We book our train tickets to Assam for 1st April, then try to get the cable car down to the south of
Gangtok. Unfortunately there's a power cut and the cable car, worryingly, isn't running. So we walk down instead.
The
Institute of Tibetology is an interesting place. In a building built in the Tibetan monastery vernacular, and inaugurated by
Nehru in the 1950s, it contains numerous Tibetan items including a human thigh bone trumpet and a bowl made form a human skull. It also has a beautiful series of
thangkas (painted, woven scrolls) showing the 12 achievements of Buddha. Upstairs is an atmospheric library of Tibetan prayer books, and on the top floor is a brilliant photo exhibition documenting Sikkim-Bhutan relations since the time of the Raj. There are images of stiff and formal British military officers meeting the tribal monarchy of
Bhutan, and an excellent photo of the normally exquisitely dignified Nehru looking rather uncomfortable riding through
Sikkim astride a yak!
Throwing caution to the wind we decide to get the obviously unreliable cable car back up to the north of Gangtok, to visit the
flower exhibition centre, which is full of orchids of all descriptions. Inside the humid room displays of orchids are al around, and people pose in front of them for photos. Kate buys a couple of orchid bulbs, confident that neither of us has the slightest idea of how to rear one once we get home.
Later we eat spaghetti with salami and a mixed vegetable pizza at 'Little Italy', the hottest restaurant in town. It's ok, but the spaghetti tastes extremely sweet!
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