Pelling, in West Sikkim, won my heart. We stayed at a place called Ifseen Villa, about a kilometre and a half away from the one-street town of Pelling. And I loved the place. Outside our balcony were lemon trees, and in the distance, the magnificent Khangchendzonga* range.On each of the three mornings we spent there, I woke up with a fluttering sense of excitement. Pelling inspired me, though I cannot quite lay my finger on why. It was beautiful, fresh and free.(I discovered in Pelling, by the way, that when the weather is very cold, my ball pen does not work! In the absence of a heater, my travel writing had to be paused because yes, I do still write in a book before I blog.)We did all the touristy things around town and quite enjoyed them too. We visited Yuksam*, the first capital of Sikkim, and learned about the legend of the pine tree that stands tall behind the … [Read more...]