Anyhow, since I was taking a vacation after more than 3 years for hard labor, I wanted it to be memorable. After a lot of thought and going back and forth on which destination to choose, i finally settled on Darjeeling, India.
For those of you who aren't very familiar with Darjeeling, let me give you a crash course. Darjeeling is a city located in West Bengal and is close to the Himalayan mountain range, situated on the Nepal-India border. Probably the most famous thing about Darjeeling is the view it offers of the Himialaya's, and more specifically, Mt. Kanchenjunga.
-Mt.Kanchejunga, as seen from my hotel room
Mt. Kanchenjunga (also spelled Kanchendzonga) is the third highest mountain in the world, after Mt. Everest and K2. It's height is 8,586 mtrs. and it's name translates to 'The five treasures of snow' as it contains five peaks. Majority of this mountain lies on the border of North Sikkim (India) and Nepal while a part lies wholly in Nepal.
Back to Darjeeling. The closest airport is at Bagdogra and the nearest railhead is Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, from where you can travel by car (which is preferable because of the breathtaking view it offers!). September-November is the best time to travel as this is the end of summer and the temperature is not that cold.
I arrived at Darjeeling and although i was very exhausted (2 plane changes and one 5 1/2 hour drive) my first impressions of the place was awe. Mind you, seeing dust and sand and experiencing sweltering temperatures day in day out for the last 3 years and then suddenly finding yourself surrounded by fabulous views and crisp, fresh air can be an overwhelming experience.
I stayed at the Sinclairs Hotel on Gandhi Road (yes, there is one in nearly every city of India!). Darjeeling doesn't have any 5 star hotels, the maximum they go up to is 3. The hotel I stayed in was quite good; clean, good location, all wooden flooring and ceilings. And best of all, a fantastic view of Kachenjunga. Also, the hotel staff was extremely friendly and smiled all the time! I would definitely recommend it to anyone who's planning a trip to Darjeeling. Although the hotel offered various packages which included sight-seeing trips organized by the hotel itself, I chose not too to take up any of them and instead, saw Darjeeling on my own terms and convenience. I decided to employ the services of the taxi driver who drove me from Bagdogra airport to the hotel, which turned out to be a good decision as not only was he a good driver, which is a must in Darjeeling, but was very well aware of all the places of interest within the city.
I arrived late afternoon and after checking in, resting a bit and taking a quick shower, I stepped out to my first tryst with Darjeeling. The hotel is located quite near to the marketplace and that's where I went first. the market is called quite simply, The Mall or Mall Road, and is a quaint area with majority of the shops dedicated to curios and handicraft items. It is a very different experience as compared to, let's say, walking down Salem Mubarak Str. here in Kuwait.
-a view of Darjeeling city
One thing that I should mention here is that staying in Darjeeling is quite expensive. Hotels charge quite a bit, considering that tourism is the only other industry that Darjeeling has, the other being tea. But shopping in Darjeeling is quite inexpensive and one can bring back numerous knickknacks without breaking the bank.
Gots to go now. I will be back with more on my trip to heaven...
Excellent Tejender...
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