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| Mt. Kabru from Pelling |
The rain had stopped by the time we reached
Kurseong, on our way to
Pelling. I found
Kurseong, a quiet charm set amid tea gardens, with lush vegetation and a small beautiful lake. We continued our journey, stopping briefly at
Kurseong for a hot snack of
Momos and
Darjeeling tea.
Pelling
Passing through the picturesque and world famous hill station of Darjeeling by noon, we reached
Pelling when the sun had painted the land scape with a golden hue. The evening had dropped down the temperature considerably at the height of 2040 m (6693 ft).
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| Mist at Pelling |
The mist had engulfed this small town on a ridge creating a mysterious aura. We straight went to our hotel-
Norbu Ghang Resort at the western side of the mighty
Kanchenjunga Peak,
3rd highest in the world!
While still waiting to slip into a sleep, I felt it. It was a kind of a magical lure of the place defying my imagination-a small secluded town surrounded by forests under the shadows of mighty snow peaks! I shivered. Excitement? Or.. I didn't know.
I shot up like a bullet. It was a shout from my friend, Tommy Singh which woke me up. I walked and joined him outside in the lawn. He was looking ahead with his jaw dropped.
My goodness! What a magnificent sight!
I was watching the mystic snow capped heights of
Mt. Kanchenjunga ranges. It was a closest view I ever had of great snow peaks, an incredible beauty, a nature's wonder, something to be cherished and etched forever in memory! We watched I didn't know how long.
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| Khecheopalri Lake |
Khecheopalri Lake
Post breakfast we headed for
Khecheopalri Lake by car. The road was through beautiful surroundings. The lake
had an spiritual aura and was surrounded by verdant forest. It was a wishing lake, a tranquil one and at that moment, surrounded by mist! Considered as one of the sacred lakes of Sikkim both by the Buddhist and the Hindus, no water sport or other activities besides prayers were allowed around it. A peculiar aspect of the lake was the absence of leaves floating on the waters. This was explained by the duck population who are known to remove the leaves as soon as they fall on the surface, giving it a clear and smooth surface.
The subsequent two days was the heavenly period in our lives. Pelling was a trekkers and biking paradise for nature and photography lovers.
We were amazed at the picturesque monk’s quarters at
Pemayangtse monastic complexes, a lovely half an hour walk from Pelling among forest, green river valleys and which had beautiful
thangkas, murals and images.
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| Sangachoeling Monastery |
Our next walk was to
Sangachoeling Monastery which was built in 1697, Sangachoeling means
'the island of esoteric teaching'. This monastery was the second oldest monastery in Sikkim. To reach this monastery we had to walk through a 4-km steep hilly slope which lead us through rich forest covers, the trekking trail rose from the playing fields just above Pelling city.
Other treks There were other low altitude treks also popular, and since an additional permit isn't necessary, these can be done at your own pace. The typical trek starts in Pelling, and finishes either at
Yuksom (3 days 40 km), or
Ravangla (4 days, 54 km). The route follows both roads and paths, and several guesthouses are available for accommodation along the way.
We had to return back to our world.
I wondered. Whether panoramic view where clouds, snow and mountains and forests with flowering rhododendrons and colorful orchids, milky waterfalls and musical streams of Pelling could be true? But it was. The only problem was that the scenic beauty of Pelling could not be circumscribed in words.
Bye….