Yesterday I took a jeep from Darjeeling to Gangtok, an extremely pleasant town located in the Sikkim province of India in the Himalayas (slotted in between Bhutan, Tibet, and Nepal).
It was a swerving, bumpy, and absolutely gorgeous ride.
I arrived, checked into my guest house, and was eager to head out, walk around Gangtok, and get something to eat (zigzag roads don’t make me throw up, they make me hungry!).
After walking around for just a few moments I noticed a small crowd gathered on the side of the street, and many surrounding people munching on snacks.
I’m always one to be curious about crowds.
So I got in to take a look at what was going on.
As you probably know, there’s nothing that attracts crowds like free food!
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After watching for just a few minutes, a few extremely friendly students approached and exclaimed “free snacks, would you like some?”
“Sure,” I replied, excited for a sample.
Seconds later the kind students jumped into the line and brought back hot jalebi (one of the top foods to travel around the world just to eat).
They were freshly made, piping hot, and marvelous. Jalebi is like a crispy deep fried thin donut that’s soaked in sweet syrup.
Also on the free snack menu were seriously flavorful deep fried onion pakoras (deep fried salty fritter).
The combo of the sweet jalebi, the salty pakoras, and the friendliness of the locals in Gangtok was a warm and memorable introduction to the cold weather Gangtok.
Why the free food?
Well I didn’t know at the time, but after looking up the holidays in India online, I discovered that January 14th is the Thai Pongal festival in India – kind of the Indian thanksgiving – a holiday to celebrate the harvest (especially true in south India).
Also, yesterday was the beginning of the Kumbh Mela, the world’s largest human gathering.
Current Update:
I’ve been in India for the last 3 weeks, currently in Gangtok, Sikkim.
So far I’ve had an incredible and memorable time traveling in India. Just about everything has been fascinating, and the food has been seriously delicious (and very affordable – some satisfying meals in Kolkata cost me just 20 – 40 Rupees ($0.37 – $0.73)).
I’ll be in India for the next month and a half before heading to Nepal.
I’m extremely excited to start sharing lots of food, photos, and videos with you soon.
However, my internet has been limited (and unpredictable), so it might take me some time before I start publishing food stories about India (in the meantime, I have other tasty posts scheduled to publish).
Hope you are all doing well and greetings once again from Gangtok, India!
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Neeraj
11 years ago
I’m from India and have traveled there quite extensively. If you love food, then India is for you. It’s probably low-season in Sikkim right now. See if you can do the Sandakfu trek (near Darjeeling).
Zubi Travel
11 years ago
Hmmm, seems like you’re having an awesome experience in India.
Happy Indian thanksgiving :), those snacks seem really interesting…
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Hey Zubi, so far I’m really enjoying it! Happy Indian Thanksgiving to you as well!
Arti
11 years ago
So you finally got your hands on Jalebi 🙂 That looks good too!! And the Pakoras looks inviting too! Glad you are having a nice time Mark 🙂
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Hey Arti, yes, finally got some, and they were excellent!
Amod Indap
11 years ago
Great stuff Mark. Try out the food I’d mailed you assuming you were in Darjeeling. Its more-or-less similar. Don’t forget the millet beer or Tongba. Happy travelling…cheers.
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Thanks a lot Amod, your suggestions have been really helpful!
darren
11 years ago
Hi Mark:
I discovered your videos on You Tube a few days ago. I enjoy them alot.
How great it is to be able to travel and experience different cultures of the world.
Are you going to write a cookbook? I would definitely buy one from you!
🙂
Continued Happy travels to you.
darren
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Hi Darren, thanks a lot for watching my videos, I really appreciate it. A cookbook is a great idea, perhaps in the future!
sab
11 years ago
hoping to welcome you to Bangladesh .. you can drop in on the way back from Nepal.. only gonna cost you about 150 dollar for 3-4 days of crazy fun
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Hey Sab, thanks a lot for the invitation. I’ll have to see, but I would love to visit Bangladesh sometime in the future!
sab
11 years ago
No worries.. I will be in BD from 4th march for a month or so. .let me know if you decide to come. Accom and dine on me..We will travel together.. love your blg mate.
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Thanks a lot Sab!
Mike@EarthDrifter
11 years ago
Gotta love the outgoing and photo-friendly people of Hindustan.
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Yes definitely Mike, some really nice people!
Maria
11 years ago
I think hunger is a permanent state for you. *laugh* Those pakoras look delish and what a nice surprise, to be there during a holiday. You have good luck!
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Hey Maria, hah, yes hunger is pretty frequent. Yah, often times with not planning simple and fun things occur – like free food holidays!
paul | walkflypinoy
11 years ago
Way cool that you are in Northeast India and then making your way to Nepal. Waaaay cool! Will be very eager to hear more about your adventures in the Himalayas, also known as my favorite part of the world. 🙂
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Hey Paul, it’s really an amazing area of the world, I can see why it’s your favorite part of the world!
aynzan
11 years ago
Yum.. those pakoras look delicious.I have tried making pakoras at home but somehow never got the indian flavour.
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Thanks a lot Aynzan, these were some of the best I’ve had!
Paul
11 years ago
I’m very jealous of the awesome experience you’re having in India. It’s also very cool that you ate jalebi. I’m from Trinidad and even though it’s far from India there’s definitely a huge Indian influence there. I specifically remember getting homemade jalebi at various Hindu festivals at friends’ homes. It’s delicious but so sweet and sticky I can only eat it in small amounts.
Mark Wiens
11 years ago
Hey Paul, great to hear you also have jalebi in Trinidad. I’m like you, I can only handle a small amount, but that small amount is really delicious!