Anyone who loves shopping at local markets should make a trip to Lal Bazaar in Gangtok. I spent a couple of hours roaming through the market, trying to strike conversations with the sellers, and just exploring everything the market has to offer.
This photo tour of the food market in Gangtok is to give people an idea of what to expect, and to encourage people to go to local markets and shop there.
Local markets are the best place to try local food. At this market there were a few vendors selling home cooked food-things that I had never seen before. It is a better place than a restaurant to try authentic food of the place you are visiting.
People here were happy to talk to me and tell me about what they were selling. In my broken Hindi, I did manage to have fairly long conversations with some of the vendors here. It was a fun experience that always takes me out of my comfort zone, which is why I always make it a point to visit a market.
I knew then names of many of the people in these photographs, but I never wrote them down. I learnt that I shouldn't trust my memory to remember names.
My experience of attending prayers by the Rinpoche in Ranka Monastery, Gangtok!
Check out my guide to Yumthang Valley & Zero point!
Check out my detailed guide to Gangtok!
Book a day trip from Gangtok to Tsomgo Lake, Nathu La Pass, & Baba Mandir-beware of a common scam!
I had a long conversation with the lady in the blue. The other 2 women were a little shy. The woman in blue made them pose for the picture.
The man in the shop next to hers made me take her picture, saying there is someone who loves dressing up here, and I have to take her picture. She was so shy after hearing those comments that she couldn't stop laughing as I was photographing her!
