Darjeeling, The Himalayas & The Birthplace of British Tea (Kalyani Black Label)

A night was needed in Siliguri before we departed in the back of a jeep with our rucksacks tired to the roof. Another bonus was that our jeep was the only one with tread on the tires. A two hour journey up the mountain brought us to the hill station town of Darjeeling at an altitude of 2500m and we were so excited to finally be here. Busy streets built on the vertical slopes surrounded by breathtaking green mountain sides. The whole place had a charming feeling with a large Nepalese and Tibetan influence. You could have been mistaken for thinking that you had actually left India. 

Squeezed into the Jeep heading to Darjeeling fron Siliguri. Rucksacks tied to the roof! 

Climbing through the hills

We had a busy few days ahead of us with plenty on the agenda. The streets were alive where you could not walk past a tea shop and in the main square we saw some local dance due to a festival. The food was great with Indian Dosa, the tea was amazingly smooth at the famous Nathmulls and we even found a couple of real bars including Joeys English pub and Buzz bar that introduced us to a new Indian brew, Kalyani Black Label.

Research & Dosa for lunch. We are still in India afterall!

Tea 2 Lad, Tea 2!!!

Great Service, Great Tea 

Thought I would show you Darjeeling

Festival Entertainment in the Main Square

Check out Joey's Pub & the water bottles attached to the ceiling to catch the rain!

Actually sat at a proper bar is just thrilling. Plus a special guest Kalyani Black Label Beer

Kalyani Black Label

Kalyani Black Label is one of India’s oldest lagers and is particular popular in eastern India. Don’t get me wrong my first impressions of Kalyani Black Label was the scruffy bottle but once past that it didn’t turn out too bad at all. Brewed by United Breweries like most beers here seem to be, Kalyani had a nice nose of citrus and corn. The taste was crisp and bittersweet but much lighter than its 8% Abv would suggest which made it surprisingly easy drinking. The sweetness of the malt did linger for a time but was backed up with a dry, hoppy finish. Overall in the world of beer it probably wouldn’t stand up with a lot of its category members but in the Indian market one of the better, more enjoyable tipples. I would definitely recommend if you are visiting the eastern province of India.

Kalyani Black Label

The only downside was climbing back up the mountain from town to your accommodation at altitude before the 9am curfew kicked in.

Forget the Fort Crew or Temple Crew we are now officially the sunrise crew. Up again this morning at 3.30am we head off to Tiger Hill to watch the most amazing sunrise over the Himalayas. It was a freezing, beautiful clear day where we were able to see Kanchenjunga the world's third-highest peak (28,168ft) and even got a special glimpse of the mighty Everest. The world's highest peak. Awesome!!! Even if there was another thousand people fighting to get a good viewing point. Our driver then took us to a Buddhist Temple before arriving back at our base for a couple of hour’s kip. 3.30am is just way too early...

The crowds brace themselves for daylight at Tiger Hill 

The Sun Rising over the Himalayas

& the crowd goes WILD!!!

The World's Third-Highest Peak of Kanchenjunga

A glimse of Mighty Everest (The Peak in the Middle)!!!

A beautiful Buddhist Monestary to end the mornings escapades!

Happy Valley Tea Plantation was a must visit where a beautiful old lady taught us about tea and served us a 5 second brew in her master class. Happy Valley is the suppliers for Harrods in London.

The Tea Plantation to Happy Valley

The Passionate Expert. You just wanted to wrap her up and take her home?

Masterclass over. We enjoy a splended 5 second brew as experts with Pinky's

Tea Pickers of Happy Valley, where even the tea is Happy!!! 

The Himalayan Zoo was next where we managed to see Tigers in captivity, where they look to breed back into the wild which is a positive step and good news. Within the zoo grounds was also the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute was so interesting taking you through the history of Everest summit climbs with fascinating memorabilia on display. Including some of Edmund Hillary's who was the first to conquer Everest in 1953.

If you could describe yourself as an animal waht would you be? I would be a Tiger x

One activity high on our agenda and a big reason for taking the time to visit Darjeeling was to travel on the famous steam powered Toy Train. We travelled for two hours on a return journey to the nearby town of Goom. The mini train is set on two feet of track that winds around the mountain and has recently become a new UNESCO World Heritage Site Member.

The Darjeeling Railway (Toy Train)

Must be the smallest train in the world

Nice to see the track being fixed before we carry on with our journey



Refuelling



The Toy Train parked up in Goom before the return leg!

Around Darjeeling are just beautiful walks with amazing scenery wherever you are. We visited Observatory Hill with hundreds of prayer flags and Buddhist worship, not to mention getting scared off by the local monkeys. Especially after meeting Chris and Tracy from Cheshire, over a beer at Buzz Bar. A Couple of days previously Chris had unbelievably been attacked and bitten by one of the monkeys on his back. A great battle scar, don’t get me wrong but just didn’t help my monkey phobia.

Darjeeling landscape from every angle

Just admiring it for the 100th time!

Buddhist Prayer Flags at Observatory Hill

Remember I told you all that India is here to teach us TOLERANCE!!!

Just before leaving Darjeeling to head back into the world of India we treked down to the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre. The centre was one of the most fascinating places we had visited with a community lost in exile from their home land.  It was amazing to see the industry and creativity on show in their workshops from fabrics to carvings.

Exactly what it says on the roof!

Showing my respect at the centre

Just amazing seeing the carpet and textile weeving!

Wood carving in progress!

Tibetan Industry

To sum Darjeeling up in words would do it an injustice. The place is just breathtaking and gives you a glimpse into life in Nepal.  A new addition to our holiday destination list for the future! That pretty much brings our time in India to a close. We just have to get back to Delhi in time for our flight. Bring on the return of the Mahananda Express. Surely three days would be long enough even though our final journey on the Indian sub-continent is scheduled to be only thirty one hours!!!  

Before I go I will remind you to break out the fine Darjeeling Tea, pop the kettle on...

read a paradox of our age by The Dalai Lama!!!