Pelling

We woke up early to catch a jeep for Pelling only to learn that the first jeep leaving was at 13:30 and it was still 10:00. We had no other option then to wait in the Tourism Office. We met Elana again…she had just come back from Rumtek and was on her way to Ravangla.

Our jeep left on time and we arrived in Pelling at around five in the afternoon. On the jeep we met an American guy from Boston, Scott, who had been traveling around for a while as well. As soon as we arrived we tried to check into a particular hotel but the rooms available were too expensive for us. On our way out a man from down the road called us to go and talk to him. At first we were a little bit skeptical for usually when you are called by someone it’s not a good sign…but it turned out to be otherwise. This man offered us a good room for a nice price and we decided to stop there. The main reason why we decided to stop is that the hotel owner really resembled Janet’s dad… a little bit on the darker side perhaps… the Hotel’s name is Daphka Gang for anyone who happens to be in the vicinities. The owner was extreemly kind…he had traveled in Europe and maybe that is what made him different from the usual Indian stereotype. He used to be a trekker and has been awarded the mountaineering institute medal by Tenzing Norgay, just three months before his death. The food here was excellent… he suggested to us what to eat and cooked for us himself. He also drew us a very detailed map to go sightseeing with.

So, the following day, we set off to visit Pemayangtse monastery.

Perched at an altitude of 6840 ft, it is one of the oldest monasteries of Sikkim. Lama Lhatsun Chempo got the monastery built, mainly for the 'ta-sang' lamas (the purest of monks). However, with time, the monastery started serving the entire community. Magnificent sculptures and gracefully decorated paintings adorn the first floor of the monastery. One of the major attractions of the Pemayangtse Monastery is a seven-tiered painted wooden structure, portraying Guru Rimpoche's Heavenly Palace 'Santopalri'. Late Dungzin Rimpoche took five years to finish this structure single handedly. Presently, it is situated on the top floor of the monastery. The Chaam (monk dance) is held every year, on the 28th and 29th day of the 12th month of the Tibetan Lunar Calendar.

The paintings are somewhat…errrmmmm….unsettling. Most of them feature this Guru and even Buddha in lotus position with a female sitting on top of them with her legs around….we still need to understand what is the meaning of such depictions.

We eventually started to make our way down to go to the ruins. We came across a foreign couple who were riding a Royal Enfield and Yakof was a little bit sad as it was one of his wishes to travel in India on a bike but, considering the condition of the roads, this was not really such a good idea. Who knows, maybe once we visit the south it would be a different story.

We never made it to the ruins as it started raining cats and dogs. We stopped for half an hour next to a lake and when the rain was slowing down we made our way to find the police office to extend our Sikkim permit just in case we decided to spend more than fifteen days.

It was funny to see how this office keeps records of crime…everything is listed in different log books depending on the region and seriousness of the crime. No computers have been introduced for the time being. Once done from the office we had to catch a jeep to Geyzing as we would never have made it on foot…..the rain was too strong. Once in Geyzing we were lucky enough to find transport back to Pelling.

Once in Pelling we were welcomed by an amazing sight… after the heavy rain the skies had cleared and in front of us, in all its beauty and majesty, was the Kanchenzonga. Some locals told us we were really lucky to see it so clearly as the past twenty days there were only clouds. Janet could not get her eyes away and she stood by our guesthouse window looking at the mountains, taking photos and sipping tea.

Whilst at the restaurant we met again with the couple who was traveling with the bike. They are both Swiss and had been travelling for as long as we have, but with a bike. They turned out to be really nice guys and we had a nice conversation with them, had something small to eat and made our way back to our room for an early night.

The following day was the last day we were spending in Pelling and we just took it easy. We went for a walk in Lower Pelling and had some nice food for lunch. In the afternoon the hotel’s owner came back with all his family and as promised cooked us a delicious meal with the chicken which he got for us from Siliguri. The food was excellent…we couldn’t have wished for anything better. Our next stop from Pelling would be Kecheopuri lake.