After all this natural beauty, was Gangtok a bit boring?
The high point of Gangtok was a helicopter ride. For about 25 minutes, we flew over the Himalayas, with the co-pilot pointing out peaks and other landmarks. Since the copter is very noisy, they had to use a microphone. Was that the highlight of the trip for you? No, white water rafting on the Teesta was. Though some of us were unsure about taking on the challenge, nobody wanted to miss the thrill. The local guides gave us a very clear briefing on safety measures and then joined us on the ride. We were in the river for 45 minutes, with the river flowing very fast at many places. The boat tilts to almost 40 degrees—the whole experience is so much more thrilling than a bungee jump. We also had a yak ride near the famous Tsangu Lake, on the way to Nathu La. The five kids even had a race—that was great fun. At the pass itself, we were lucky enough to experience snowfall, with the temperature dipping to minus 7 degrees. It was a first for us and so very memorable. What about food and drink?
