Sikkim is the Switzerland of India, a place very different from any other part of the country I saw on my travels, an Indian state that has more in common with neighboring Bhutan, Nepal, and Tibet than with the rest of India. I call Sikkim "The Switzerland of India" not only because of its mountainous topography in the Himalayas but also because of its relative organization ad cleanliness with a neat pedestrian mall in Gangtok's center, well-tended flower boxes under windows, orderly auto traffic, and duty-free shopping status. Sikkim long had a semi-independent status and has only been a full Indian state since the 1970s, its place in India a little uncertain for a few decades after Indian independence. Foreigners still need special permits to enter Sikkim, and I even got a stamp in my passport at the border to the state.

Sikkim's population is very Himalayan as well, made up of Lepchas, Bhotias, and Tamang Nepalese, all Buddhist cultures heavily influenced by Tibetan Buddhism . They've been joined by a significant number of Tibetan refugees who've established their own monasteries since arriving after China's takeover of their country.

While Sikkim appears tiny on the map, mountainous roads are such that what appears close as the crow flies takes a very long time to get to. Thus, we stayed quite close to Gangtok (Sikkim's capitol) where we stayed for three nights. On one day we went to the Rumtek Monastery, one of Tibetan Buddhism's most important institutions and headquarters-in-exile of the Kagyu Sect, also called Black-Hat Sect. The main monastery building looks old but ws constructed in the 1960s to replace a monastery in Tibet destroyed during the Cultural Revolution from which many monks fled.

Our second Sikkim day excursion was up - way up! Tsomgo Lake is alpine lake above 12,000 feet near the border with China/Tibet. It's altitude and snowiness makes it popular with affluent Indians vacationing in Gangtok who have never seen snow before in their lives. The drive up from Gangtok (about 4,500 feet) on treacherous unpaved roads might have been spectacular (and possibly very frightening) had it not been for the swirl of clouds and fog that blocked the view most of the way. Coming from a place with lots of alpine lakes and tundra I was somewhat underwhelmed by Tsomgo and its tacky tourist ambiance. The altitude left me quite breathless, though, and wondering how I'd handle significantly higher altitudes and strenuous hiking on the treks I had planned ahead.