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An early start with a long drive ahead of us. Showers were hot and so was the morning tea. We were all packed and ready for breakfast at 0630 hours. Rice pudding, Tibetan bread and omelette. The cook team and Rik, our local guide, departed after breakfast and we all said our farewells. Everyone will miss Rik and his sense of humour.
The road was long and winding as we followed the valleys through cultivated terraces and forests of pine. We passed several mining tunnels right by the side of the road and a hydro-electro project where tens of workers moved rocks in wicker baskets carried with straps over their heads. The weather varied between sunshine and rain, offering some amazing views across the valleys through mists and clouds. Traffic on the road was intermittent but each bend demanded a blast on the horn. We saw many gotala (a person who looks after the cattle) carrying heavy bundles of vegetation. Some of them looked like big bushes moving along the roadside.
We took a welcome break during the journey to do some close observation of rafting along the Teesta Khola (river). The weather improved significantly as we followed the river. There seemed to be a lot of road construction work going on along the side of the river. Groups of people were digging in the shale and sand to grade stone before filing the waiting trucks. The roads were much busier and drivers seemed impatient to pass the trucks. A short time later we arrived in Sikkim and stopped for a very late lunch. Sometime later we arrived at the hotel tired and hungry. We went for a brief wander around the town in the rain before an evening meal and bed with hope of some views of the Kangchenjunga Massif in the morning.
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