November 6, 2014 
PELLING to SILIGURI 130km by share Sumo taxi 300Rs ($5 per seat) 5 hours
Hotel Rajdarbar 1450 Rs ($23.50) double with AC


Going Down South to West Bengal
 
Right from our bed, we awoke to the stunning sight of the sun rising over Kanchenjunga.
 
We were going to Siliguri, the transport hub for trains, planes and buses to our next destination, Guwahati, which is the gateway to the northeastern states.
 
The 7am jeep left at 7:30, not bad for Indian standards. We bought 3 seats to assure that we would not be squashed during the 5 hour ride. It is not unusual to pack 5 people on a bench. Ours promised just 4 per row. After our packs were loaded on top, we crawled in the third row seat above the wheels next to a college student from Darjeeling. After we turned the corner in Pelling we left the snow topped mountain vistas behind. Our college student friend transferred to another jeep after 2 hours, in Jorethang. Afterwards, we had the whole seat to ourselves. 


Bumpy and Dusty 5 Hours

With the exception of an old Aussie who apparently plans ahead and got the front seat, we were the only foreigners. Not unlike all trips we made through Sikkim, it was a bumpy dusty ride. Sikkim is not for the faint of heart. And for the ladies, unless you wear a triple A, a sturdy sports bra makes the ride more bearable. 
   
The shiny blue-black manes of the Indians, progressively turned into dull gray mops. Funny really, I couldn't help taking wobbly pictures of the progression. How childish. 
Nevertheless it was another stunning ride through steep mountainous terrain, tropical vegetation and deep ravines with clear blue rivers coursing through it. Our driver was aggressive and passing every car or truck in his way on the narrow road.


Checking Out of Sikkim

Today was the last day of our permit for travel in Sikkim. We had to get signed and stamped out of Sikkim at the border crossing town of Melli. The guy there got out The Big Book and apparently made lengthy notations and documentations about every foreigner who exits. Apart from giving the guy a job, I don't see the point. We left the cool of the high mountains behind. The rest of the trip was uneventful. 
    

Tricycle Taxi to the Hotel 

Our Sumo arrived in the bus stand in Siliguri right on schedule. Our driver was scheduled to turn around and make the 5 hours trip back to Pelling after a short rest. The noise level immediately is raised by triple digits. It is at least 10°C hotter and the humidity is through the roof too.

As soon as we stopped in small lot, several pedicabs were eager and at our service. The hotel we opted for was about 2 km away. Our jeep driver helped negotiate but at 50Rs ($1) we didn't want to be too tough on these guys.  Dave and I each hopped in a pedicab and off we went. Sadly, the hotel Conclave was fully booked when we got there. We settled for the fancy looking one next to it, Hotel Rajdarbar. After negotiations, we got a reasonable price. They have wifi in the lobby and clean sheets. We were happy.