Thursday 5 April - a unseasonal cyclone in the Bay of Bengal meant that the whole of NE India remains cloudy so we were not greeted with a mountain view as we threw back the curtains.
After a hearty breakfast we set off on our tour or the area. The road took us back into Pelling which itself is built on a steep hillside and consists of Upper, Middle and Lower Pelling. The road wound down the hillside with great views into the Darap valley below.
Our first stop was the Rimbi waterfall which was a pleasant if not hugely spectacular sight. In the valley floor past Rimbi itself we stopped at the Rimbi Rock Garden which is a small tourist enterprise on the valley floor - INR 10 entrance - with some Himalayan flora.
The main destination was the Khechoedpalri Lake (pronounced catch-a-perry) itself at 1951 meters. The road itself was very switch back and at tiles given the raise at time slow going. Up at the lake the car park was full of tourist jeeps and after INR 10 entrance we walked along a small path to the lake. En route was a small building housing huge prayer wheel and a small gompa. The lake itself is set amongst woodland and is actually quite peaceful - at least in the moments of calm between domestic tour groups.
By the time we got back to the hotel the weather was decidedly cooler and after lunch we grabbed and umbrella to walk into town to visit the small government handicraft and carpet weaving centre. Unfortunately they did not have any carpets for sale so we made our way back for afternoon tea and were also issued with a hot water bottle each.
Finally in the late afternoon the mist did clear to reveal the snow capped peaks.
After a hearty breakfast we set off on our tour or the area. The road took us back into Pelling which itself is built on a steep hillside and consists of Upper, Middle and Lower Pelling. The road wound down the hillside with great views into the Darap valley below.
Our first stop was the Rimbi waterfall which was a pleasant if not hugely spectacular sight. In the valley floor past Rimbi itself we stopped at the Rimbi Rock Garden which is a small tourist enterprise on the valley floor - INR 10 entrance - with some Himalayan flora.
The main destination was the Khechoedpalri Lake (pronounced catch-a-perry) itself at 1951 meters. The road itself was very switch back and at tiles given the raise at time slow going. Up at the lake the car park was full of tourist jeeps and after INR 10 entrance we walked along a small path to the lake. En route was a small building housing huge prayer wheel and a small gompa. The lake itself is set amongst woodland and is actually quite peaceful - at least in the moments of calm between domestic tour groups.
By the time we got back to the hotel the weather was decidedly cooler and after lunch we grabbed and umbrella to walk into town to visit the small government handicraft and carpet weaving centre. Unfortunately they did not have any carpets for sale so we made our way back for afternoon tea and were also issued with a hot water bottle each.
Finally in the late afternoon the mist did clear to reveal the snow capped peaks.