of the Ganju Lama Cantonment Gate to share with Subecha, who was coming with a taxi.

An army man noticed me taking the photo and asked me about it. I told him about my travel and about Subecha.

Like many others, he was surprised that I came alone. I sometimes do not feel like explaining why I enjoy solo travel and how comfortable I am going anywhere alone.

We chatted for a long time, and he was from Andhra Pradesh. I told him about my education at the University of Hyderabad (where I met Pritten) and my working history in Hyderabad for four years. We spoke in Telugu.

I also exchanged small talk with several army men. They offered me water, which I stored in my bottle.

The water in Gangtok was so cold, but I still took a cold-water bath early in the morning as the geyser in my room was not working. I actually enjoyed it and felt like it was an ice bath.

The army person from UP invited me to visit Agra to see the Taj Mahal and also visit Varanasi one day. They even took me to the waiting gate and offered me a seat as I waited for the cab to arrive.

Subecha and the cab arrived around 6:40 am.

The road was covered with snow. We did not speak much on the way to the lake. But whenever the road reached a turn, we were greeted with majestic views of mountains filled with homes, homestays, and vegetables.

The snow was perhaps disrupting the view a bit, but I was enjoying this mystic atmosphere.

We stopped at a small shop where the three of us had breakfast. I had a tasty bread omelette.

As we neared the lake, I could see snow on the road. The roads were well-maintained, and I told the driver that he must have a great skill set to drive here.

We finally reached the lake, which was filled with snow. I saw a few dogs who looked like they were shivering in the cold.

I was wearing one hoodie and a jacket over it, and despite that, my voice was freezing, according to Subecha.

On the way, I spotted a few Himalayan yaks, and Subecha reminded me to take photos. But she also remarked that sometimes simply enjoying the view is enough.

The lake was completely covered with snow. I took a few pieces of snow from the road and threw them into the lake.

The view kept playing hide and seek with the sun appearing and disappearing.

We reached quite early, and there were fewer than 20 visitors at that time.

Soon, a man came with a Himalayan yak, and I asked if I could take a 300-meter ride to the ropeway. It would cost only Rs 500, while the round trip was Rs 1,500.

I am indeed a budget traveller. I do not overspend, which allows me to cover more places with my savings.

More than that, I do not like being a tourist. I am comfortable being a traveller, someone who may sleep at a railway station, stay at a dargah, visit non-touristy places, and enjoy them.

I gently touched the yak while climbing on and silently apologized in my mind, showing affection by gently rubbing its body.

The yak ride was special, and Subecha shot videos.

She was also filling me with interesting insights about each place we were going to. For instance, she told me about prayer wheels, the rotating cylinders found in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. I also observed how friendly Subecha was with people over there, and it reminded me of myself when I travel inside Kerala.

I too was not silent and made sure to strike decent connections with people, especially in Darjeeling. Subecha’s presence also taught me that I need to add more depth to my photographic skills.

The road at the lake was slippery, so Subecha thought that she might fall. I held her hands at the slippery points. Another interesting aspect of Subecha is her cool sense of dressing and impressive accessories.

After covering Tsomgo Lake, we returned to Gangtok, where we met a traveller from Rajasthan while taking the ropeway.

Subecha offered to help him reach MG Marg. He was working at the Rajasthan High Court and asked me what there was to see in Darjeeling because he couldn't find anything different from what is in Sikkim.

That question struck me because he was thinking like a tourist, while I was looking at Darjeeling from a traveller’s perspective. That is why I still want to revisit that place.

After that brief encounter, we did some shopping for the home. I bought a small backpack for Subecha’s dad (the “World’s Best Dad,” according to Subecha, and I second it), who had celebrated his birthday a day earlier.

We travelled to Teesta Bazaar by bus that Saturday.

We reached Subecha’s home in the evening after passing the beautiful Teesta Valley bridge, all laced with Himalayan flags. I presented the gifts to Subecha’s parents. On the way home, I also saw a nice cricket ground near the Teesta River.

Initially, I felt like I wanted to go to my room in Darjeeling, where I had booked for the next few days. This was because of two reasons: 1) my love for staying at private, secluded places, and 2) the thought of whether I was making it too much for Subecha and her family. The truth was that I wasn’t, which I realized in the next three days through their love. Subecha’s mom, whom I initially called aunty, then became my maa. She served me herbal tea when I was working and came with snacks. “Treat me like your mother,” was what she said with that affirmative and loving "dheek h beta? (Okay, dear?). We also went to her government health centre and saw the nature of her work. She, like my mother, doesn’t like to take rest and works quite a lot. Subecha and her dad were also renovating their home, and it looked spectacular, with long windows and spacious interiors. The Teesta River can be seen from their outhouse, and it was a scenic place. But I was a bit worried about the steps, as it would be tough for elderly people to get down to the road in a hilly area like this.

Subecha’s grandmother sang me a bhajan, and her grandfather, a retired army man, has a habit of playing solo cards. I felt individually connected to them all, and they were friendly and lovable to me. So was Mahesh Bhayya, who drove us around the Teesta and later to the airport. I spoke a lot with Subecha’s buba (father). He is working in the forest department and is set to retire in 2027. A well-mannered, lovable, and good-natured person, he had a special degree of maturity. His face resembled that of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose a bit.

Subecha’s mom looked beautiful too, and the way she asked “acha hein?” and my response with “haa maa,” along with a thumbs up, was a sweet food memory.

She made me eat special upma, momos, traditional lunch, aloo parota, and many more dishes. Subecha’s dad helped satisfy my curiosity by explaining the politics in West Bengal and the separate state demand, aka the Gorkhaland protest. “You are lucky to have a daughter like Subecha,” I told Dad. I was not kidding. She is intelligent, smart, friendly, empathetic, and has a genuine love and concern for everyone around her. I had bought a miniature houseboat from Kerala and a keychain from the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology. I am also supposed to send her attar (a traditional, alcohol-free perfume oil derived from natural botanical sources like flowers, herbs, and spices), along with a letter. Hours before leaving the Teesta home came the visit to a special destination, Lamahatta. The place was surrounded by towering pine and dhupi trees and offered a beautiful forest view. We went there in a group of five, with Subecha’s grandmother and mother also joining us. Her father couldn’t join because he had to take care of his grandfather. Lamahatta also gave a nice hiking-like experience, and the interactions with Kamala didi (Kamala Pradhan), who served us coffee and black tea, and the woman who made noodles for Subecha and played melodic music from her speaker, were all special memories.

We also explored a local momos shop at night and had a happy dinner at home later.

I woke up the next day as a happy man. I bid goodbye to everyone. Subecha’s dad had a surprise for me, as he had bought a traditional shirt and a shawl. Maa hugged me. I touched the feet of Subecha’s mom and dad and once again invited them to Kerala. They also asked me to visit again, either solo or with family. After this, Subecha came to see me off at Bagdogra Airport alongside Mahesh bro. Meanwhile, Pritten, my concerned friend, was also video-calling Subecha to get updates on me. On the way back, Subecha excitedly showed me the college where Pritten did her graduation. We reached, and nothing dramatic happened at the airport. Subecha and I smiled at each other, said goodbye, and left for Kochi and Teesta respectively. Looking back, I cannot thank her and the family enough. I now feel the warmth of her saying chetan (brother) and start to believe that I now have a family in Teesta. Such was the experience, thanks to their family. A place becomes a feeling when we connect well with the people. It is important to travel with an open mind and embrace uncertainties. Additionally, I felt a love for Darjeeling because, similar to how the ‘Queen of Hills’ is surrounded by tea gardens, I hail from a village that is covered with paddy fields.

Darjeeling, Gangtok, and Teesta will remain fond memories, thanks to these people and the beauty of these places.