The quintessential hill station

Trip Start Feb 14, 2005
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Trip End May 06, 2005


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Thursday, March 31, 2005

(Nicole) Cuppa tea, anyone? After the 16hrs train ride from Varanasi, we finally made it to a quant hill station called Darjeeling...but not wothout a minor problem. At the train station, we somehow almost lost each other. An old man was trying to show us how to get to our seats and that ended up splitting us apart. Peter was yelling out my name and I was yelling out his. The train was inching away to leave and I panicked because I did not know where Peter was....and then suddenly Peter's face popped out of nowhere and I let out a big sigh of relief. It can be pretty chaotic at the train station, so be careful with your belongings and with each other! DO NOT LET ANYONE LEAD YOU TO YOUR SEATS (UNLESS THEY ARE WEARING A BLACK SUIT, WHICH MEANS THEY WORK FOR THE TRAIN STATION). MOST PEOPLE ARE JUST TRYING TO MAKE MONEY OUT OF YOU AND GETTING YOU LOST.

The air is fresh in Darjeeling and we are glad we left the hustle and bustle life we've experienced so far in India. Darjeeling is known for its tea, so we made a huge purchase for our friends and family. Then we imediately bought gloves and beanies because it's so cold up here (~2200meters). There's a complete 180 degree change in the way of life up here; there's a mix of Nepali, Tibetan, Bhutan, and Indian people. The skin color of the people are lighter and I see make-up, especially in the eyes, for the females here. Eventhough the roads are steep and full of steps, the females still manage to wear heels, open toe shoes and dress in beautiful saris--whereas I'm always in my tennis shoes (double layers of socks, mind you)and jeans, with several layers of sweaters and jackets to keep warm (I'm from Sunny California, remember?). There are more cars here than I expected, but I guess it would be hard to walk up and down hill after hills?
There are less people are trying to sell us this and that and take us here and there. We have actually found some peace and quiet. We have tried some exellent Tibetan momos (dumplings) and the food is not spicy at all.

DARJEELING ZOO and HIMILAYAN MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE (HMI):
The highlight of the zoo was the Himilayan Black Bear. He was hiding in his cave the first time we came around. But on our way out, we saw groups of people around the BIG BLACK BEAR. His body was wet and when he shook of the water, it was like a sprinkler system. He scratched his paw like a little baby and made everyone around him giggle. When he moved, the whole earth beneath him shook. The Snow Leopard and Siberian Tiger was also a real treat.
Since Tenzing Norgay stationed here, we had to check out HMI. This inspired me to climb Mt. Everest one day. But it looks too cold; I can hardly handle Darjeeling, so how can I go up further?

HAPPY VALLEY TEA ESTATE:
The walk to this tea estate was windy and confusing...not to mention very tiring. My legs are very sore from walking all day in these hills. When we finally arrived, a bubbly Nepali woman offered us some tea and showed us how tea is processed from the tea bushes. It was a refreshing drink, but I do not know enough abouty tea, or anything at all, to know good tea from bad tea. I'll let my mom do the taste testing since I bought several kinds for my mom to try.
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