Pelling, Sikkim, India, 15 June 2018, 1300 hours:

So what does one do in Pelling in the middle of a pre-monsoon spell of rain, mist and general wet weather?

Depends on how much time you have, who you are with and what the purpose of the travel happens to be.

Like yesterday, when we arrived in Pelling, I took a walk down the lane from the hotel to the point from where one can catch a glimpse of The Kanchenjunga (or Kangchenjunga or Kanchendzonga) on a clear-weather day.

I stood there at the viewing point, looking into the space in front of me, space that was occupied by a blanket of homogenous whiteness. I was there for an hour or a bit longer, and in that time, the blanket of white changed shape a tiny bit, opening a hole that confirmed that there was something huge beyond the cloud and mist I was seeing.

I was prepared to wait the week in the event that the weather cleared.