Mt.kanchendzonga from middle Pelling, the 3rd highest peak in the world.
“When you realize how perfect everything is you will tilt your head back and laugh at the sky”- Buddha
And I laughed. I laughed seeing God’s mockery slammed square on my face. Build the tallest building you might but you will never reach heights. Do what you must to call yourself rich and yet all your riches are useless here. Standing in front of the beautiful Mt. kanchendzonga I went through a series of crazy feelings: From a proud earth-dweller and getting drunk in its beauty to a vulnerable speck of dust, simply left at the mercy of this sky-high guardians of the East. At times I jumped like a little baby to catch a glimpse of the snow-clad range, at times it made me feel bad about the times I reacted in haste to a word that could have been received better. At night, the pressing silence helped me hear myself and in the morning soaking the sunshine felt better than a million dollar spa. At times, there was no dinner and we ate biscuits and drank whiskey and laughed a lot. At times, just looking outside whet our appetite. At times you’ll wonder why are you so happy. And then your thoughts will take you back to a place where your car, sofa or the job you do is not at all necessary. Will all of that and more give you this feeling of standing in front of the great Himalayas? You’ll brood on this thought and slowly come to the conclusion that you don’t want any of this things you so needed. They are just to fill the void you have been wanting to fill in and which arose out of disconnect to nature. You don’t really need them to be happy. Everything you need to be content and happy is here in this world- perfect and free. Its the answer to the questions you never knew.
The best home decor is The Himalayas outside your window.
As I looked through my lens I felt proud to be a work of the same creator. Never before have I thanked God so much for giving me a perfect pair of eyes, an ear to hear and the feet to walk. Never before did I look up and thank him for making me a creature than can feel, can connect. Look at us going crazy about how to look beautiful. That you have eyes to see, ear to hear, feet to walk and the ability to feel isn’t perfect? We are perfect the way we are. In life’s most important places isn’t this all we really need?
You have no choice but to stop and admire and gasp: God! Maybe look up and wink at the man and tell him what a cracker of a DIY er he is. You know, its true when they say that the best feelings in the world are the ones which cannot be explained. I am at a severe loss of words as I write this blog post: I have so much to communicate but I don’t know the right words to do justice to the feeling. I felt good. After many many years I felt at peace and that I’ll remember the lofty mountains and its selfless greatness and what it really means to be alive. It’s not the post or the bank balance or even the looks. It’s the majestic mountains, the great seas, gorgeous flowers, heady sounds of cricket in the woods and little Hamlets with perfectly manicured gardens and the ability to see, hear and feel.
Khecheopalri lake, Pelling
I have been to Pelling before but not the way I went this time. We were travelling extensively and we were glad we did. If you ever visit Sikkim and Pelling, pay buck to a local guide and go to “Khechuperi” or Khecheopalri or Kha-Chot-Palri Lake. A wish fulfilling lake, sacred to Buddhists and Hindus alike, it is considered to be the the abode of “Tshomen Gyalmo or chief protective nymph of the Dharma as blessed by Tara. You can read about it here. I’ll put in a word for it being a wish-fulfilling lake. It is. Take a chance, make a wish.
The waters are holy and fishing or even feeding the fishes is prohibited. You are also not to wash your hands or feet in the lake. But there is nothing more in discord with nature than a bunch of oblivious Indians who would feed cream-biscuits to the fishes. I spoke. They listened. Started after 5 minutes, slyly.
And on our way back, caught these wild Hydrangeas growing out of nowhere. They were everywhere. Plump, in shades of blue and pink: I wish I could carry a suitcase full of that weather for my wee plants in here!
In Pelling, you can pay some 2k INR and hire an entire car for day-trips. It touches quite an interesting srray of spots and it’ll be totally worth. The day trip we took involved seeing the second highest bridge in Asia. Singshore Bridge, with a span of 198 metres and 220 metres in depth, Singshore Bridge, nearUttarey in West Sikkim, is considered the second highest suspension bridge in Asia. Here is what a river looks like from Singshore bridge, don’t be mistaken- its not a waterfall!
Caught a glimpse of Dentam Valley while returning and on our way to Rabdentse Ruins. Too bad the battery died and I could get no photos of the ruins through this DSLR. If you want to see the photos of the ruins, please head over to my instagram, you’ll find them there. I am as Trumatter, as ever!
This is how chores look like high up in the hills. One of my personal favorite photos.
Stopped for a glass of wine at the one and only functional food joint in Pelling. Again, recommended.
And then a steaming bowl of Thenthuk: A tibetan pasta soup, with handmade wheat pasta. Recommended. If you are in Sikkim, ask for Chhang- a local wine served in bamboo mugs. We really tried hard to chug a glass but its available only in the evenings. That bit didn’t happen!
The photos will just go on but I guess I’ll have to end it here before it gets heavier. But I won’t leave untill i show you my Balcony in Pelling and the view from it.
As surreal as it can get!
I’ll be back with photos from gangtok- the captal of Sikkim, more about Mt.Kanchendzonga and my childhood, a local whiskey you must bring home and some crazy noodle combinations. I’ll also put together a plan and places in general if anyone’s interested 🙂 For now, this is me signing off.
Peace!