North Sikkim Travelogue Part 3
For the last leg of
our 2014 trip to North Sikkim, our travel agent suggested that we try the Mayal
Lyang homestay in Dzongu. Bordered by the Teesta River in the south-east,
Tholung Chu River in the north-east and by rising mountains in the west, Dzongu
is a forested mountain valley that is a reserve for the Lepcha people. The
Lepcha are the indigenous people of Sikkim, with their own language and script,
distinct culture and cuisine and are mostly Tibetan Buddhist. Our hosts were
Gyatso and Samsay Lepcha, and their family.
My friend
Prasenjit and I had never lived in a homestay before, but had some idea of what
things would be like. Gyatso spelt out the ground rules for us after we
arrived. No smoking anywhere in the village, the family would not do our
laundry, no ceiling fans in any of the rooms, and as is Lepcha custom, no
attached bathrooms. To be honest, we always carry enough clothes on trips to
ensure that the laundry service is not needed, we had not found a single
ceiling fan anywhere in North Sikkim so were used to the idea, and the bathroom
and smoking bits were not going to be a problem. Gyatso took us around, showing
us the Mayal Lyang village and as we sat down to watch a game of soccer, I
popped the most important question; what was Lepcha food like? “In Lepcha food
you will find a lot of rice, a lot of pork, a lot of beef, and alcohol”, Gyatso
said. Prasenjit gave me a smirk. “This is exactly what you were hoping for,
isn’t it”? Indeed it was. “What about Chhaang, the local alcohol?” I asked.
Gyatso laughed. “You will get everything” he said, perhaps mildly surprised
that city folks had heard of this Himalayan brew.
We were introduced
to two more families who were staying at Mayal Lyang at the time, the Patils
from Pune, and the Nagvekars from Mumbai as we sat down for a drink in the
evening. The drink that was served was something I had read about, heard
stories about, and was therefore especially looking forward to. This was
Chhaang or Chi, a local brew that had been made at home. Chhaang is basically
fermented millet served in a tall bamboo glass. Hot water is poured into the
millet, and you then drink the alcohol which has dissolved in the water through
a bamboo straw. Once you finish, you can just pour more hot water and continue
drinking. When it begins tasting weak and watery, that’s when you need to
change the millet. What does Chhaang taste like? I would describe it as port
wine, but minus the sweetness. The alcohol content is on the low side, and
instead of a buzz or high, what you get is this lovely mellow feeling which can
be quite wonderful at the end of a long day of trekking and exploring. Lepchas
believe in living in harmony with nature, and we got a small example of exactly
what that entailed that evening. A gigantic grasshopper entered the room
through an open window. In the city, there were only two responses one would
have expected; swat it with something, or spray insecticide. Gyatso picked up
the grasshopper gently, and let it out into the forest. There was no need for
unnecessary killing. Indian food was served for dinner, which although
delicious, was a tad disappointing. We were in the mountains after all; I had
expected we would get to have Lepcha food. But then, there were guests with
children there who may not be able to handle local food, and this wasn’t a
hotel, hence separate cuisines for all the guests was out of the question. So
we made our peace with it. 
Next morning I was
woken up by the actual crowing of a cock. This was the first time this had happened
to me and it took me a while to realize it. It was really early in the morning,
and after a cup of tea, Prasenjit and I decided to take a walk around the
village. While Prasenjit climbed down to the river that flowed behind the
house, I climbed up to the Thukcheng Laghang Passingdang monastery. I was greeted by a group of young
children who were training to be Buddhist monks. I returned for a filling
breakfast of “ghugni”, a dish of curried chick peas, and some very interesting
steamed bread. We walked around the village some more. It was very quiet and
peaceful. There was no traffic, and the only noise was of the birds and
waterfalls. It was a pity that we were staying in Dzongu for only one night,
because there really was a lot to do. From nature walks, to trekking, to
bathing in the cool, fresh water of the rivers flowing through the region,
Mayal Lyang really had everything you needed to get close to nature. We learned
about Gyatso’s most famous guests, the Royal Family of Norway. The Crown
Prince, with the Crown Princess and their children had spent some time here in
the winter of 2010. The event put Mayal Lyang on the map, and we met a few tourists
from Europe who arrived that noon. 
Food being a major
priority in my life, I had mentioned to Gyatso in the morning that we wished to
have local food for lunch that day. Would pork or beef be possible? Gyatso
whispered something to Samsay, and for a fleeting moment I caught a look on her
face that I was familiar with. It was the
I-can’t-believe-there-are-Indians-who-eat-beef look. The vast majority of
Indian Hindus do not eat beef, while Muslims do not eat pork. But there are
some people like Prasenjit and me, who will eat pretty much anything as long as
it tastes good. Samsay rose to the occasion in style, and for lunch that day we
had rice, stinging nettle curry and pork. She had to go out for the meat, she
told us, and apologized that there was no beef available. There was some pork
at Gyatso’s brother’s place, and that’s what she cooked for us. The pork was
just heavenly. Soft and succulent, with just the right amount of spice. The blander
stinging nettle balanced it out. Our bellies full, we packed our bags, and
prepared to move out. We would return to Gangtok that evening, and take a
flight back to Calcutta (Kolkata) the next day.
I highly recommend
Mayal Lyang homestay to all nature lovers. If you can live without the comforts
of a 5 star for a few days, it is an experience you are unlikely to forget. For
the old or the infirm, Mayal Lyang may be something of a challenge, as staying
here involves climbing up and down stairs quite a bit. It is a home in the
mountains after all. Mayal Lyang is now threatened by the government’s plans to
build dams in the area which will kill the Teesta River, and cause catastrophic
damage to the ecology of Dzongu. I hope measures are taken so this treasure can
be preserved for future generations. Winter is the ideal time visit Mayal
Lyang. Since this is a forest, it is much warmer and more humid than other
parts of the state, so summer can be quite trying. Just don’t make the mistake
that we made. Stay for more than one night.
- by Deepanjan Ghosh
- Thanks to Gyatso and Samsay Lepcha for their hospitality. For bookings and enquiries, look up http://www.mayallyang.com/
- Bookings and planning handled by Desh Duniya Tours. Check out their official website http://www.deshduniyatour.com/
- Sikkim transport, stay and permissions (I.L.P.) arranged by Galaxy Tours and Treks. Check out their official website http://www.tourhimalayas.com/
- Many thanks to Amrita Dutta for liaising with the local guys and always being available on the phone for us.
- Thanks to Prasenjit Das for the company and to Santanu Dutta for originally suggesting the trip.
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