[Note: Alex's Sunday Snapshots is a new weekly feature that will appear on The Write Way Around. I'll be bringing you photos from my travels around the world, as well as cities and countries I'm absolutely itching to travel to. This week I'm taking you to Darjeeling, India.]
Given my last post about my one of my travel photos being shared on Twitter, I decided to make my Sunday Snapshots feature about Darjeeling, the hillside station in India just opposite the border from Nepal that was mine and Molly’s first introduction into the months we’d be spending there.
India’s famous hillside station, Darjeeling is a place not to be missed in India.
Darjeeling was a place that sank its hook into us and reeled us in. There’s not heaps of touristic activities going on in Darjeeling, but the environment, the people and the world’s third largest mountain chain following you through your every move is reason enough to lull away the days in Darjeeling.
When to Go: Given its location, the temperatures in Darjeeling can make it feel like it’s the tundra come sundown. My suggestion would be to visit Darjeeling in early fall or late spring, as the day time would be absolute bliss and the evenings and morning, I’d imagine, would have a gentle little kick to them.
(NOTE: Molly and I arrived at mid-November, and we showed up with a couple of T-shirts and baggy, Aladdin traveller pants. Not a good idea. We bought fleece jackets, wool socks, hats and scarves from some guy who had sprawled out a collection of raggedy old clothes in the marketplace. We never washed them before wearing them. Desperate times call for desperate measures, and we snuggled our faces right up in those scarves and jackets as if we bought them in Saks.)
Where to stay: There are so many guest houses and hostels, but if you want a view like we had, then I suggest you stay at Hotel New Galaxy. They even provide you with hot water bottles to go to sleep with at night.
The view from the rooftop of our hostel in Darjeeling, India.
Where to eat: You’ll feel like a local in Darjeeling’s Hasty Tasty, probably one of the best restaurants Molly and I ate in through all of our travels in India. The food and thali sets are plenty, cheap and mouth wateringly delicious, and watching the owner sit on his throne behind the counter as he counts out all the money, gold rings hugging each of his fingers, will never fail to make you laugh. Sonam’s Kitchen is another place to grab a good breakfast - omelette with tomatoes and chopped up onions is a scrumptious craze in India/
What to do: You can peruse the tea estates, visit the zoo, stroll through the marketplace or drink some of the most amazing tea your taste buds have ever encountered. You can make a visit to Tiger Hill and watch the sunrise, where you can watch as Mount Everest emerges from the darkness as the sun beckons it with its golden, outstretched arms — but only if it’s a clear day. Still, watching Mount Kanchenjunga wake up with the world is just as magical. Many people use Darjeeling as a base to set off into the areas of Sikkim to trek through for a few weeks at a time.
Sunrise from Tiger Hill
Around
Filled with culture, smiles and raw, rugged beauty, Darjeeling is a place in India that shouldn’t be missed.
The mountains enveloping Darjeeling, India at sunset.
A church in Darjeeling tickled by the sunlight.
A little girl plays with her kitten in Darjeeling, India.
A little girl plays with her kitten in Darjeeling, India.
A little girl plays with her kitten in Darjeeling, India.
A girl helps to celebrate 80th Baba’s birthday in her traditional dress. *(We never figured out who Baba was.)
Women in their traditional dress in Darjeeling.
A rooftop in Darjeeling, India
