Sakshi Agarwal
, who has been shooting films in Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada, took a break for a trip to the Northeast. Defining it as a stressbuster, She shares with us all about her first trip to the Northeast...
WHY SHE WENT TO THE NORTH EAST
I’d heard so much about the beauty of Gangtok, Sikkim, and Darjeeling. The weather was super cold there; it’s almost touching 4 or 5 degrees.
I was quite taken aback by the natural beauty and landscape. It was so pristine and surreal. I experienced a very different culture from what the rest of the world has to offer. The people of Gangtok, Kalimpong, and Darjeeling were so warm. I would say that culture-wise, it was different yet similar to us.
FAVOURITE EXPERIENCES FROM THE TRIP
I took the Darjeeling toy train ride. It was a three hour journey, and you can see the entire city landscape as you pass through the hills. I also went for horse riding in Darjeeling and did a lot of street shopping.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT
In Kalimpong, I stayed in a hotel where the room that was given to me was the same in which Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru had stayed. The experience was overwhelming. They’ve maintained the same heritage property with the same type of beds, ambience, and setup. Also, the view of the snow mountains was spectacular. I used to sit for breakfast and just keep staring at the mountains.
FOOD THAT SHE TRIED
I tried all the local cuisine, like Thenthuk, which is a soup with a lot of vegetables and pieces of wheat; it’s a dish by itself. Also, the amount of momos I had eaten on this trip would be unbelievable. It was my cheat meal. I also had streetside momos, spicy Indian chow mein, and pani puri. I tried a lot of Nepalese, Tibetan, and Korean food. The variety of teas they had in all the cute cafes here was brilliant. You can keep trying the different types of teas, like purple lavender tea or hibiscus tea, and you won’t get tired.
TRAVEL TIPS
Carry lip balm, sunscreen, and a lot of warm clothes. The temperature was so low that I was wearing a jacket which is made for the Siberian weather. Thermals are a must, no matter how many layers of jacket you wear. You have to wear your thermals and then layer it up. Secondly, woollen hand gloves are a must, because your hands get very cold. Also, use beanies to cover your ears. And, of course, experience the local culture.
English (US) ·