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An early morning view of the snow capped peaks of the Eastern Himalaya. The team were all weary from the previous days journey and a late night game of Jenga. After breakfast of porridge and eggs we set off on a sightseeing and cultural day. First stop was the Rumtek Monastery where the Indian Army provided security due to the controversy regarding the reincarnation of the 17th Karmapa. We were not able to go inside the prayer hall as the monks were practising for a dance festival. However, we visited the Golden Stupa containing the statues of the previous 16 reincarnations of the Karmapa. Then we moved to the large highly decorated and colourful library that was part of the university within the monastery. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed within the monastery.
Next, after a short journey in the Maruti Taxi’s (very small Suzuki van), we visited the Institute of Tibetology. The institute housed many statues, paintings, and embroidery of Tibetan Buddhist origin. A short walk away at the top of a hill we also visited the Chorten (Stupa in Tibetan), which was surrounded by the monks’ accommodation. Our lunch stop was at Porky’s, a Tibetan restaurant. The food was very good with large portions.
Next the team split and some went to a Tibetan handicraft cooperative for some shopping and others went back to the hotel to sort out their equipment and update the website. The cultural tour ended with a visit to the local flower show, which housed many flowering plants, and over a hundred varieties of Orchid. The Maruti Taxis were waiting for us to take us back through the rain to the hotel. The team took the final opportunity to do some shopping and re-pack before enjoying a delicious set meal at the hotel. Everyone was looking forward to getting back into the hills to enjoy the mountain views of Sikkim and achieve our goal of reaching the Goecha La.
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