Two pictures I could not resist sharing ...  … [Read more...]

We woke up at 4:30 this morning. This far east, it is not as early as it sounds to my Western Ghat friends. The sun rose soon after, and we stood at the window and watched the clouds. We saw the Khangchendzonga. She played with us, hiding in the clouds and peeking out again. We saw the other stunning mountains. Those picturesque peaks played with us too. The sun glinted off the snowy slopes, almost blinding in its brightness.We said goodbye to the mountains, and before we left, the mountains said goodbye to us. By six o clock, all we could see was the cloud cover. No mountains, no snow, no blinding light.Au revoir, Gangtok. I will come back. My head is full of happy memories; how can I not? … [Read more...]

When I was a child, my parents and I went to Darjeeling. We did a very touristy thing - went on a 'Fun Ten' tour of ten points in Darjeeling that visitors must see. This included a ride in a cable car and a visit to the zoo that housed a red panda. When we got back to the hotel, the diligent diary-writer that I was, I asked my parents and sister to rate what they liked the most.Today, I realise how unfair that was on my parents. I was able to choose my favourites quite easily as a child, but at Gangtok today ...I look out of the hotel window. To my right are snow-capped mountains. To my left are snow-capped mountains in the distance. Everywhere, leading to those beautiful mountains are mountains covered with trees.We went to Rumtek Monastery. Waterfalls everywhere. We even went especially to see one. The smell of bamboos in the rain. The spray from the waterfall.We went to … [Read more...]