Life in the Sky.

Very very happy boy this Duncan! 20 years and 72 countries and finally got to see these amazing, unbelievable, beautiful and sublime Himalayas! Sitting in a crazy little town called Gangtok, capital of Sikkim, north east of Bengal, bloody cold but what an amazing spot.

Arrived by jeep....4 hours from NJP to be dropped at the Sikkim frontier, independant country up until the late 70's. What a culture shock for us both. Lots of paper work on the frontier but what nice border guards. Very special to walk into a country over a bridge in the middle of nowhere!

A word on these people; Most are from Tibet and Nepal so really not Indian looking at all, rosey cheeks big smiles and a very sweet shyness about them.

Plastic bags were banned here a few years ago and big fines for littering so very clean streets.

Really feel like we are in Tibet with all this calm around!

Chilled in Gangtok for a day then off to the big mountains.....I mean really big montains with a guide, a driver and our new Australian/Bangladeshy friend Roy. 6 hours to cover 118 kms in a jeep but what amazing sights......monasteries, Budhist prayer flags everywhere, oh and this lovely planet's 3rd highest mountain, 8320 meters!!!!

Couldn't see Everest but fingers crosed that we will as we move a bit to the west.

Now trekking up here. Must, must give up smoking Duncan! On day 2 we struggled on foot up to 13500 feet and altitude really hit us all very hard....except for our sherpa who just laughed at us.....alot. As a foot note, Ron and Jambo Sherpa are so keen to involve me with a big climb to attempt Annapurna, about 7500 meters...gulp!!!!

Finding it hard to write this today as to describe this place really is impossible, I think I will let the pictures tell the real story!

Thanks to all our new friends for letting us into their homes and we will never forget eating in your beautiful kitchens so high and remote from the world.

But big thanks to our guide Ron and the amazing Jambo Sherpa for carrying us through this experience. And massive thanks to Jambo and family for inviting us into his home for spicy pork and way to much Nepalese rum!

Off to west Sikkim in the morning for more of the same.....lucky lucky Duncan and Ellen.

Again, lots of love from incredible India/Sikkim

Duncan and Ellen