Darjeeling Sightseeing, Food Trail And Shopping
I have no complaints against the hotel room we were staying in apart from the fact that it severely lacked outdoor views. The solitary window was blocked by a structure almost adjacent to it. Afterall OYO had promised to give us a ‘room with view’. Darjeeling sightseeing was scheduled on that day. We hurriedly gobbled the generous portions of complementary breakfast and dashed out of the room with a whole day outdoor plan. We didn’t check the weather forecast app in our phones.
Hiring The Taxi for Darjeeling Sightseeing
The hazy sunshine and strong wind didn’t feel good. We paced down the street to the Darjeeling Tourist Information Centre, it looked more or less like a mere taxi stand.
The rates for hiring a small car+driver to drive us around the scenic locales around Darjeeling were as follows:
7 points: INR 1500
5 points: INR 1200
2 points: INR 1800 (Ganga Maiya Park, Rock Gardens)
The combined package of all these 9 points together would cost INR 3000 and the entire trip would take around 8 hours including the halts.
The sunshine faded away. The day turned grey. Winds grew stronger.
We settled for a 3 point package which would take us to the Japanese Peace Pagoda, Batasia Loop and Ghoom Monastery for INR 1000.
Japanese Peace Pagoda
The car came to a stop in the slope. We removed our shoes and climbed up the flight of stairs. The Sun was playing hide and seek. Standing on one of the stairs I gazed up above. The clouds looked angry. The tall Himalayan trees were swaying violently.
We moved round the pagoda and watched the fine art work all around it.
The Japanese Temple was adorned by murals, paintings, masks, scriptures and a large statue of Lord Budhha. As we entered the prayer hall we saw an aged lady offering prayers.
On being aware of our presence she welcomed us and chatted for a long while. She asked us to visit the Japanese Temple in our hometown. And that’s how we came to know there is one Nipponzan Myohoji Buddhist Temple in our hometown Kolkata!
What travel taught me: Talk to the strangers, they may teach you a thing or two!
Batasia Loop
It is undoubtedly the most popular sightseeing destination from Darjeeling where the cute toy train takes a loop around the manicured park with the Kanchenjunga in the backdrop. A memorial was established in the park in remembrance of all the Gorkha soldiers who sacrificed their lives fighting for India.
For us, Batasia Loop was the same as above minus the majestic Kanchenjunga.
It costs INR 15 to enter the park. We heard the cute whistle of the toy train while purchasing tickets for entry. The round shape of the park messed with my head and for the life of me I cannot understand from which side of the tracks am I supposed to expect the train. No I am not the guard but definitely I had planned interesting selfies and ‘couplefies’!
Well, we got lots of opportunities to click them as we saw several trains go round and round.
Everything about the trains were so cute, the size, shape, whistle, tracks and oh my God the station! Only if we had enough time we could have enjoyed the lazy ride.
Though the Kanchenjunga eluded us we totally enjoyed our time in the landscaped park. We found a nice couple who finally fulfilled my wish of owning ‘couple jump photos’.
Thank You strangers!
Ghoom Monastery
The Bengali of Ghoom literally means ‘sleeping’. My mom used to explain me the place is named so because it is shrouded by fog and looks sleepy most of the times.
Thanks to my mom’s explanation I was expecting fog; we got clouds. Not just clouds but clouds which could result in heavy downpour any moment. The wind was at its strongest, I was almost getting imbalanced by its force. I was thinking of my mom who suggested me I should carry more warm clothes.
We walked down the steps of the monastery. The cold was so terrible we decided we are not in the mood for removing our shoes and socks. We took some outdoor pictures and cocooned back into the car.
The Lama kids were playing in the monastery complex. When I used to play outdoor games as a kid, I hated being disturbed by ‘talks’ from adults. So when I had a desire of talking to the playing kids I thought better of it and concentrated in photographing the beautiful doors and windows.
Keventer’s
The taxi left us – the two ‘honeymooning’ adults, in Darjeeling city centre, hungry and cold.
We tried getting our teeth into the non-vegetarian items of Keventer’s last night but it was a houseful. Today we managed a seat and tasted the Chicken Salami Sandwich (INR 60).
Darjeeling definitely knows its food culture!
N.B: Dear Indian budget travellers, I know how it feels when you strongly want to walk in an eatery but fail to find its menu card in Zomato. So here I have attached it for you!
Glenary’s Again!
“Life is short. Eat dessert first”. – Jacques Torres
The sweet lover in me pulled us to the Glenary’s again. The husband got us brownies (INR 100) and a seat in the open balcony. I almost forgot how grey the sky was and how cold the wind was!
I loved everything about Glenary’s from the baked goodies to the decor and oh those extremely budget friendly price. In the metro city I live in I may have to pay the same price to get a brownie from a mall sans the ‘feel good’ ambiance.
Souvenir Shopping
This was the first trip I had without any of my original family members – the Mukherjee descendants; the people who inspired me to travel in the first place; the people who enjoyed my marriage ceremony more than me; the people without whom the most important event of my life would have been stale. I wanted to gift them a souvenir from my first trip as a married couple.
I have read on the internet the domestic travellers are not well received in the souvenir shops. The owners don’t like the haggling Indians. There is a remarkable difference between how a westerner and how an Indian is greeted and treated.
I had no such experience of racial discrimination in these shops. I don’t know if the sources in the internet were wrong or was it the effect of the lean season.
We visited many shops and got souvenirs available from as low as INR 30. Obviously they were small and feeble but it’s the thought that counts.
A very miniature version of the 5-coloured Budhhist prayer flags with the chant “Om mani padme hum” inscribed on it cost us INR 40.
The worship bell was worth INR 30.
For us Mr.Banerjee chose the cutest of the element in the shop- a hat worn laughing out loud lama kid worth INR 90!
Momo Madness
With evening the roadside momo sellers flocked opposite Keventer’s. We weren’t hungry but after all how can we say no to hot steaming momos in a chilly winter evening?
For a mere 50 bucks we enjoyed 8 pieces of heavenly momos!
Well the taste was so salivating that we returned after an hour to have more only to find the happy lad have sold the entire stock of the day.
Every single time I leave the Himalayas I feel a pang of pain. We were supposed to leave Darjeeling the next day. Generally, the thought of returning to boring ‘routine’ life kills me but this time it was different.
In no time I will be flying to an entire new city to live my life with my husband cum best friend…or shall I say husfriend?
*****
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Tania Banerjee
Tania is a freelance writer based in India who tinkers with words here and there but mostly focused on travel, food, arts and crafts. She writes for several Indian dailies and magazines.
50 Comments
asoulwindow
I am so happy to see the street artist playing music. I had met the exact same person there. Their music is so good I sat next to them for full half an hour and donated a good amount once the session was over. Lovely memories.
Tania Mukherjee
What? Wow! That’s fantastic! Then I hope to find him again the next time I go! 🙂
asoulwindow
Yup
usathroughoureyes
Thank you for taking us along with you on your journey and explaining what you were experiencing.
Tania Mukherjee
Glad you enjoyed reading it! 🙂
J Walters
Some beautiful shots here. I especially like the last image, and the one reflected in the sunglasses. But they’re all great.
Tania Mukherjee
Thanks! Looks like my artistic selfie is marketing itself well! 😀
FS Page
I loved the picture of the colorful wall of Darjeeling. I got a chance to experience the toy train to Ooty, I guess Darjeeling’s might be same. Batasia loop and Peace Pagoda look lovely. Now we know the best places to visit when in Darjeeling. Thanks for sharing. PS: I loved the bell and ill buy the same when I visit Darjeeling. 😛
Tania Mukherjee
Batasia Loop looks even better when the weather God’s smile! Google the pictures of Batasia Loop and you will understand how pretty it looks on a clear weather day!
TravelingMel
Nothing like brownies to warm up your day! Looks like you saw a lot of stuff for one day. The temple looks beautiful. And I agree, some of the best experiences come from talking to strangers.
Tania Mukherjee
Seldom have I been scorned by the strangers. Almost never in the Himalayas! They are all incredibly friendly!
Only By Land
You guys sure fit a lot into your Darjeeling visit. I didn’t know about the Japanese Temple, or the Buddhist influence there, it’s as interesting as the tea for me! The temple makes for great photos, I love your artists selfie at the budget restaurant too. I could have found something for me easily on this menu too.
Tania Mukherjee
Darjeeling and most of the Eastern Himalayas in India is either tribal or Buddhist. Ladakh is another Himalayan region in India with noteworthy Buddhist population. I am so happy you liked the artsy selfie! 🙂
loisaltermark
I loved following along on your journey. Your photos are gorgeous, and made me want to visit to see all of these sights in person. They seemed to make up for your room without a view! And I am so going to use the term “husfriend” from now on!
Tania Mukherjee
I am so glad the term ‘husfriend’ is catching on! 🙂
Iza (@IzaAbao)
It must have been really cold there. You should have worn a thicker jacket. I like the toy trains. I would probably stay longer at that place if I were you. Haha!
Iza c/o Fill My Passport
Tania Mukherjee
This place definitely deserves more time. The next time I go I will keep enough time in my hand.
Ha Truong
I love the Walls Of Darjeeling. It looks really colorful and interesting. I always see Street Artist everywhere I go to as well!
Tania Mukherjee
I will make a separate post on the walls of Darjeeling as well sometimes in future!
Sid - The Wanderer
Nice post Tania! It’s a bit embarrassing to say, but I haven’t been to Darjeeling yet and your post makes me really want to go there..esp with the heat around 🙂
Tania Mukherjee
There is nothing embarrassing about it! I have lived in Howrah for 25 long years yet I had never been to the Sunderbans! Haha..odd things like this do happen! 😀
journalofnomads
Despite the cold weather I’m glad to read you had a great experience. I loved the photos of the fine artwork from the Japanese Peace Pagoda. I always wonder how much time and energy they must have spend in creating this beauty!
Tania Mukherjee
Absolutely. Hats off to all those people and their talent!
Vrithi Pushkar
Sounds like you had a great time. your pictures are beautiful. It makes me want to visit Darjeeling. It did remind me a little bit of my home town, Ooty.
Tania Mukherjee
What! Ooty is your hometown! That’s incredible! It is such a picturesque place.
Global Girl Travels
India has so many amazing spots that are worth exploring. This seems like one of those! I really need to make my way there!
Tania Mukherjee
And I really need to check your video when you make the India travel video! I love your work! 🙂
Ticking the Bucketlist
Loved your jumping jack photo…so much fun! My favourite part about D’ling is the sunrise…so pristine. Thanks for sharing snapshots of the menu…sure is useful to know what you can get especially if you are a vegetarian.
tuhinmech
Nicely narrated, Tania!
I will copy the click idea where you took the shot through the specs. hehe
All the pictures are nice.A DSLR would have added a spark in those pics.
Tania Mukherjee
We got a Canon DSLR of late! I expect all my future posts to have better quality photos! Yaay!
Chandi
Hi,
The gold buddha is gorgeous. Too bad I never made it to Darjeeling when I spent 6 months in India. Was fun to see the pictures of that cute blue train!
Tania Mukherjee
You can always return! This time travel to Darjeeling and the northeast areas!
Siddharth and Shruti
Such a peaceful place! The iconic Darjeeling toy trains! We need to visit Darjeeling soon.
Tania Mukherjee
What better time than now when the mercury is at it’s highest!
Julianna Barnaby
Such an informative post! It’s always annoying when you end up without a view in your room but it looks like getting out and about was brilliant. The train journey looks wonderful too!
Tania Mukherjee
Ya we realise we don’t need a room with view since we were out the whole time!
Sandy N Vyjay
Loved the post as it brought back pleasant memories of Darjeeling once again. My best place was Batasia Loop because of the mountain toy train. My fascination for trains reached its romantic zenith at Darjeeling. There is something that tugs at your heart when you the small train chugging up the gradient.
Tania Mukherjee
Completely agree. I loved remembering the song “mere sapno ki rani kab ayegi tu” whilst there! 🙂
Ami Bhat
I love those colorful brick walls in Darjeeling. And that Pagoda is something else. I loved all the captures of those…so artistic and peaceful. Even through the pictures the serene atmosphere comes through. I hope to get there soon and explore it all for myself.
Tania Mukherjee
Darjeeling will be so different an experience I assure you!
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Agness of Fit Travelling
I’ve never read such an inspirational post about Darjeeling like yours! Keep up the great work, Tania!
Tania Mukherjee
Thank you Agness!
Me Myself and the Family
Hi Tania!
I’m happy that You found my blog because it means that I found Yours! Amazing photos and very inspirational writing, I hope our journey takes us as far as India one day 😀
Stay safe
Irenka
Tania Mukherjee
Thanks for checking my blog out! I am sure your journey will take you to India one day! You can get in touch with me in case you need any information or tips on India travel! I love answering those! 🙂
Me Myself and the Family
Thank You Tania, I absolutely will! In two weeks we start our journey through Sweden and Poland, join us 🙂
Tania Mukherjee
Wow! Cannot wait for it!
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