From Paradise on Earth to Queen of Hills

From Paradise on Earth to Queen of Hills; after visiting Kashmir in the month of June this year, I decided to have a short trip to Darjeeling. The idea of this blog is to share with my all friends my experience and the pictures clicked by me.

I visited Darjeeling 50 years ago along with my parents. Darjeeling did impress me immensely at that time; it was incidentally my first visit to a hill station. Having visited a number of hill stations during this span of years, Darjeeling this time did not fascinate me as intensely as it did during my first visit. I must however admit that Darjeeling has not lost its charm; the pristine beauty of its nature will appeal to every tourist. The weather was delightful; it was mildly cold, very refreshing and soothing. A person like me living in the hot and humid climate of Kolkata will love to live in Darjeeling at this time of year.

The greenery around Darjeeling especially on way to Mirik or Kalimpong was wonderful. The spectacle of tea gardens on way to Mirik was indeed enchanting.  We did enjoy the hide and seek game of sun and cloud during our stay. We could see bright sunshine suddenly covered by dark clouds and again sun rays piercing through the veil of clouds. It was so typical of Darjeeling. The food was good and surprisingly not very expensive even in posh restaurants. The people, we found, were very helpful, cordial and good looking.



The joy ride on Darjeeling Himalayan Rail from Darjeeling to Ghum, the highest railway station in India,and back was indeed amusing though I must add that 50 years ago I had traveled on DHR right from Siliguri to Darjeeling and that leisurely journey was more fascinating than the present truncated ride.
Nevertheless the sight of a steam engine and that also of 1881 vintage, the typical sound of its whistle, the smell of coal and smoke as the engine moves through zig zag path towards Ghum was an exciting experience.


The road leading to Mirik is along the Indo Nepal border. We could move inside Nepal after showing our Identity cards, visit and shop at Pashupati market. 

But then everything can not be an unmixed blessing; we could not avoid bumpy rides thanks to extreme bad conditions of roads on some patches. It appears that there is an all round apathy towards the condition of roads. If Darjeeling is to be showcased as a prime tourist destination, which it is, the condition of the roads leading to this wonderful beauty spot of nature needs to be improved drastically.

Some of the photographs clicked by me