Namchi, Southern Sikkim

[chibento]

I hope this thread turns out into a nice collection of Travelogues.

I am posting a short travelogue to Namchi in the southern part of Sikkim.

Namchi, located around 90 km from Gangtok and 100 km from Siliguri, is one place you should not miss during any trip to the Eastern/ North Eastern trip of our great Nation


For our trip to Namchi, we had hired a Land Rover and traveled for three hours, through the bumpy roads of Southern Sikkim from Ranipul ( 12 Kms short of Gangtok on the Siliguri-Gangtok highway). The weather was bad and packed up so quickly that we had to hurry up and returnas the roads were not very good and the place is quite isolated. The only thing not to the comfort of visitors to Sikkim are the bad roads and the fear of Landslides. Morover, the Kids were feeling cold ( in the month of may) and cut short our trip. So, we could not visit the Helipad (5 Kms away from this place) from where in clear weather , if you are lucky, you can get the most panoramic view of Mt. Kanchanzonga with the surrounding mountain, a part of Darjeeling, Kalimgpong and the rolling plains of Bengal. Also we had to give a miss to the cottage industry, situated 2 kms away from town the centre, the Doling Gumpa ( a monastery) and the Namchi Monastery.

Namchi, meaning 'Sky High', nestled among the hills at an elevation of 5,500 ft and commands panoramic view of the snow-capped mountains and vast stretches of valley ( I could not spot anything because of the Mist). This statue Atop Samdruptse hilltop near Namchi, is the worlds tallest statue of Guru Padma Sambhava, the patron saint of both Hindus and the Buddhist.

A: This one has gone through PP ( obscured by the mist). We were lucky that the mist had momentarily reduced in intensity so that we could see the face of Guru Padma Sambhava at least. Many have returned without seeing the face clearly. The railings that you can see are chest high.





B: My daughter running around the base of the statue at the second level ( The Lotus on which the Guru has been seated. I hope through these pics, you can assess the Gigantic proportions of the statue.




C: A close up shot of Guru Padma Sambhava. The face is still covered by the mist.




D: The Guru is seated on a lotus which is supported by such beautifully constructed Sikkimese figurines all around the base at the first level. The base has the entrance and access to the second level, (the railings in photo A).

[Sujith]

Good travelogue. I can understand how difficult it was shooting through the mist. So obviously you needed post-processing to bring out the effect. Though in normal situations, I would have critiqued the images, here you have done a very good job considering the mist and all.

Of the lot, I like the second shot (of your daughter) best because it gives a strong sense of perspective.

SG

[gopall]

photography pov, all are excellent....u covered closeup, long shot, shot of biggest petals in carving with ur daughter...and last but not the least...most exquisite in designs-- metal and paint....super.

[chibento]

Originally Posted by Sujith

Good travelogue. I can understand how difficult it was shooting through the mist. So obviously you needed post-processing to bring out the effect. Though in normal situations, I would have critiqued the images, here you have done a very good job considering the mist and all.

Of the lot, I like the second shot (of your daughter) best because it gives a strong sense of perspective.

SG

thanks Sujith

[chibento]

Originally Posted by gopall

photography pov, all are excellent....u covered closeup, long shot, shot of biggest petals in carving with ur daughter...and last but not the least...most exquisite in designs-- metal and paint....super.

thanks ZGopal Ji.. I must say it is an enchanting place to visit