Monday, July 13, 2009

Darjeeling Diaries 2

I came to Darjeeling with a fear that it would turn out to be a dirty, congested town. One of the many disadvantages (the advantages though outnumber them) of going to a place after almost every living being. A friend asked me on the phone, “Isn’t it too congested?” I was pleasantly surprised to note that it wasn’t. The tourists were of course there in large numbers, making the place crowded. But in a country of more than one billion, wasn’t it always going to be a daunting task to find a place that was completely detached from the rest of the world? Unlike some of the North-Eastern states, where in spite of the natural treasures, the tourism is yet to flourish, Darjeeling has been a tourist attraction since the pre-independence days.

Also, I think when these people talk of congestion they somehow choose to ignore their own surroundings. Darjeeling is not even 1/1000th as congested as Calcutta and it would take it millions of years to even reach that mark. This emotion would have been easier for me to appreciate if these people were from Lausanne or Christchurch. Surprisingly, tourists from these places agreed with my observations.

Darjeeling has all the features of a beautiful hill station and many more. Picturesque bungalows, snow covered peaks, pine forests, a riot of colours in the various species of orchids, rhododendrons and lilies, the Buddhist monasteries, quiet and mysterious alleys all of a sudden leading you to a breathtaking view – in short, the works.

In addition, the town has its famous eateries, coffee shops and pubs offering you an out of the world view of the Eastern Shivalik range of the Himalayas. The local Nepalese population is largely friendly and hospitable. The young crowd is seemingly carefree in their attitude and overtly Western when it comes to style statements. A group of young Nepalese singing in chorus while the world goes by is a common sight in The Mall, the heart of Darjeeling. And in my estimate, one out of every ten kids I saw carried a guitar.

I forgot to mention that it’s been more than 48 hours since I started writing about Darjeeling. I went to Shangri La twice after that first visit and currently I’m sitting at The Buzz, the most happening pub in Darjeeling which is also a part of the famous Bakery-cum-Restaurant, The Glenary’s.

I have moved from beer to whisky, back to beer and currently gin is my favoured drink. Now a lot of people say that gin causes male impotency. I know it’s not true because I’ve seen my father drink gin more than once. In any case, I am not particularly excited at the idea of growing up kids. Sorry for the heartbreaks.

As must be evident by now, I’m not really in a position to chart a detailed tour map of Darjeeling. First of all, in the last three days, I haven’t managed a glimpse Kanchenjunga. I haven’t been to the Rangeet Tea Estate, one of the major tourist attractions of Darjeeling and neither have I tried my hand at white water rafting at Teesta Bazaar. I even had to skip the world famous Toy Train ride. But I still have fallen in love with Darjeeling and like most places, I have realised that one doesn’t really have to check out all the tourist attractions to discover its charm. Tomorrow I will bid adieu to the Queen of the Hills and head for Mirik.

I so wish I stayed here for the rest of my life.

2 comments:

Rino said...

That's a very interesting account of your wee visit to a place I have always wanted to visit. Not to mention that my desioooorrr to visit has increased manifolds after the read. Great going bro!!

Rajarshi said...

thanks alot for those encouraging words rino...