Kangchenjunga from Pelling

The evening I arrived in Pelling, West Sikkim, after a long and very rough ride involving several changes of jeep, Kangchenjunga and the adjacent mountains hid behind cloud. By morning, though, most of the cloud had cleared, and I'd had a good enough sleep to get out of bed and walk down the road to watch the sunrise on these spectacular mountains.

All content © 2017 Pete McGregor

Sunrise at Darjeeling

I've posted some photographs of Kanchenjunga, the world's third highest mountain, at sunrise and sunset on my instagram page, but Kangchenjunga wasn't the only mountain in the view from the rooftop of my hotel in Darjeeling. If anyone knows for sure which mountain this is, please let me know.

I arrived today in Pelling in Sikkim, much closer to Kangchenjunga, but the mountain's remaining stubbornly hidden behind cloud and the first light rain I've seen since early November.

[On another matter, last night I posted another installment of the travel log on Pohanginapete.]

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

Wallah at Josimath, Uttarakhand

Jumping back to much earlier in the journey ... In the early morning, this elderly wallah made chai for me at a small dhaba on the main street of Josimath, deep in Uttarakhand. It was cold then; now, it must feel arctic. The next day I was able to give him a print of the photograph.

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

Early morning in Mandvi, northern Gujarat

In the early morning, the streets of Mandvi, the small coastal town in Kuchchh, northern Gujarat, where wooden ships are still built by hand, are populated mostly by cattle, birds, and dogs, and few humans.

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

Street scene, Mandvi, Gujarat

In the back streets of the small town of Mandvi in Gujarat, on the coast of the Arabian Sea.

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor

The White Rann, Kuchchh, Gujarat

The White Rann (Desert) is one of Kuchchh's most famous tourist destinations. When I was there on New Year's Day, it was far from deserted. Among the thousands of others, I saw no obvious foreigners other than Kenji, with whom I'd split the cost of the day tour. I'd thought the experience would be appalling, but I have to admit I enjoyed being with so many people having such a good time. I lost count of the number of times I was asked if I'd share a selfie, but I was probably included in more photographs than I made.

All content © 2016 Pete McGregor