Today we did some elephant riding. Even though I was expecting full package (riding, washing them, etc), that lasts 2-3 hours, all we got was 20min ride, that cost us 1000rs each (even though they wanted 2000 for each).

Probably most people who have heard about Varanasi, have heard about it in association with burning of the dead. And to be honest - city offers little besides ghats (steps to river). Still - that is enough and Varanasi is a must-see city for everyone visiting India.

In a store, where I bought teas to send back home, we did some free tea degustation.

Darjeeling. City of tea. I expected rural town with lush gardens of tea all around, but instead got bustling city with no visible tea bushes around. Still - I enjoyed it a lot and Darjeeling is now among my favourite places in India.

Note about Artur: last week he decided to stay longer in Assam to do some work, so I continued alone. We will meet again after 2-3 days.

Tourists need permit to enter Sikkim, fortunately, this process is relatively painless and can be done in an hour. While here, I visited 2 cities - Gangtok (capital of Sikkim) and Pelling (main tourist attraction).