It's always time for a good cup of tea :)

Darjeeling!

Small part of India somewhere between Bhutan&Nepal...backed by marvellous Himalayan panorama, tea plantations and hill station. Everything was
different here...no more cows on the streets, cooler climate and much more tibetians.
After hot&sultry Varanasi this was a huge climate change for us. From 30 degrees&sun to only 8degrees&rain...with summer clothes of course. We felt this change immediately when we took a jeep up to in the mountains. First couple of days we had terrible weather with rain and mist so we spent most of the time in a safe shelter within four walls. It was cold. It was freezing. I think I had 6 layers on me!!! So basically we experienced mild winter this year for a couple of days. The worse thing was that it was raining for 10 min, then sun for 5 min, mist for 15 min...and then rain again. Crazy.

Actually we decided to go to Darjeeling because of its spectacular strech of Himalaya horizon. Because of bad weather we had to wait for our moment...one early morning we woke up at 4 in the morning and went to this Tiger hill. It was f****** cold and windy but when you see sun rise above Himalaya you forget that you don't really feel toes and fingers. I am glad that I bought tibetian scarf a day before which is extremely warm.
From Tiger hill it's possible to see Mt. Everest (8848m), Lhotse (8571m), Makalu (8481m), Kangchendzonga (8598m) and other peaks covered with snow. The weather was so-so but we were still able to see all of the above mentioned peaks. Very impressive.

Darjeeling is also known as one of India's most famous hill stations - at an altitude of 2134m and renowned of course for its tea. Darjeeling produces around 25% of India's tea, including some of the worlds finest brews. It is all about THE tea. Black tea, green tea...and delicious cakes - something for Saso...well and for me too :) Teacake - great combination :)

Beside high peaks and tea fields, Darjeeling is also well known for its steamy Toy train, which is so small that really looks like a toy! Himalayan railway is one of the few hill railways still operating in India. It's even listed as a World heritage site. We decided to take a ride on this little train and were a little bit disappointed...nothing that so special...just old&little train with expensive tickets (of course it's there only for tourists), which crosses road a couple of times.
Another day we spent in Tibetian refugee self-help centre, which comprises a home for the aged, school, orphanage, clinic, craft workshops...and interesting photographic exhibition...and then it was ZOO, Himalayan museum, tea factory, tibetian temple, interesting antique shops, friendly people and endless slopes! Up and down, up and down...all the time!


For sure the most important thing to do in Darjeeling is just to relax with a hot pot of tea, cake and a good view over Himalaya...a perfect end to our unforgettable Indian adventure :) :) :)


JANA

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