A five-year break from the Himalaya in the late 1990s was becoming more than I could bear. But a return to Nepal was not the most attractive of options at the time. Most people are not thrilled at the prospect of being caught between two warring factions whilst on holiday. My wife and I neither. But it is not Nepal-or-nothing as far as the Himalaya is concerned.
Lying directly to the east is an equally spectacular region with the same cultural charm as its more famous neighbour. The trek to Gocha La, or beyond to Kangchenjunga Base Camp, is not a poor man`s second to anything in Nepal. I saw and photographed enough to be able to make that claim on behalf of this small Indian state, even though we didn`t make it all the way, due to time constraints.
From Darjeeling and Pemayangtse we had had good distant views of the world`s third highest mountain, Kangchenjunga. But from Dzongri Hill, the furthest point we reached on the trek, it lay hidden behind clouds. Our cook`s assistant thereafter tried to make light of our disappointment, pointing to every hilly eminence that we could see on the way back and calling each one "green Kangchenjunga", followed by a mischievious giggle.
My main word of advice - assuming you`re coming from Delhi, cut out the tedious northern plains of India by flying to Bhadrapur.
I have done both - flown and gone overland by train. For money reasons, I took the train option in 1989. Notwithstanding, or perhaps because of the stunning view from a train of an entire northern Indian village ablaze, I have no wish to repeat the experience.