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I went to Darjeeling for the first time in my life in the year 2006. From Calcutta I flew to Bagdogra airport. I had a window seat. From the airport I took a pre-booked car and went to Darjeeling. I arrived there late evening. By then it had started drizzling. The drive from Bagdogra airport to Darjeeling was simply amazing. I stayed at the Darjeeling Planter's Club hotel. It was an old and magnificent hotel. A portion of the hotel, like the Billiards Room, was under renovation. I ordered my dinner in my room and then went to sleep.
Next morning I woke up early and sat on the balcony of the hotel. The view was breathtaking. There was fog all around but not too dense. I had a cup of Darjeeling tea on the balcony. For breakfast I went to Keventer's. I sat on the open balcony. I ordered the non-veg platter. The food was delicious though the service was a bit slow due to too many customers. After breakfast I went for a walk on the Mall. I went to the Observatory hill and also to the Mahakal temple. I spent the whole afternoon on the streets around the Mall. I had lunch back in my hotel. After lunch I took some rest in my room. In the evening I again went for a walk in the nearby areas. For dinner that day I went to Glenary's. It was an awesome restaurant. The food was excellent. I still remember that the plate that was given to me was warm and it was evident that the restaurant people had just washed that plate in hot water.
Next morning I went to the Tiger Hill. I woke up very early in the morning. The car driver was waiting for me outside my hotel. The drive from my hotel to Tiger Hill was heavenly. The idea was to see the sunrise. But sadly it was too cloudy and I could not see the sunrise. A lot of other tourists had also come to see the sunrise. We were all very disappointed. There was an observatory building. We went up there. After an hour or so I left Tiger Hill. From there I went to see the Batasia Loop. From there I went to Mirik. The drive to Mirik was amazing. The serpentine roads were filled with tall and huge pine trees on both sides. There was fog all around. The pine trees looked like giants. It took around three hours to reach Mirik. I stopped the car a few times on the road just to stand still on the ground and breathe in the scenery.
Mirik was relatively warmer than Darjeeling. There was a huge lake. Tourists, especially children, were indulging in horse riding. I had some chicken momos at Mirik. The place was good but I did not like it that much. I came back to my hotel late in the evening. The drive back to Darjeeling was enjoyable too. I had dinner at my room and went straight to sleep.
Next morning again I sat for some time on the hotel balcony. It was still foggy. Some clouds were coming inside the balcony. There was a hint of rainfall in the air. After breakfast at my hotel, I went to the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park. There I saw a lot of unique animals like snow leopard, tibetan wolf, himalayan leopard, red panda etc. The place was full of tourists. From there I went to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. There were a lot of mountaineering gear on display and also the clothes and items used by Tenzing Norgay which were on display too. From the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute I went to the Lloyd's Botanical Garden. Inside the garden there was a green-house. I liked the sections of orchids and cacti. The garden was a very beautiful garden. Around late evening I went to the famous Joey's Pub for a beer. I really liked this place. It was very cozy. Met with the legend Puran Gongba. From there I came back to my hotel.
Next day I had my flight back to Calcutta. On this trip I missed riding the toy train. I thought that next time when I come to Darjeeling again then I would certainly ride the toy train. In this trip I clicked some pictures through my Kodak KB-10 camera. In those days I was using the Nokia 3315 phone which did not have any camera. I bought this very beautiful khukri from a curio shop in Darjeeling. Also bought a few other items like muffler, cap, key-chain, rings etc. Here are some pics :
P.S. : On 19th October 2003, four tourists, including three women and a child, were killed and eleven others were seriously injured when two ropeway cars, operating between Singameri and Tukver in Darjeeling, detached from the cable and plummeted downhill. It was a horrible accident. The ropeway was a tourist attraction. The accident occurred when the cable supporting the ropeway cars snapped in between the second and third pillars. My car driver showed me the spot where the accident had happened...
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I went to Darjeeling for the first time in my life in the year 2006. From Calcutta I flew to Bagdogra airport. I had a window seat. From the airport I took a pre-booked car and went to Darjeeling. I arrived there late evening. By then it had started drizzling. The drive from Bagdogra airport to Darjeeling was simply amazing. I stayed at the Darjeeling Planter's Club hotel. It was an old and magnificent hotel. A portion of the hotel, like the Billiards Room, was under renovation. I ordered my dinner in my room and then went to sleep.
Next morning I woke up early and sat on the balcony of the hotel. The view was breathtaking. There was fog all around but not too dense. I had a cup of Darjeeling tea on the balcony. For breakfast I went to Keventer's. I sat on the open balcony. I ordered the non-veg platter. The food was delicious though the service was a bit slow due to too many customers. After breakfast I went for a walk on the Mall. I went to the Observatory hill and also to the Mahakal temple. I spent the whole afternoon on the streets around the Mall. I had lunch back in my hotel. After lunch I took some rest in my room. In the evening I again went for a walk in the nearby areas. For dinner that day I went to Glenary's. It was an awesome restaurant. The food was excellent. I still remember that the plate that was given to me was warm and it was evident that the restaurant people had just washed that plate in hot water.
Next morning I went to the Tiger Hill. I woke up very early in the morning. The car driver was waiting for me outside my hotel. The drive from my hotel to Tiger Hill was heavenly. The idea was to see the sunrise. But sadly it was too cloudy and I could not see the sunrise. A lot of other tourists had also come to see the sunrise. We were all very disappointed. There was an observatory building. We went up there. After an hour or so I left Tiger Hill. From there I went to see the Batasia Loop. From there I went to Mirik. The drive to Mirik was amazing. The serpentine roads were filled with tall and huge pine trees on both sides. There was fog all around. The pine trees looked like giants. It took around three hours to reach Mirik. I stopped the car a few times on the road just to stand still on the ground and breathe in the scenery.
Mirik was relatively warmer than Darjeeling. There was a huge lake. Tourists, especially children, were indulging in horse riding. I had some chicken momos at Mirik. The place was good but I did not like it that much. I came back to my hotel late in the evening. The drive back to Darjeeling was enjoyable too. I had dinner at my room and went straight to sleep.
Next morning again I sat for some time on the hotel balcony. It was still foggy. Some clouds were coming inside the balcony. There was a hint of rainfall in the air. After breakfast at my hotel, I went to the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park. There I saw a lot of unique animals like snow leopard, tibetan wolf, himalayan leopard, red panda etc. The place was full of tourists. From there I went to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. There were a lot of mountaineering gear on display and also the clothes and items used by Tenzing Norgay which were on display too. From the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute I went to the Lloyd's Botanical Garden. Inside the garden there was a green-house. I liked the sections of orchids and cacti. The garden was a very beautiful garden. Around late evening I went to the famous Joey's Pub for a beer. I really liked this place. It was very cozy. Met with the legend Puran Gongba. From there I came back to my hotel.
Next day I had my flight back to Calcutta. On this trip I missed riding the toy train. I thought that next time when I come to Darjeeling again then I would certainly ride the toy train. In this trip I clicked some pictures through my Kodak KB-10 camera. In those days I was using the Nokia 3315 phone which did not have any camera. I bought this very beautiful khukri from a curio shop in Darjeeling. Also bought a few other items like muffler, cap, key-chain, rings etc. Here are some pics :
P.S. : On 19th October 2003, four tourists, including three women and a child, were killed and eleven others were seriously injured when two ropeway cars, operating between Singameri and Tukver in Darjeeling, detached from the cable and plummeted downhill. It was a horrible accident. The ropeway was a tourist attraction. The accident occurred when the cable supporting the ropeway cars snapped in between the second and third pillars. My car driver showed me the spot where the accident had happened...
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