Our stay in Sikkim was not quite what we expected, but exactly what we needed. After winding up the mountain we arrived to a hotel that was past its prime. We couldn't see many other guests staying there and we soon found out that facilities were a little basic. There was no WIFI available, no laundry option (thankfully we weren't in dire needs) and the power kept being cut. All of this took a bit of time to accept, but once we had come to terms with it, we really our enjoyed our little retreat. We wrote our diaries and read by torchlight, enjoying the peace and quiet. Our favourite moment was star watching when the street lights had failed, up until the point where they turned on and we saw the cosmos disappear before our eyes.

In our brief stay here, we enjoyed walking around the hilly tea gardens, enjoying a chance to actually stretch our legs which our tour had been a little short of. Most of the time we were surrounded by mist, until on the final morning when it cleared up enough to get a glance of the Himalayas.

Upon leaving we were driven to the train station where we said goodbye to our guide and returned to travelling solo. Our journey was made more enjoyable by the conversation we had with a few locals, something that a lot of our train rides share in common.