The picture you see above is an extremely special picture for me. I've always wanted to click the stars and the mountains and the galaxies and I got to do that last year in March when I visited Sikkim.

So I went there for like a week right before our Country went into a lockdown. My trip began with the usual throwing up in the car while going up to Gangtok from NJP, sleeping for most of the journey while the cold wind gave me a head ache (result of not visiting the mountains once a year). Anywho, I reached there and checked into a hotel and got myself a room which had a sweet view from the balcony.

As much as the view excited me, the clouds not so much. It's my personal preference, I never liked clouds in the mountains. In the plains, I enjoy them, in the beaches, still will do, but not in the mountains. So for the next couple of days the clouds kept hovering over me and the temperature stayed pretty low. As much as I appreciated this view, I realized that I probably will not be able to get a good glimpse of the night sky from here. So I decided to go further up towards North Sikkim. I went to Lachung which is about 100-110 kilometers from Gangtok. The road there albeit being long is filled with beautiful scenic views and huge waterfalls. (Secret tip, if you do plan on going there and when you stop at the various waterfalls, definitely try the tea from the adjacent tea stalls. It's mostly the locals, they are very nice people and their tea is amazing. Not just one but each and every one of them. You will not be satisfied with just one cup, thank me later)

I reached Lachung by evening and I found a nice little hotel. Don't expect anything too fancy up there because people usually stay there for one night so the hotels only have the basics. Don't go there expecting a nice bath tub, glass windows, heated rooms, you'll be disappointed. 

So anyway, I went for a walk after dinner hoping I'd get a clear sky but my luck wasn't that good as the clouds still covered the majority of the sky. I still tried but couldn't get what I was looking for.

Went to sleep soon with a heavy heart as even the forecast predicted that it'll stay cloudy.

Around 3AM, I don't actually know how or why but I woke up as if I just couldn't sleep. I went towards the balcony and to my disbelief, the clouds had cleared up and I could see the stars!! For a moment I genuinely thought whether I was dreaming or not.

I wore my jacket, my gloves, took my tripod and my phone and just went out. I walked for a bit and reached a nice dark spot. I set up my tripod and fixed my phone, adjusted the settings with shaking hands. The temperature then was almost touching 2 degree Celsius, the wind making it even more cold. I had 4 layers of padding and yet I was shivering. I clicked some test shots before finalizing the settings and getting The Shot (the one in the cover). My eyes could see a lot more than my camera could capture but I'll let those be just for myself for now.

There at the moment, at 3 AM, in the shivering cold, I stood there, the wind blowing past me, the river gushing violently just few feet away, I looked up and I felt immensely proud of myself for deciding to do this. As I was thinking I saw a light dot moving across the sky rather quickly. It didn't take me long to figure out that it could be the International Space Station, I cross checked it's position online which confirmed that it was the ISS. I really couldn't ask for more. Being a Space and Astrology enthusiast, I always wanted to see it

I went back inside soon, wrapped myself in the kambal (comforter), lied down, closed my eyes and kept picturing what I just witnessed. It was the most beautiful night sky I'd ever seen.

Do drop a like if you enjoyed reading this, I plan on posting more such. Also follow me maybe :)