(2 of 2)
No Great Splendor. At home, she dresses informally in the kho, the traditional Sikkimese costume, which is an ankle-length jumper that wraps around the waist and is worn over a blouse of contrasting color—cotton or wool for the daytime and silk in the evening. She uses cosmetics only occasionally and does her own hair—though she admits that she is encouraging a romance between a Sikkimese youth and a Calcutta hairdresser in the hope of importing the kingdom's first coiffeuse. She describes her home as "a poorish palace but a palace." It is a 64-year-old, two-story white stucco building with five bedrooms and a tin roof. In Gangtok, the family gets around in a white Mercedes convertible. On foreign trips, however, they make a point of flying economy class and often stay with friends. "It's no great Oriental splendor we live in," Hope observes.
The Gyalmo and Chogyal travel in the West for about two months a year, which helps to overcome any surge of homesickness, but Hope admits that she sometimes misses "cheese, the Sunday New York Times and the sea." Still, those are hardly important. Hope says: "My happiest times are right here in Sikkim. Being a queen is nice because it gives you a whole fabric, a structure, and because there is so much we need to do. I feel accepted, very comfortable, very inspired and completely happy."