Darjeeling UNlimited

While we did not save a drowning Indian boy, buy a poisonous snake, or find our long-lost mother at an ashram like the three brothers of Darjeeling Limited-- Suzanne, Kyla, and I did have a fabulous weekend full of adventure in the Himalayas. 

It all began with a long day of travel on Wednesday. After two flights, we landed in Bagdogra still needing to somehow get to Darjeeling. We made a deal to take a shared jeep for a very reasonable price, but we had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. And, so began our four hours of off-road jeeping up the side of a mountain in a car full of Indians, with a bumping Hindi soundtrack blasting in our ears and tea plantations lining the surrounding slopes as far as our eyes could see. The Himalayas are like nothing I have seen in my life and our excitement and disbelief far overshadowed the ridiculous ride. It  could have been twelve hours of uncomfortable driving and we would not have minded as long as we could keep looking out the window.

When we finally made it to our hotel, our aching bodies were so grateful for our choice to splurge on this weekend's sleeping accommodations. The Dekeling Hotel was an amazingly located, adorably decorated, incredibly cozy little place. Unfortunately, there was some miscommunication over dates, so we ended up in three different rooms for our four night stay. But we actually found this inconvenience to be a memorable little quirk, and we didn't mind getting to try three very different rooms. There were several common areas with amazing window views, as well.

As we were hoping, Darjeeling was dramatically colder than the relentlessly sweltering Hyderabad. The first night, we turned to each other and remarked on how incredible it was to go an entire day without sweating. Then we realized that we have sweated through our clothes every day for the last 3+ months, ew. It was cold enough to really bundle- leggings under jeans, a tank top, under a t-shirt, under a sweater, under a flannel, under a rain shell, with wool socks and tightly laced closed shoes. At night, the three of us cuddled in one big bed under a heavy comforter and velvety throw. 

Per usual, much of our trip revolved around food. Considering the cold (and our location, duh), we had tea with 2-5 times a day. We even did a "tea tasting" at a famous place called "Nathmull's." Trying six different local brews, I learned about what kind of tea I like. I also got to try tea entirely out of my price range and learn the difference between the full price spectrum.

At Nathmull's, we got cake to go with our tea. We had read on an online travel site about this British woman who calls herself "Cake Lady" and lives in Darjeeling baking and delivering cakes. We have to be her absolutely biggest fans. We tried four different kinds of cake that afternoon at Nathmull's and then ordered ourselves a one pound carrot and chai cake for the next day. What an extraordinary business this woman is running! She must know that travelers in India crave tasty baked goods-- her business has really found a niche. As soon as we arrived, my first thought was "I want to be cake lady!" I want to live in such a relaxed and beautiful place and just do what I love and make people happy. We actually asked if we could come see her kitchen and hear her life story, and she was totally willing, but the timing didn't work out. So, that'll be on my list next time I'm in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Despite the constant tea time, we somehow had appetites for great meals as well. Its like Darjeeling knew exactly what I have been craving... thats right, we had big bowls of soup with handmade noodles. And of course, we had plenty of the ever famous "momos," which are basically wontons or dumplings. Plenty of meat, zero rice. Happy campers.

 

When we weren't eating, we were mostly wondering the streets of this adorable city. Literally built on the side of a mountain, Darjeeling is made up of winding narrow streets, connected by narrow stone staircases. There are little market booths lining the road, selling sweaters, scarfs, hats, purses, tons of tea, and SARS face masks. Yea, unfortunately, the air pollution in Darjeeling was pretty disgusting. We often found ourselves breathing through our scarfs and still hacking like old smokers. But if you ask me, the friendly vendors, calm culture, and mountainous views more than made up for this inconvenience. And I do amend the city for their current environmental campaigns that seemed more present than those of Hyderabad.

So, we ate, we wondered, we bought tea, we tried on fur hats, we stopped in a monastery, we followed a demonstration about Tibet, we stared at mountains. Oh, we went to the zoo and mountaineering museum! Both were pretty interesting. My new favorite animals are blue sheep and red pandas.

We also went to this special view spot that is supposed to have a beautiful sunrise view. We got up at 3am, paid for a cab and a surprise entrance fee, all to be super squished by crowds of Indians as the foggy sky gradually lightened with blurry mountains and minimal color.. womp womp. From that point forward, we agreed to ditch the tourist attractions and just explore the city, and we ended up finding an incredible view spot from which we could clearly see the snow capped Himalayas in the distance (with Mt. Everest out there somewhere). It was absolutely breath taking. I thought the mountains surrounding Darjeeling were outstanding, but this view made me literally feel like I was living in a painting. Our jaws dropped, and it took an afternoon full of gawking and photo snapping to pick them back up. 

Overall, an outstanding and memorable weekend, for sure. In so many ways, it felt like an entirely different country than Hyderabad, and one that I can absolutely see myself going back to one day, hopefully for longer than four days and in better health!

(Suz and I share photo credit on this entry!)