Sikkim - Yuksom or Yuksam A tiny tip of Mt. Kanchenjunga was visible behind a bank of clouds. It looked like another cloudy trip. I visited Yuksam in 2012 and again in 2017 - over the five-year gap not much had changed. It was still pristine and had locally owned and operated hotels, good small restaurants, and lovely mountain scenery. Of course, the road to get there is covered with bone-rattling pot-holes, which might also limit tourism. Stopping on the way at a Bon Monastery, we watched young monks playing games in front of their monestary. At another stop, we found fresh vegetables and flowers. Just before the bridge, there is a set of old chorten stupas on the bank of the river. Then over the Teesta River we pass over a rickety one-lane bridge and on toward Yuksom. Sand mining is not controlled and it is very harmful to fish and downstream erosion. The two men below are carrying sand from the river. On the way to Yuksom, prayer flags fluttered on every hilltop. From one hill...

North Sikkim - Lachung We drove from Gangtok to Lachung, a small mountain village at 8600 feet close to the Tibetan border.  http://www.mapsofindia.com/maps/wildlife/wildlife-sikkim.htm  It took 7 hours by bumpy, twisting roads to reach Lachung. The drive goes past many hydroelectric dams on the Teesta River (now up to Stage V), some near Lachung are being contested by local Lachungpa, Lepcha, and other minority people. It was also seen that some dams are not completed by the construction companies, leaving a mess of concrete in the river. http://www.indiatogether.org/teesta-environment and  http://blogs.agu.org/fromaglaciersperspective/2017/05/02/gurudongmar-glacier-retreat-teetsa-river-hydropower-sikkim/ Lachung has been besieged by Indian tourists to the point where most of the hotels are leased and operated by Indians from other areas of India, mostly Bengalis from Calcutta. Many of these hotels are ugly buildings that  advertise Beng...