Sikkim is a Small but beautiful place, is situated in the eastern India Himalayas spread below the Mount Kanchenjunga (8534 mts), the third highest mountain in the world. It is a very special part un spoilt, green, full of orchids, mountains, butterflies and monasteries, and home to the gentlest people you wish to meet. Gantok is the capital city of Sikkim, which means aptly enough “hill top” and perched at 5500 feet high on the ridge of a valley. From Gangtok, you look over the hillside, down across to terraced fields, with tall, white Buddhist prayer flags fluttering in the wind, and endless vistas of many shades of green. Sikkim is rich in flora and fauna. 454 types of orchid, over 600 species of butterflies, 500 species of birds, red pandas, snow leopards; Sikkim is a naturalist’s paradise, and there are many wildlife parks and sanctuaries. The largest and most famous of these is the Kanchenjungha National Park, covering an area of 850 square kilometers and whose centerpiece, naturally, is the sacred mountain of Kanchenjungha.
Darjeeling, known as the queen of the Himalayas is situated in the Northern Part of the Indian state of West Bengal. The city is located in the Siwalik Range of the lesser Himalayas and is famous for its tea industry. The city is also famous for the Darjeeling Himalayan Railways which is one among the UNESCO’s World Heritage List. To the east, a dull orange sun emerged painting the sky with brilliant strokes of magenta, gold, orange and fuchsia. The snow capped Everest, Kabru, Kanchenjunga, Jannu and other peaks slowly emerge from slumber to start a new day. The sun worshippers gasp at the magnificent sight. As the fog lifts in the slowly penetrating sun, the town gradually comes alive. Amidst brewing of tea, the sing-song Gorkhali which is the local dialect, rises and falls like music.
