Blogs from Darjeeling, West Bengal, India, Asia - page 7

Eiiiyy. So much to talk about since my last update!!!!! I believe it's been about six weeks since the last post... which brings me to my 3 month mark here in India. From Delhi, I was originally supposed to head to Dharamshala, yet i was told it was unsafe due to a small conflict with the chinese government and the Dalai Llama (these conflicts tend to be ongoing). Dharamshala was still freezing at the time, so it's probably better that I headed to Rishikesh- yoga capital of the world. There is yoga everywhere, the small town is located on the upper part of the Ganges river. There are many criminals dressed in orange to disguise themselves as sadus, or holy men, but otherwise Rishikesh was incredibly safe. Oh, and, foreigners run the town. I've never seen ... read more

Darjeeling used to be the main British hill top retreat when the Raj was ruled from Calcutta. From here they could manage the empire during the stifling heat of the Indian summer. And my what a spot they picked! Situated in the north-east of the country, up high in the hills with magnificent views of the Himalayas, and rolling tea plantations covering the hillsides, it is one of my favourite spots in Asia. It is like a different country compared to the rest of India, more like Tibet or Nepal. Many Tibetan refugees fled here when China annexed Tibet, and Nepali workers used to tend to the plantations, so an interesting cultural diversity exists here. Darj is clean and spacious (no dust and it even had bins!), has some beautiful guest houses, and the people were ... read more

It feels like ages since the last blog, probably because of the huge distance we’ve travelled and how we’ve settled in a town so different from anywhere we’ve been before. We’ve been staying in Darjeeling, located in the foothills of the Himalayas, right next to Nepal. The views are spectacular, especially when they’re not covered in cloud, the temperature is chilly (although sunny during the day) several tops, coats and blankets are worn in the evenings and, thanks to a friend, we’ve discovered Honey Bee Brandy which keeps you nice and toasty too. One of the reasons we chose to visit Darjeeling is because my Mum went to school here, an international boarding school called Mount Hermon. We spent our first day drinking tea and sorting out our Indian mobile. We also met up with my ... read more

Hej, This is my first English travel blog on my trip around the world. The last few days of my visit to India I will be spending in Darjeeling. It is a relaxed little town, kinda like Dharamsala. Al kinds of different ethnics live here. It almost feels like I'm in Nepal or China. But the people who live here the Gorkha's are a mix of Nepali, Bhutani, Myamari and Chinese people. The people are more relaxed they don't yell as much as in the rest of India. Like in Dharamsala the foreigners here are a mix of trekkers, tourists and alternatives who come to study Tibetan or some other local language. The nature around here is amazing. You get a real nice view on the Himalaya's and on the tea plantations. It's a real good ... read more

Darjeeling is really beautiful and relaxed. It's so different to Kolkata, which I kind of got used to, and even liked in it's hectic way by the end. The weather is actually really like London in early September. Sunny at times followed by rain. There is little of the heat, crush, humidity of Kolkata here. It's very hilly too. The streets are like Edinburgh or Durham with their steep climbs which leave you breathless half way up. I arrived at the Tower View hotel and asked for a room is the dormitory, it costs 70Rs per night which is about a pound. There was almost no light, random planks of wood in the corner, only one plug socket, and spiders everywhere. It was really bleak and the toilet was blocked (traditional Indian toilets are an ordeal ... read more