Paul, my good friend from Nashville whom I first met on my Sri Lanka bike trip a few years back, arrived about 7pm after a less sketchy taxi ride than I; his taxi guy took him the whole way, but that reliability cost him $115 while mine was only about $35 and hardly any extra charge for the four-taxi adventure ambience and the extra two hours!

Speaking of ambience, if you’ve read any of my previous trip adventures, you will know my fondness for the
Foreign Undocumented Canine Kindness Enhancement Retirement System, a global outreach non-profit funded primarily by dog food manufacturers… They provide food and counseling services at no cost for indigent dogs in return for the dogs enhancing the experience of the foreign traveler. As you well know, so many dogs seem to wander through life aimlessly, simply looking for a warm place to sleep and their next meal… this compassionate organization helps to give them a sense of purpose and a reason for hope. You can always spot the member dogs as they are required to lay peacefully in all the public walking areas during daylight hours giving tourists a sense of peace and calm. At night, these same FUCKERS, as the members are referred to by acronym, will bark extensively throughout the night as their energy has been renewed by a full day of lazy relaxing in the public zone. The barking reinforces a sense of being away from home for the foreigner, while providing a rich and very memorable variety of sounds to the travel experience, a valuable benefit at no additional cost. It is a very effective program, with a seemingly increasing number of members. This morning at breakfast, Paul as well commented enthusiastically about the incredible tenacity and perseverance of the FUCKERS barking all night…

Gangtok is an entire city built on steep hills, there are a few flat places. He and I walked through some of the main market areas today, then up many hills to see the views and the little sidestreets of interest. We stopped for lunch at a small fast food stirfry place and had a great bowl of spicy chicken fried noodles. Wandering around in the nice warm sun, eventually we made it back to the hotel to check out. We transferred by taxi to the next hotel, which is the one where the bike trip will officially begin tomorrow. The Hidden Forest Retreat is a very peaceful oasis with an incredible view in comparison to where we were in the middle of noisy Gangtok. More about it in the next post.

Ps: unfortunately as this is a less urban setting with fewer tourist clusters, it’s less likely there will be FUCKERS barking here tonight since I’ve seen none laying around this area… A disappointing ambience downgrade, but I’m not gonna let it ruin my time here…