Covid 19 times has been tough for all of us. It was lot to take as many things were going on at a time. On one hand I lost my job and on other hand most of my friends were getting married (trust me being single in your late 20's is not easy for an Indian women 😅). So I decided to give myself a break from all of these and planned a trip with one of my friend to Pelling.
Pelling is small hill town situated in Western part of Sikkim, at the foothills of Mount Kangchenjunga. It is located at an altitude of 2,150 m(7,200 feet). It is surrounded with lush greenery and picturesque mountains and provides you a panoramic view of Mt. Kangchenjunga.
Our journey started from Ranchi to Kolkata and then from sealdah to njp as there were no direct trains available due to covid. Upon reaching Siliguri it was difficult for us to find direct transportation to Pelling. There was only one direct bus which leaves SNT (Sikkim Nationalized Transport) bus stand at 10:30am to Pelling. Unfortunately we missed that bus and now we had to do break journey. Firstly we hired a shared jeep to Jorethang, and from there we again hired a shared jeep to Geyzing and finally from Geyzing we hired a shared taxi to Pelling. We reached Pelling by 5:30pm in the evening . It took us around 6.5 hours from Siliguri to reach Pelling. Upon reaching Pelling it was already dark and we were tired. But we couldn't contain our excitement and went out for a walk. During that walk we made some furry friends and met Annick bhaiya who agreed to be our guide for our next 2 days trip to Pelling.
We woke up early morning @ 5:30am as we have planned to view sunrise from helipad. It was quite chilling outside as it was mid December. Helipad was about 900 m from our hotel , so we decided to walk. upon reaching the helipad the view it offered was just mesmerizing. The view of sun rising over Mt. Kangchenjunga was breathtaking. We sat there for about half an hour just adoring the ethereal beauty of Mt. Kangchenjunga.
Our next destination was Rimbi Orange Garden. It is located at Rimbi river and is approx 12 km from Pelling. Along with the orange trees you can also see cardamom plantation. You can take a walk around the garden or you can just sit beside the river and feel the fresh aroma of the forest. We tried some fresh local drink and headed to our next destination.
Khecheopalri lake is situated 34 km Northwest of Pelling town. The lake is located in the idyllic corner of the forest and almost completely quiet. It is considered to be sacred by both Buddhist and Hindus. Local people also believe it to be a wish fulfilling lake. We came to know about an interesting fact that you won't see a single leaf floating in the lake even though it is surrounded by trees. The birds pick the leaf as soon as they drop into the lake surface. The pathway to the lake is covered with huge trees and prayer flags. One can definitely feel themselves close to nature.
Our next destination was Kanchenjunga falls.It is situated at a distance of 10km from yuksom. It is believed that the waterfall originates from the glaciers of Mt Kanchenjunga. It falls from a height of 100 ft. There is also an option of zip lining which cost around Rs. 100. You can also find some food stalls and tea stalls over there.
Our next destination was yuksom. Yuksom is the first capital of Sikkim established in 1642 AD. Yuksom is a place of cultural and religious significance. It has many famous monasteries . Norbu gang coronation throne is the first chogyal of Sikkim. The pine tree under which the coronation took place still stands there. The monastery encompasses Norbu gang stupa, prayer hall and prayer wheel. The ambiance of that place is blissful. It is covered with lush trees. It offers you a tranquil and peaceful surrounding. Just enjoy the moment in solitude and enchanting view surrounding it.
Dubdi Monastery is situated on top of the hill near yuksom. It is said to be the oldest monastery in Sikkim. It was established in 1701 and is also called Yuksom monastery. It stand at an altitude of 21oo mtr. Thanks to annick bhaiya that he took us to the nearest point by car from where we had to cover a distance of 300-400 mtr by walking. the pathway to the monastery was quiet steep which took us some time to reach . Due to prevailing situation of Covid the most of the monastery including Dubdi monastery was closed. Still it offered some exquisite view of mountains. It was our last destination for the day 1.
