Blogs from Darjeeling, West Bengal, India, Asia - page 8

Flew out from London on Thursday afternoon to Kolkata via Dubai. As we climbed above Dubai for the last leg, I wondered (no, seriously, I was pretty sleep deprived at this point) whether there were more light bulbs than people in the world. Below us, the neighbourhoods of Dubai were marked off by millions of the little buggers, some static, some winking, flashing, alternating between on and off. Looking forward to seeing Dubai by day on the way back. In order to combat the sleep deprivation, I'd booked the first night in a fancy pants hotel in Kolkata, way over my budget. At breakfast, one of the waiters told me that we were in one of the poshest areas in Kolkata, and that some Government minister lived nearby. Then he smiled, as if on cue, and ... read more

We arrived in Kolkata around 10:30 at night after having flown from Banglore. We spent three days exploring the city, including the nightlife, Indian Museum, Victoria Memorial, and the famous Maidon Park. We found Kolkata to be our favorite of the three major cities (Delhi & Mumbai being the other two). The city seemed relaxed in comparison and the people seemed friendlier. From Kolkata, we took at train to a small city near Darjeeling, where we then hired a share jeep (10 or more people in a jeep meant to fit 6 comfortably) and rode 3 more hours up the mountains to Darjeeling. If I were a reasonable man, a man of forethought, I would have taken pictures of the breathtaking views traveling up the mountains, as well as the wonderful views of India's largest mountain ... read more

SANDAKPHU TREK 3636 meters high 1/5/10: Late last night Jacinta threw up after trying to hold it in for a few hours, after she finally did, she felt so much better and was able to sleep. I was also not well, after rushing to the toilet It reveal that I had bad diarrhoea, once again I had to take some antibiotics. We met Rambo at the top of the Darjeeling hill around 8:00 so we could catch a jamb packed jeep to a town over an hours away called Maneybhanjyang (elevation 2134m) right on the border of Nepal. By the time we got signed in and ready to walk it was around 10:00. Rambo got a porter to carry things because he said it was compulsory. At first he sneakily tried to say we need one ... read more

26/4/10: We slept but not that well; it was noticeably cooler making it more comfortable. We actually arrive on time as the train didn’t even stop through the night. The train stopped at New Jalpurgari, we were told that it was nice to get the Toy Train up to Darjeeling and hopped that we weren’t too late to buy a ticket. We got hassled by jeep and taxi drivers to take us to Darjeeling but we wanted to go on the Toy Train. The Toy Train is a train with very narrow tracks and only around 5-8 carriages long. They are wide another to accommodate four people side by side, it also takes eight hours to climb up the steep mountain range. The Toy train was not running due to some striking so we were force ... read more

This will be a hasty post. I've reached Varanasi, sitting in a dark, cavernous room using an internet connection powered by a diesel engine, and the Ganges is sparking with sunlight outside. I spent 5 nights in Darjeeling. I booked a good room in Hotel Dekeling, and was pleased when I arrived. The process of arriving, however, was an ordeal. I took the night train from Kokata to New Jalpuriguiri Station, in 2 AC class (I couldn't book 1st class). Mine was the lower berth (lower bunk) and when I entered I met a Darjeeling family on the two across from me. I left my copy of Hannah Arendt's 'The Life of the Mind' on the table with other things, and a face from the upper berth glanced down at it. Above me was another Australian, ... read more