The Picture Perfect Darjeeling Part2

5.21.2012

To read all the post on Darjeeling visit
[All About Darjeeling]



THE LITTLE DROPLETS OF RAIN @ EN ROUTE DARJEELING


The little rain droplets started pouring in.Sometimes the rains are beautiful indeed and more so when,the eyes are bewildered with green little sparkles on trees,branches,colorful flowers and the dew drops.

I just couldn't resist to keep my hands out of the window panes touching those droplets of tip tip barasta pani.

The driver told us"If it's raining here,it would be some nasty rains over there".

NJP TO DARJEELING : START OF THE JOURNEY


The journey was spectacular,and it was just too perfect to be true.The mountains,the twist and turns of the hilly roads,the greenery,the school going little kids and the rains.

Suddenly the drizzle stopped,and so did our car.

It was our first 30 seconds break,and we stopped because the greenery and the plantations over acres and acres made me think "It's so wow here,what if it won't be so great there".There were few ladies plucking,picking and sieving the tea leaves as well.The one who was nearest to the garden was the sweetest and of course the most accessible to us for the moment.She politely asked me

"Kaha se?"
I said "Chennai"
"Itti duuuur se?"
I replied "yes"
"Darjeeling kaesa laga?"
I said "Abhi gae kaha,but abhi tak to kafi acha hai"
"Photu?"
I replied "gr8"

DARJEELING FOR THE PEOPLE

She took out a choonar(duppatta) from her waist,wrapped it around me ,and embraced me.She then draped the same choonar on her head,and we clicked few pictures together.I never knew a stranger could be that beautiful before,and of all the places I have visited so far,Darjeeling is,and will be one such place I will never forget."All for the people"

THE UNDER CONSTRUCTION PATROLLING PATH WALK


After a few candid conversations with the lady,we hopped in our car.The green maze suddenly turned into foggy mountainous drive with visibility just ranging a few metres ahead.We stopped at an under construction forest patrolling path,and explored some random jungle path on the way walking and trekking along,what fun it was!

We were so lost in the wild foggy patrolling path,that the driver came to our rescue "Chalein?"

The next stop was going to be Mirik

Part 1 of Video on Darjeeling



JUST A LITTLE STROLL AROUND THE MIRIK LAKE

Mirik is a vast lake spread over a large area.Usually planned as a day excursion from Darjeeling,we were lucky to visit the lake en route or you can say we chose to be lucky.The options are plenty:


-Stroll around the lake which itself takes around half an hour to 45 minutes to cover the whole perimeter.

-You can take a ride on a horse

-You can even do a little boating




We chose to just spend some time strolling around the lake,walking on the narrow katcha roads,and of course eating the jhalmuri.A visit to north bengal,for that matter any part of Bengal is incomplete without jhalmuri,and it becomes all the more tempting while travelling

THE LEPCHAJAGAT FOREST RESERVE


While planning our trip with the help of real travel experiences on Indiamike,we found Lepchajagat Forest Reserve on the way to Darjeeling.We,however,did not stay,and just visited the place.The whole forest reserve was enveloped in a thick fog of cold wind.

For those who plan  to stay at the beautiful forest reserve at Lepchajagat and then proceed to Tinchkule,please read the forum below and go ahead:
http://www.indiamike.com/india/west-bengal-f32/lepchajagat-and-darjeeling-details-please-t107097/


THE INDO-NEPAL BORDER: PASHUPATI


One of the most easiest entry points to any of the international locations from India is to Nepal.The people of Nepal have stark resemblance with those of North East India,and to be honest,I have met many Nepalese,all regards to them,they are the most hard working people.

Darjeeling - Pashupati (27 km) (Nepal border)(Not authorised entry point for foreigners, only Indian and Nepali citizens are allowed to enter from here).Photography is not allowed at the spot,and the entry is based on signing the registers/few papers for the Indians

TOY TRAIN 360 DEGREE TURN : GHUM





The place is such that a toy train makes a 360 degrees turn at Ghum.Worth visiting the place.We had planned Ghum on Day3 of our visit.To read more about Ghum and toy train,check my blog after a few days.Darjeeling  is a place where "Mere Sapno Ki Rani" Song was shot and parts of ghum are also being featured in the song.





AND FINALLY DARJEELING....





Aha,what a relief! Darjeeling was more than what we had expected,and according to my brother more beautiful than the much hyped "Manali" and "Munnar".We decided to cover the whole Darjeeling on foot,of course leaving the "Tiger Hill" part of it..in the coming few days.

4 comments

  1. Excellent description...Darjeeling has always been my most fav hill station even after visiting almost all the major hill stations of India.it has a timeless charm and unparalled natural beauty,which even after these years of urbanization and unplanned planning,is still intact! looking forward to read more from your travelogue....Sourav

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Magiceye:Thanks :)I can see many blogs on your blogger profile,which is the most updated one?would love to read your blogpost as well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Sourav: Loved that place too..its just mindblowing! Coming up soon

    ReplyDelete

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