Morning in Paradise, Lachong, Northern Sikkim. Like most mountain lodges we stayed in, it has an unheated room, hard mattresses, a couple of thick blankets, a communal toilet and basic canteen.

We pressed our guide and driver cum lodge owner for an early start. We finally hit the road to Yumtang around 0700 and by 11:00 the clouds had moved in. April 2005