The trip begins -
The journey started from Kolkata station which is the newest of all five railway stations in Kolkata. It was opened in 2006 but the maintenance of the station is shocking. I'm in the train now with my mum and dad. A few co-passengers are sat opposite to us and have started chit chatting. It feels nice the moment the train starts moving. Good old train sound reminds me of childhood holidays. Looking forward to NJP.
New Jalpaiguri to Rolep -
After a frustrating 2hours delay by the Haldibari express and a quick stroll in New Jalpaiguri yesterday, we are on our way to the famous Silk route of Sikkim today. On the way, we first stopped for breakfast and had one hot Alu paratha each. People in the mountains in North India make the best Alu paratha ever. There's absolutely no competition. With a happy tummy, we continued our journey. Leaving the busy hustle and bustle of NJP, we crossed some military base camps and training sites located just outside the township and then on to the winding up and down hilly roads alongside the meandering Teesta river. On the roadside, there are many monkeys, very keen and alert, looking out for food. I also saw few little pigs straying around. The street dogs here are much wolfy but calmer with longer hair and bushy tails compared to the ones back home in Kolkata. We crossed the Kalijhora barrage, a big mountain waterfall, stopped at a dhaba, pottered inside a random wood full of Sal trees, soaking in the beauty of the Himalayas and the Teesta river. Destination - Rolep, a little village in East Sikkim.
Rolep -
Village might be a big word. it's basically few little homes scattered in a valley by the river - Rangpo. This place is just amazing. It is literally like what we say living amidst nature - the river flowing by makes a restless noise, the big boulders and rocks on the riversides make it perfect for trying out some monkey-style rock climbing, the few homes perge on the slope of the mountain and little hilly paths take you to the woods. The house we are staying in is very basic - clean rooms, no heater, limited electricity ,no phone connectivity. It is owned by a local woman and her husband. They live there with their younger daughter and son and also two dogs and a cat. Friendly local host took me out for a wander. We went to a hanging bridge nearby through the hills this evening. She has been telling me many stories of her life in her broken Nepalese Hindi and also been cooking homely tasty meals for us. Right now, the smell of oniony chicken has filled the dark valley. The white fluffy dog is very sweet too and he followed us all along the way. I climbed all the rocks and boulders by the river and trekked a bit with the local woman and her son until sunset. 
There is a waterfall here called Buddha falls that's about 4hours trek from where we are staying and some 30minutes drive. You climb down some rocky steps and cross some boulders to go to the falls and get sprayed on. It's like a cozy canopy everywhere. Once the sun goes down, it's pitch black dark. I'm in love with Rolep. The restless noise from the river, the chirpy birds (a beautiful red and black bird particularly caught my attention), the colorful butterflies, the dim lights in a distant house, the occasional dog woofs and no digital metropolitan disturbance - serene solitude. Love it!
Padamchen -
After the cold shivery nights in Rolep, we drove up higher to even colder area of Padamchen. It's a hilly village perched on one of the slopes of a mountain at about 9500ft. We had to make a permit for going up the mountains in Rongli, a small town full of shops selling anything ranging from clothes to food.
Before getting into Padamchen, we spent some time in Quekhali Falls - some more rock climbing and boulder hopping followed by accidentally getting my shoes wet when I misjudged one jump. Once in the village, we went out surveying the neighborhood surrounded by high mountain peaks and different types of plants and bushes. The family with whom we are staying has a big garden with various flowers in it. Lots of birds I don't know the names of are chirping around. Just beside our cottage, there is a nursery growing Chinese apples, tomatoes and salad leaves. From the balcony of our cottage, we get a view of the beautiful peaks turning blue in colour as the night creeps in. And its very cold. With no heater in the room, all the evenings are now being spent chitchatting inside the duvet.
Upper Zuluk -
From Thambi view point, we kept driving higher up and it started getting snowy all around. We stopped at kolepakhari lake where the water in the lake was frozen to solid ice and visited Gnathang valley next. The valley full of snow is amazing. It just automatically brings out a different kind of energy and excitement in everyone. Pure white snow and clear blue sky effortlessly put a smile on your face. Our next stop was for a hot coffee at Laxman chowk which is a memorial to an army officer. What a heavenly place to have a memorial - on top of a mountain with nothing around but white snow and the Kanchenjunga peeping behind! I went to one of the most luxurious toilets up here. It's a makeshift box made of four tin walls, a bucket full of freaking cold water and a floor made of snow. This is definitely going into my list of unforgettable experiences! 
We drove up to 13900ft to a place called old Baba Mandir - a memorial for Harbhajan Baba. The road further up was apparently not accessible due to heavy snow which means we couldn't go to Kulup and my most awaited Elephant lake. Well, ce's le vie. We spent some time walking around in the snow and then turned back downhill. On our way back, we stopped at the sunrise point where you get a top-notch view of the Kanchenjunga range. We did think of coming up here to watch the sunrise next day but that didn't happen. I have seen sunrise on Kanchenjunga before though and it's definitely the best sunrise I have ever seen in my life. Undoubtedly it is so popular.
From the foresty hilly Rolep with rivers and woods to the hilly village of Padamchen in front of a valley to the snowy peaks in Zuluk, the trip was one with extreme variety and nature at its best. To top it, I loved the homestays where the living was basic yet with an atmospheric touch to it. I got to interact with the local people and a little opportunity to dive into the lives of these real men and women of Sikkim momentarily. I have always felt that the people in the mountains are very humble and down to earth. And this trip was a reconfirmation of the same. The people here are grateful for whatever they have and they respect nature truly. Plus with no heater or hot water and no digital noise, the experience was very elementary. I loved it.
