Farewell Tag Along 2.0
Many of us staying at Tag Along 2.0 hadn’t planned to stay there that long, but there was something about it that made it difficult to leave. The six of us who did the North Sikkim trip together (and Abhishek) had grown comfortable with the hostel and each other’s company. Tag Along 2.0 is well-designed for long-term stays. The rooms are airy and spacious, and plenty of common spaces to chill and work. Inside, there are board games and instruments to play, art supplies to try, and furry friends to spend time with. Outside, you can play badminton, try skateboarding, or learn slacklining. And if you don’t feel like doing anything, you can just sit in the open spaces and enjoy the view. There is even a slide inside the hostel. We tried our hands at almost everything the hostel had to offer and kept extending our stay till Saturday.
Finally, on Saturday, Shekhar, Maya, Abhishek, and I left for Pelling. Anshika, Sourabh, and Tulip left for Kolkata after us. Before leaving, we had a little group photo session at the hostel. Some of us wrote our parting messages on a hostel wall, which was reserved for it. Anshika and Maya had their little heart-to-heart feedback session.
The four of us going to Pelling took a private cab to the Deorali taxi stand. Its driver was the most honest cab driver we met in our entire trip - he charged just 150rs for it (we were expecting at least 300). There was only one shared cab available till Pelling, and we got 4 seats in the back. It was supposed to leave at 1 PM, but after a long wait, it finally arrived at around 1:40 PM and left around 2:00 PM. Even though there is a shorter route(distance-wise) through Ravangla, cabs to Pelling take the route along the West Bengal border which even enters West Bengal at certain stretches. The elevation changes are also significant on this route. You start at 5400ft (Gangtok) and descend to 330ft (Melli) before climbing back up to 5900ft (Pelling). The cab also stopped for lunch and for tea on the way. By the time we reached Pelling, it was already dark.
We were going to stay at Mochilero Ostello hostel, which is a bit away from Pelling city. There is a shortcut to the hostel from where the city ends. We walked till there but couldn’t find the shortcut. So Abhishek contacted the owner, and he sent a cab our way. We still had to do a short hike to reach the hostel. The homestay-like kitchen of Mochilero was exceptional. We gorged on the delicious dinner and called it a day.
