The toy train ride to Kurseong and back to Darjeeling (with one delightful stop for momos, aloo paratha and chaitastic chai).For 12 hours they let the channels open. The city had been closed for 10 days, no business, no produce, no nothing; only 2 things came into Darjeeling water and milk...watered down milk 12 hours the city breathed a sigh of relief to help the people, when that sigh opened its mouth for one last breath before it resealed itself it brought us in with it. Somehow, we managed to get off a train from Varanasi and catch one of the limited jeeps (a 13 person cramming record for us) up to a city whose people refused to let a thing pass until their demands had been met.
So there we were in a shut up town with all the money in the world (all 100$ that we have on us collectively at least) and nowhere to spend it. Lucky people take pity on us sorts here. Four days and one protest march later Gorkhaland is on its way to becoming a reality (with a little help from us), one man has stepped down and the condemned "6th Schedule" is at a hault.
This also means that we get to buy momos, ride the toy train (a world heritage site), and sample the first flush number one Darjeeling Orange Ultra Special Pekoe yadda yadda at High Tea at the Windemere (waste of rupees if you ask us). Oh yes, and with a view of the 3rd highest mountain in the world.
That being said, we're soon off to the wettest place on earth.
2 comments:
A belated comment on an earlier post.
Please be aware that sheep brains are the original source of the bad stuff that causes mad cow disease.
Don't eat that.
Uncle Bill
Darjeeling! Wow, my uncle is from Darjeeling, and if there is any place in India that I would like to go, that would be it. Please be sure to post and tell us all about it!
Is the landscape beautiful? Have you spent a lot of time with the people up there?
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