It was on a hot, sultry, March evening, that we left Kolkata to seek the refreshing coldness of the hills of South Sikkim. We reached IHCAE Chemchey on the evening of March 22, 2016, a little travel-weary, but enthusiastic. Settling into our dorms, we were introduced to our instructors and the rules and regulations of the place.

Our day started with tea at 5:30am in the morning, followed by a jog and some physical exercises. Breakfast was served at 8:00am after which we embarked on a different adventure every day. Lunch was at 1:00p.m and dinner was at 8:00p.m. Then it was lights out at 10:00pm sharp.

The first day saw us getting acquainted with our equipment, learning to make various knots, hitches and pitching tents. The second day, we followed a mountain path to a 78 foot rock face, which we climbed up and rappelled down, in addition to which we traversed across a nice –commando style . Day three saw us following mountain trails and forest paths to a view-point atop a hill, cradled in the mountains. Though the trek was hard, the view was worth it. We spent the entire morning of the fourth day rappelling down a 160 foot rock face and zoomering up a tree. A last trek to Temi Tea garden on the fifth day signaled us to get ready for the campfire that evening. We put up a cultural programme, sang songs and danced around the bonfire. A special dinner awaited us at the end. After dinner, we stayed up well past our usual “lights out” time, merrily singing along to the guitar.

It was hard to leave Chemchey the next morning. Though we were there for five days, it felt like home. An early breakfast saw us boarding the bus, loading our luggage onto the bus and biding adieu to our instructors, of whom we had become extremely fond of, even though they were strict to us.

We did some sightseeing as we made our way down to the plains of Siliguri, from where we boarded a train back to Kolkata.