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A Trip to Darjeeling
By Milan Matchev of ArrangeYourVacation
Darjeeling, nestled in the lower Himalayas in the Indian state of West Bengal is a bustling town. Tourists love to spot the massive Kanchenjunga peak glistening in the early morning sun. The stunning peak is clearly visible from the Mall in Darjeeling and tourists love to click the pictures of the peak. It is a major educational centre with famous hill schools like – Mount Hermon, St. Paul’s, North Point, and Loreto Convent, attracting students not only from India but also neighboring countries. Darjeeling is in fact a tourist paradise with the Kanchenjunga peak, rock climbing, myriad butterflies, a journey on the steam engines of the heritage Darjeeling Hill Railway amid tall woods and swirling mists and finally a sip of the world famous Darjeeling tea. To top it all, a trip to Darjeeling works out to be much easier on the pocket than any other Indian hill station. Incidentally, the town also has a Booker connection. Kiran Desai’s Man Booker winning novel “The Inheritance of Loss” is set in the Darjeeling hills. A ride on the Darjeeling Hill Railway (DHR) is a must for every tourist. The DHR was constructed by Franklin Prestage from 1879 to 1881.The 88 km line has 3 loops and 6 Z reversals. The Ghum railway station is situated 7407 ft above sea level and is the highest railway station in India. The Darjeeling Hill Railway was given heritage status by UNESCO at its session in Morocco, 1999. The local sight seeing consists of a visit to the Tiger Hill to see the spectacular mountain panorama of the rising sun. The JapaneseTemple and the Peace Pagoda, Ava Art Gallery, the Padmaja Naidu Zoological Park and the Mountaineering Institute are a must see on the itinerary of almost everyone who comes to Darjeeling. Among the attractions of the Zoo are the grown up tiger, sloth bear and the many birds. The Ganga Mayya Park which is short car ride away is a beautiful picnic resort developed by the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council. There is a lake with boating facilities and a small bridge over it. In case you care for a bite, there are many small shops serving you snacks. The Park boasts of an open air auditorium where you can see the local gorkha boys and girls putting up an enchanting song and dance show. A visit to the Tea garden is a must to round off your visit. It is indeed a sight to see hillock after hillock full of the green tea shrubs. The mind does indeed leap in amazement at the sight. There are roadside tea stalls serving authentic Darjeeling tea and you can even carry home tea packed in dainty little gift packages as souvenirs. Darjeeling is a hill station full of colorful butterflies. Butterflies and moths of every hue and colour from pale green to white to little ones with black stripes would fitter in every night into my hotel room. Butterfly enthusiast must visit the famous Butterfly Museum. Nearby tourist destinations worth a visit include Mirik, Gangtok, Kalimpong and Lava. The road from Darjeeling to Mirik is extremely picturesque and one passes through stretches of tall pine trees and rolling tea gardens on the wayside. |
India Darjeeling
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 |  | Laraine loved this intel. Feb 11, 2011 |
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I've heard that the main mode of transport is the train, which most usually prefer but often one has to move around in a jeep or a bus in the steeper tracts. Here very roadworthy vehicles are called for, but often do not exist . . . The result is that the passengers’ nerves and equanimity are severely tested.
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