A continuation....

The Tale continues.....Harbhajan Singh was working with the Indian Army and one day, as he went out to fetch some water from the river, he went missing...presumably got drowned. He then appared in a fellow soldier's dream and expressed a desire for a memorial (Samadhi) to be constructed in his name. So thus was born the Samadhi. Even after all these years, his belongings and the room he lived in, are immaculately maintained. Defense personnel come up to the shrine every now and then to seek the Baba's blessings. And on Sundays, they open the langar for the people who visit the shrine. It is also widely believed that the Baba has healing powers, so much so that, people place bottles of water attaching their name tags to them, in the premises of the Samadhi for seven days. After the week is over, they collect the bottle and drink the water for 21 days continuously. They believe that the water blessed by the Baba acquires healing properties and people suffering from bodily ailments can recover!!!

So after partaking the Langar , i took some photographs and was back in the car for the journey back. It was really cold there..plus it was drizzling..freezing absolutely ...and i wasn't adequately covered in woolens....i was in my jeans, t-shirt, sneakers and an angora wool cardigan ....and i shivered like hell.....what more can be expected at 13,600 ft????

On our way back, we stopped at the Tsongo Lake-- its a neat lake , placid waters amidst brownish mountains with patches of snow. During winter, the lake gets completely frozen. There were a row of shops on one side of the road --- selling local wares and ofcourse there were the Yaks ...really adorable....with their mop of silvery white hair, covering their face and forehead!!!! Clicked a few more photographs and we were back in the car pretty soon.

On reaching Sikkim, we stopped by at the flower show---- not too many fresh flowers though--- supposedly the orchid season had finished....so all we could see were a few vaieties of orchids, wild hydrangias in blue,pink and purple (hope i have got the correct spelling) and lots and lots of red anthuriums!!!! Reached the guest house by mid afternoon....ate a delicious plate of authentic ( authentic because the ones we get here are almost always filled with onions and the always seem to be half steamed!!!!) , steaming chicken momos and just hung around.

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During my entire stay in Gangtok , i watched some amazing movies...old classics..." Gone With the Wind", "My Fair Lady"....some new ones too "Pride and Prejudice", " Charlie and the Chcolate Factory" (to be really honest...i didn't like it too much!!), "Bluffmaster" and some really forgettable movies..not worth mentioning here...

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On the whole the trip was great fun and i had a blast!!! One must visit Sikkim....its really beautiful .....