I'm not completely sure that Keith has seen the training video yet.  With a sore back, I think the biking might be a lot easier than the Far and Away  training regime.

I've told Keith that his first Tongba is on me. 

Anyway, we are absolutely thrilled Keith is on board.

I think this was taken in Columbia. Reminds me a little of Harrison Ford.

Clara ventured to Spain with us last year.   Four others on that tour (Janice, Adrienne, Graeme and yours truly) are now headed to Sikkim.  It will be a mini-reunion of sorts.

Clara cruising in Spain last year

Tres Amigas! From L to R: Clara, Alexandra, Janice outside Grazalema, Spain in 2010. Clara and Janice now in for Sikkim. Alexandra, it will not be the same without you.

1. Visit the 250 year-old Tashiding Monastery and turn the giant ten-foot-tall prayer wheel. The wheel looks like moving art, with raised, gold colored inscriptions on the dark bronze wheel. It’s so big that you must walk around it to turn it. A loud gong strikes at every revolution as if to recognize the effort and to acknowledge your prayer.

   
   

2. Stay at the Modern Residency in Lachung. The “Residency” is built to look like a Buddhist monastery. There are great views from every room. It is full of traditional, hand-hewn furniture and there is a sitting area on each floor with a firebox where you can warm up while sharing stories with fellow travelers. Ask to see the small museum on the top floor where you will be greeted by a two-foot-tall bird of paradise, intricately carved from bamboo.

   
   

3. Visit high Yumgthang Valley (elevation 12,000 feet) and its several hundred varieties of rhododendrons. As much as I loved the colorful flowers, I was charmed by the Indian families who were visiting from the hot, low-lying plains just to the south. Most had never seen snow before, and their wide-eyed amazement was endearing. Be sure to continue four kilometers past the tea stands at the head of the valley. On a clear day, you will have an awe inspiring 360-degree view of jagged Himalayan mountain peaks stretching as far as you can see in every direction.

   
   

4. Try the traditional millet beer. Prodon, our very earnest Sikkimese guide, who accompanied us up Yumgthang Valley, insisted that this was just what we needed to relax at the end of the day. You will get a leaky wooden mug, called a “Toomba,” filled with millet grain. Pour hot water into your Toomba and let it steep for a few minutes. Then suck the “beer” through the bamboo straw. It tastes like earthy coconut milk, is slightly alcoholic and, as Prodon predicted, it works.

   
   

5. Take in the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology in the capital city of Gangtok. The Institute, which is full of 300 year old Buddhist manuscripts, has a fascinating photography exhibit on the top floor. It includes many pictures of the last Chogyal (King) of Sikkim and his family. The stark, black and white photos captured the personal anguish over the death of the Chogyal’s 25-year-old son, the heir to the throne, who was killed in a tragic auto accident. They also depict the national anguish over the end of an era when the last Chogyal subsequently passed away.

   
   

6. Order the “momos.” We would call them pot-stickers, dumplings. A popular traditional food, they can be either steamed or fried and are filled with minced or shredded chicken, pork, or yak meat as well as vegetables and spices. I’m a fan of fried momos which have a pleasing crunch. They usually are served with a tangy tomato sauce spiced with garlic, cumin, cilantro, ginger and chilies.

   
   

7. Get a haircut and whatever comes with it. For 30 rupees ($.60), it’s a great value and fun besides. As in the rest of India, barbers do the job expertly with handheld scissors. Foreigners are not their usual customers so don’t be surprised if you attract a small audience. I have never had a “head massage” before, but it came with the haircut and I couldn’t refuse. It was no wimpy, gentle massage; rather, it was the head, neck and ears version of a Thai foot massage. In other words, it hurt “real good.”

   
   

8. Use the public jeeps. They have destination placards which make them easily identifiable and are inexpensive. When tired, we made good use of jeeps (our bikes were strapped on top). The charge is only 80 rupees ($1.60) to travel 60 kilometers. The jeeps more easily negotiate the twisting, turning mountain roads than buses, but the downside is that it’s always four to a seat. That’s nearly an impossible squeeze. I had to laugh when we were seated in the front of a jeep and the driver had to reach BETWEEN Chantal’s legs to work the manual gearshift.

   
   

9. Visit the Tibetan Refugee Center in nearby Darjeeling (just outside Sikkim) and watch carpets being made. From spinning the wool to weaving the carpets, they do it all by hand. It takes two women two months to weave a single carpet. The carpets are terrific deals at $370, including shipping, for a 6’x 9’carpet. Despite the nine month waiting list, we ordered two.

   
   

10. Go with the flow. The infrastructure of Sikkim is not up to Western standards. In particular, the electrical service in Sikkim can be erratic and, in some towns, it is subject to planned daily outages. It’s not all bad though; we used it as an opportunity for some romantic candle-lit dinners. I do recommend, however, that you take a shower only when the power is on (Himalayan cold water showers are no fun.) Also, be prepared for road detours and keep your itinerary flexible. Most roads are carved into steep mountains, and landslides are common.

Adrienne is always lots of fun and game for any adventure.  She has been to India and Spain previously so she knows our approach.  She is also Janice's daughter, so we'll have mother-daughter on the same tour.  We always like that. 

Adrienne with BF Tom on left and Jim, our primo driver, on the right. This was at the Ruins of Acinipo in Southern Spain last fall. Adrienne is a runner, but she has been "on a roll" with bike tours in India, Spain and now Sikkim.

"Namaste" Adrienne and Janice in India (Kerala)...I think the day we departed Kodaikanal and met the medicine man who told all our fortunes.

David mentioned to me that he had never heard of Sikkim.  Join the club.   We hadn't heard of it either before we decided to go there. 

Sikkim, sandwiched between Nepal and Bhutan and now part of India, was it's own Himalayan Kingdom up until 1975.  At that point, the country was faced with the choice of becoming part of India or China.  The fact that Sikkim and India scheduled some joint military exercises and the Indian Army never left, might have swayed the voting. 

It still feels like a separate country.  There are border crossings, you need special permits to enter and Indian citizens living in the rest of country can't relocate there even though it is part of India.  Most of the people of Sikkim are of Nepalese origin and Buddhist temples abound.

We have no doubt that some Biciklo exposure will help put Sikkim, aka "The Last Shangri-La", on the world cycling map. 

Here is David:

David H.

And here is Sikkim:

Once you see it, it sticks out like a sore thumb.

Janice is up for the more adventuresome challenges and she also has has an appreciation of the finer things in life.

In Sikkim one gets both wrapped up in one.  We stay in some pretty posh joints, but it also is a Himalayan Kingdom.  The roads are rugged and in some places, getting from A to B can be challenging.  At the end of the day you need and deserve a posh joint.

Janice is an extremely active person:  she's a runner, a rider, she hikes, she loves the theater, reads a lot, participates in her book club and works full time.  Most of us wonder where she hides the cape.

See if you detect a pattern in this sequence:  Janice came on a few tours, then Janice came on a tour with  her daughter Adrienne, then Janice came on a tour with daughter Adrienne and Adrienne's boyfriend, Tom. 

So, I will have my eye on the in-box for the next couple days.  You never know. 

Janice is ever active....no matter where she is.

Graeme has been on all our tours except Canada…quite a few times.   He has also led the Lao tour a couple times.  He has no trouble finding things that are new and interesting each time he goes.  

In addition to biking around the planet, Graeme's other passion is the restoration of old Jenson motorcars.  It wouldn't be unusual for Graeme to attend a Jenson convention somewhere around the world and then join one of our  tours.

Graeme is tons of fun on any tour whether he is on it as the tour leader or as a participant.  I'd say he is the entertainment leader on all the tours he is on.

At Tram Ton Pass on last Tour d'Indochine

The name Allegra means cheerful and lively.  It fits.  I don't think I have a picture of her with anything but a big smile on her face.

We are more than a little thrilled to have "Legs" back on a tour. We now have Sikkim participants from 4 different countries: Canada, USA, France and Italy.  We LOVE that!  Frank, Freddy, Robin, Jim, Graeme, John, Willie?….any of you guys willing to make it 5?

From Tour d'Indochine: At our lunch stop when we went kayaking outside Vang Vieng. Allegra was happy to have nothing but veggies on that skewer.

A training run in Italy in preparation for our Indochine kayaking. Now you know what Italians do with all their bike boxes.

Maryvonne has been to Corsica, Spain and Indochine (Vietnam and Laos) with us previously. 

On Tour d'Indochine, it's not too hard to find a dance party.  I can tell you that Maryvonne can dance up a storm:

MV had some dance moves that had everyone in stitches in Dien Bien Phu at a Tet celebration.

We finally had to call in the locals. I think this was Lau Chai.

I have a bunch of pics of Maryvonne.  It's too hard to choose, so I'll give you a bunch:

It's a wonder anyone has the energy to dance after a long ride, but somehow we always rally.

On Indochine. We do actually ride bikes.

Maryvonne does it all.  Last time on Indochine she climbed Mt. Fansipan, the highest peak in Vietnam at 3,100 meters.  She also is a runner and plans to do some triathlons this year.   

Me, at the start of the last tour in Sikkim. We had just landed in Bagdogra and were heading to Kurseong, which is not far from Darjeeling. I look like I'm headed to the slammer for insider trading.

Have no fear though.  This guy was our jeep driver (he was great!).  We drove 7 miles of switchbacks up the mountain going THE WRONG WAY on a one way road…intentionally.

Somehow, I think maybe he had seen the expression on my face before.

The name of the Sikkim tour is "The Last Shangri-La".  

I just didn't want it also to be my last tour.