Bhutia Homestay in the Sikkim Himalayas, Northeastern India

Yes, Sikkim is about mountains, monasteries, and biodiversity. But it is also about its people which is divers and has retained distinct cultures. The best way to sample these is certainly by chosing homestay accomodations.
Terralaya Travels (www.terralaya.com) can organize these for you complete with guides and reliable drivers who get you safely through the hilly terrains in all of Sikkim. The indigenous villages are nestled in lush forests. The previous blog entry shared some information about the Lepcha people (https://terralayatravels.wordpress.com/2017/11/24/visit-of-the-lepcha-village-rey-mindu/).

This one takes us to the Bhutia village of Kewzing in South Sikkim. Along the Lepcha the Bhutia are considered the original inhabitants of Sikkim and are listed as scheduled tribe under the Indian constitution which grants them special rights. Legends has it that Bhutia always lived in these heavenly lands. Modern scholarship, however, states that their ancestors arrived from Tibet in the 14th century.

The Bhutia living in the village are predominantly occupied with farming. They produce kardamon, which is harvested in September and October and sold for exporting. The rest of their agricultural produce, such as rice, vegtables, and milk are mostly used for own consumption. Everything is purely organic and in fact, as the villagers are proud to tell, they have never used any chemicals, even before organic agriculture became the state policy of Sikkim. Also the work on the land is done without heavy machinery but by hand and ox. This means a lot of work for the farming families who would usually start their day at 5 or 5.30 with washing, Buddhist preyer rituals and subsequent tea in the kitchen.

Only after taking care of the cow, goats, and chicken they will gather again in the kitchen for breakfast that mostly consists of rice. And yes, rice features prominently on the menu as a family could produce themself a 1000 kg of rice a year. Rice is also made into flour that is used for sweets and into puffs that are eaten as snacks accompaning the ubiquitous milk tea. The Bhutia villagers have a rich dinner and usually end their day early. But if they have guests they happily stick around in the kitchen and talk. As for example about how it all began.

The idea of establishing homstays at the village of Kewzing was brought forward by village elders and villagers working for the public administration in Gangtok. They were confident that the village would make a good stop-over between the capital and much visited West Sikkim. The easy road access and a homogenous ethnic make-up were considered beneficial factors. And indeed the idea was well received among the Bhutia and a village commitee was established that set up rates and guidelines with consultancy of outside help. In 2001 the homestays began to work with 13 families taking part, each was initially allowed to rent out two rooms. The idea was to retain the existing structure of the houses with detached bathrooms. It was agreed that cleanliness and good hospitality should be the corner stones of Kewzing's accomodation.

In 2004 the potential of this offer was discovered and further developed by the Swiss parter of Terralaya Travels (www.terralaya.com) that ever since is bringing its clients to the village. Contacts with other travel agents have successfully been established as well, so that by now about 200 visitors make it to the village every year. This venture into homestays supplements the income of the whole village as the families take turn in receiving guests, others serve as local guides or prepare packed lunches. As such tourism helps to sustain traditional modes of living and creates a win-win situation for Kewzing and its visitors.
Here, an authentic Bhutia village life awaits you with home-made food and drinks (such as the fermented millet beer, called chang). This can be supplemented by village walks, a cultural programme as well as longer hikes and bird-watching in the area. When asked what they had to adapt for their guests the family laughs and says, nothing really, besides serving the pickled chilies separately, as these could be too hot for first-timers.
Browsing through their guestbook one is easily convinced that the villagers of Kewzing live up to the ideal of offering their guests a true 'home away from home'.

More information:
https://www.terralaya.com/en/himalayan-https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sikkim