A chill ran down my spine as I got out of the car in Pelling. My watch read 7 p.m. and the temperature according to Google was 5° C. Well, that was the reason for the chill. We were at the highest point of Pelling, exhausted after a 4 hour long drive through the mountains but were smiling ear to ear at the sweet, fresh smell of the air. We felt like a baby that had been offered its favourite toy. Travelling, that topped our list of favourites, had brought us to a place that was enchanting, soothing and exciting in a unique way.

Knock! Knock! Our first morning in Pelling and we woke up to hot cups of tea and beautiful mountains. Then the usual routine of tours began. Freshening up, sightseeing, food, pictures etc. followed. What we saw was beautiful but it was more about the emotional connect behind them, the process of soaking in every bit of it. We went to every place that the usual tourist visits in Pelling but the warmth of the sun followed by an unexpected drizzle, rain and sleet are what melted our hearts. As we drove around the mountains and walked through the woods, the tranquillity of the Himalayas started overpowering us. We were in a trance, happily losing our city senses to the loud silence of nature. As the day came to an end, and the sky cleared up, a star-studded blanket above, wished us the best of nights. Little did we know at that time, of the golden surprise that would come in the morning?

There is a unique excitement in waking up on early morning alarms while travelling. Experiencing the sight of Kanchenjunga at sunrise was forever on my travel bucket list as just another point to be checked, until that morning. We were up before sunrise and rushed to the terrace with our phones and cameras. The hour or two that followed gave us one of the irreplaceable memories of all times. From snow white to red to orange, to golden, to yellow, as the colours unfolded in front of our eyes, we stood there in awe of God’s creation. We couldn’t help but gasp at and adore all of it. The sun came up to spread its warmth on that chilly morning like it does each day. But it was indeed a magnificent act of God performed in the simplest of ways. We began our second day with this amazement.

As the entire day was blessed with a clear sky, we could experience the beautiful sunset where the colours changed yet again on Kanchenjunga. This time from orange to golden, to yellow and then back to white. The white Smokey clouds on the snow-white peak of the mountain looked like an enchanted chimney from a fairy tale. Such was the brightness of the sight that even after nightfall, when everything else turned dark, the mighty Kanchenjunga stood with its head held high, covered in snow. A million stars on the sky were its ideal partners. Being a new moon night, the darkness all around brought out the beauty of Kanchenjunga even better.

Next morning, we came down to Gangtok. There was a sea of differences between the two places, yet both were mesmerizing in their own ways. Rains hit the city the day we reached, making the morning warmer and the nights a tad bit less cool. Gangtok is a city of monasteries, royal dynasty, waterfalls and a shopper’s heaven. It is city life in there but quite different from the metro cities of the plains. In the mountain city, peace rules amidst the chaos.

Finally, the day came for us to board the train and get back to the city of our livelihood. We left with a heartache, the kind one has while leaving behind one’s loved ones. Gradually, we drove down to be at sea level, but this time the voice inside me kept saying, ‘ The Himalayas, I will be back soon for the love of you!’

Days after, as I sat in my balcony sipping on my cup of tea, the vision of the concrete buildings and trees went out of sight to reveal the golden glow of Kanchenjunga with the smoke of clouds above its peak. I was still in a trance!