Joeys Pub
Trip Start
Feb 27, 2006
1
10
85
Trip End
??? ??, 2009
Darjeeling,
India
Wednesday, April 5, 2006
Arriving at NJP in early afternoon we negotiated a price with the Jeep-wallahs for the 4-5 hour trip up to the Darj; as with most transport in India, this took some time. After finalising a price off we set packed into the back of the Jeep, winding up through the Bengal Hills, greenery everywhere, with tea plantations and small villages dotting the vast hillside.
The trip took longer than expected, after numerous stops, at which Hussey treated Hoov and me to Kit Kats and chai; the air thinning and temperature dropping as we traversed the hills.(A small aside on shared jeeps....if a space comes up in the jeep, the driver stops when hailed down and spaces are quickly filled)
01 - The Darj Zoo
. Now, myself, Hoov and Hussey were resident in the back of the jeep, side-on seats designed for four Indians, or three normal adults - myself, Hoov and Hussey. Now, two locals hailed the jeep as we passed Ghoom, the jeep stopped and the one of the two fellas decided he wanted to squeeze in the back. After some verbals he saw sense and climbed in the front, continuing to mouth off, and threatening to have us shot!...fun and games, and a nice welcome to the hills.Arriving after dark in the Darj, we headed up (literally up) the steep inclines and winding roads to the budget end of town; myself and Hoov setting the pace...Hussey, his body bag sized rucksack, and tobacco-filled lungs trailing behind. After some scouting around we found a cheap,cheap place, dropped the bags and headed out for some food. We ended up at Joeys pub...a quaint place in the centre of town, with Western food, cheap beer and a range of 60's and 70's music...excellent! We sank a few beers, treated ourselves to a roast dinner then headed back for some sleep.
Now we had planned to head out to Tiger Hill - Darjeelings premier tourist attraction, from where the Himalaya range (Everest, Lhotse, Khanchenjunga etc) can be seen on a clear day - early the following morning. But after consulting the owner of Joeys, he advised us not to bother going if the sky wasn't clear the night before. So, after a brief scout of the morning sky at 4am by Hoov we decided to sleep in!
The following day we jumped in a taxi and headed off to the HMI - Himalayan Mountaineering Institution - a few kms out of town. Set in nice grounds, in the same complex as Darjeelings Zoo, myself and Hoov lost Hussey who was occupied with the checking out the zoo, as we made our way towards the museum. The museum contained excellent displays on attempts to scale the mighty Khanchenjunga, with evidence of how equipment used to climb the mountain has changed during the last half century
02 - Tea plantations in clouds.
. Mallorys ill-fated and infamous efforts are also covered closely, as is Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillarys scaling of the peak. After whiling an hour away in the museum, myself and Hoover then forked out for a video diary style coverage of a 1970's attempt on Khanchenjunga by an Indian team. A quick look at the zoo - snow leopards and red pandas being the big attractions, was followed by a swift walk back to town, where we visited a quaint, Buddhist temple close to the railway station.The next day, Hoover again scouted the skies at 4am, and yet again the skies were filled with cloud. Not to worry, as Englands next ODI v India was on TV. Having arranged with Joeys for an early opening time, off we set, ordered a English Breakfast, then settled down to watch England get whacked by India again. The damp and miserable weather outside doing its best to encourage us to stay indoors with a beer to watch the game, the coverage interrupted by the regular power cuts that occur in India; Kingfisher was definitely the order of the day.
The following morning would see us head down into the valley for an early morning train from NJP to Guwahati; after an early morning scout of the skies, we were greeted with a relatively clear sky, so we decided to risk a trip out to Tiger Hill. Bags in hand, off we set in the pitch black to the shared jeep stand. After 20 minutes of irritating negotiations, we picked a jeep. On the way up to the viewpoint at Tiger Hill, the skies remained clear, hinting that we may get a view of the much-vaunted K'junga. We arrived pre-sunrise, found a spot and waited with the other tourist hordes. The sky in the distance remaining cloudy as the sun rose, and despite an Indian-style cheer at the rise of the sun, we were to be denied a look at the Himalayan peaks.
Anti-climax over with we got back in the jeep, waiting for what seemed an age for the Indians and yanks to arrive back. Time was ticking and I was pessimistic about our chances of making the train on time, particularly due to the amount of jeeps on the road, heading back to town. Off we set towards Ghoom, where we need to change jeeps, to one heading down the hill. Luckily, our quick-witted driver, hailed a Siliguri-bound jeep down just as we arrived at Ghoom. A quick transfer and off we sped down the hill, arriving in Siliguri with plenty of time to make our connection to NJP, largely down to the lunatic-style driving of the driver. No mountain views, but a nice few days spent in the Darj.
