After one month in Sikkim I am spending my last 24 hours on Gangtok - the capital, that has been some kind of western world island in this land of jungle and mountains. Actually I wanted to leave already yesterday but when I came to Gangtok I met the two girls again with whom I spent some nice days in Rumtek. They wanted to go to the north, 40 km up from Gangtok a place called Phodong. I wanted to go there too but than skipped that plan a week ago. So I got a second chance and took it. It was some kind of adventure: first of all the roads are the worst I saw since I came here and then the place was very different. Normally in the season it is maybe a tourist place. But we have off-season so all the hotels were closed. We finally got something like a dormitory in one restaurant for 100 Rupees each - one even sleeping on the ground, which is actually robbery. I took it as some kind of greed purification and hope the lady will not become a hungry ghost.
The two monasteries were than a nice surprise after the frosty welcome. We first went up the hill to a very old Kagyu monastery with a big 9th Karmapa statue coming originally from Tibet and nice paintings on the wall. Unfortunately some strange photo on the throne from am man who is not even accepted by the Indian government as Kamrpa - but what to say. I just ignored him. But the monks were very polite to us and showed us around.
The next morning we went even further up and met some monks on the way. We ended up on the top of the hill. If there would not have been so much fog it could be a brilliant view over the mountains. But the monastery was really very beautiful. It was a Nyigmapa Gompa on two floors with 1000 Guru Rinpoche paintings in the lower floor and very lively paintings of Buddhas and protectors in union on the second. On top they have a Mahakala room with the Zeringmas and 5 different emanations of the Black Coat.

So in a week from now I will meet the Lama in Katmandu and I am really looking forward to this.

By the way: Tashi has his visa. So for everyone who wants to paint and learn from him please call Patricia in the EC!!!