Day 101, Sandakphu, Kanchenjunga [Wednesday 12th March 2008]
Previous day: Day 100, Kanchenjunga [Tuesday 11th March 2008]
Next day: Day 102, Sirikola, Sukhiapokhri [Thursday 13th March 2008]
We get a 5am wake up knock on the door from Santosh so we can get up and watch the sunrise over the Kanchenjunga range. The wind is howling outside, blowing through the cracks in the window frame and billowing the curtains. We went to bed in all our clothes, plus hats, gloves and water bottles. All we have to do is put our shoes on and leave.
Outside the sky is glowing. The sun is up but obscured by clouds. We can see the outline of the range, murky against the moodly blue light. We sit and watch for half an hour, hoping for the sun to come out and hit the mountain directly. We're perched high on top of a rocky outcropping, and the wind is blowing so hard it knocks me off balance. It's icy cold. Our hastily bought windproof trousers and coats seem to be standing up to the task, thankfully. Santosh points out all the major peaks, and soon after that my fac muscles freeze and we head back inside.
Breakfast is basic — Tibetan bread and jam. We see the now-sober policemen eating hot noodle soup so we order some of that too.
When we leave at about 8.30am we get a magnificent view of the might Kanchenjunga. The sun is shining brightly and we can see all the peaks except the very top of Kanchenjunga itself, which is surrounded by a swirl of cloud. The whole range looks so crisp and clear. We realise that we're not much further than 30 miles away, about the distance of Guildford from London, and the enormity of the sight becomes apparent. It's truly impressive, a beautiful sight. We stay for a while enjoying the vastness of the range. We look westwards and try to identify Everest amongst the jagged line of peaks stretching to the horizon.
We walk a steep 12km downhill and stop at a pretty house with flowers and pot plants spread around it. There are wild orchids growing in the trees. We have lunch, and afterwards realise with a shock that we've lost our money belt, which contains both our passports and Rs. 7500 in cash. We tell Santosh and he tries calling the last two places we stayed at, but he has rouble getting phone reception up in the hills. Eventually, after borrowing the owner's phone and standing on the roof of a nearby hut he manages to get through, but no one's seen our stuff. We spend an anxious night trying to work out where we could have lost them or what we need to do next, because our Indian visas and Sikkim permits are also in hte passports.
We visit the local waterfall. At dinner we drink some tongba and chat to a friendly Canadian guy who turns up, having climbed the steep route up here in the dark.
Next day: Day 102, Sirikola, Sukhiapokhri [Thursday 13th March 2008]
Previous day: Day 100, Kanchenjunga [Tuesday 11th March 2008]