Darjeeling Sojourn - Part 2
Continued from my last post....
So, we left Lepchajagat very reluctantly and started towards Batasia, Darjeeling, where we had booked our last day and night.
The trip by car took just 40 minutes and we reached by 12.30 noon. The bright sunshine made everything look splendid - the flowers, the mountainside, the roads, the tall pine trees.
Day 3
Our hotel in Batasia was a small functional hotel, not too fancy, but providing all amenities like room service, geysers, heaters and provision of meals.
The outstanding view from the room made up for any fancy fittings however. I could spend days just looking out at the hills and trees from the window.
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| View from the window |
It was cold here too, and the heater (on charge) was a welcome comfort. Freshening up a bit, we went outside for lunch. There was a lovely dhaba at the corner of the road, one that offered spectacular views from its tables. Santa Banta Dhaba, run by an efficient Bengali lady, offers good old piping hot Punjabi fare in the most picturesque ambience.
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| The frame-worthy menu card |
We gorged on tandoori roti, jeera alu, dal makhani and butter chicken, washed down with wholesome lassi.
Lunch finished, we stepped out to see that the sun had hid behind fog and clouds. And boy, was it cold! Brrrr. Batasia Loop War Memorial was right in front, so we stepped in for a tour of the park and for clicking with the toy train.
The steam engine puffing away in front of us looked so quaint and demanded a picture immediately. The staff were refilling and stoking the coals, and with a whistle, off it went chugging away on the tracks.
Off to Keventer's in the mall for some Darjeeling tea! Despite the chilly weather, we opted to sit in their famed open terrace. The dhaba lunch sitting in our tummies, we had to give the sausages and sandwiches a miss though! Daughter had hot chocolate, and hubby and me cups of first flush Darjeeling tea.
The bird's eye view of the market and the town is an added advantage of the terrace.
Darjeeling gives these awesome old-school colonial vibes. The mall, the town square, the heritage eateries and tearooms, book stores and picture galleries, all are reminiscent of the bygone era of genteel sophistication.
The tea energized us and we sauntered around the mall checking out the woolens and shawls on display. After all, you can't go to Darjeeling and not buy a shawl or two!
Over the years, however, hordes of tourists descending on this hill station has significantly eroded its charm and beauty. Sadly, most people aren't responsible enough travellers.
Wafts of music reached my years, and like the Pied Piper's flute they drew me to the square, where a young local singer was belting out old Hindi film hits in a charity performance for raising funds. Nearing the place, I saw the crowd trickling away, losing interest.
Busybody me had to go and shake things up! Just as the singer was about to start a ghazal, I went up and requested him for a local song. He hesitated, perhaps thinking which one to sing. Then he started a folk song that had an amazing rhythm and soon, people started jiving and dancing to it.
The crowd of twenty swelled to fifty and more, with more and more tourists and bystanders joining the impromptu jig. It was a sight to behold!
What bonhomie and cheer music can bring! Some teenagers were dancing away, while some oldies shook a leg. A tourist even did a Punjabi bhangra to the melody!
My heart was full, and so was the charity box. Glad to have helped in a noble cause.
Now this called for a celebratory dinner at Glenary's! More music, this time a live performance in the restaurant.
And some chicken shepherd's pie and grilled chicken sizzler. The portion sizes are huge, and we even had to pack some shepherd's pie home! The warm and cozy ambience, steady buzz of conversation, a sense of cheer all around, and lovely food and music - what more could round off an amazing day!
Day 4
Now comes the time to say goodbye, but not until we explore some sights along the way to Siliguri. After a couple of days of waking early to chase the sunrise, we slept in late the last day. After breakfast, hubby and me went out for a walk in the sunshine, soaking in the sun and the holiday vibe.
We went to the taxi stand to book a car for our station drop, and finalized with a chap.Lunch was once again at Santa Banta's and then we started our road journey. We had chosen to take the Kurseong to Siliguri road, with a detour at Dow Hill and Chimney.
Driving down the picturesque landscape was a pleasure. Twice or thrice we stopped the car for clicking pictures, sometimes of roadside blooms, sometimes of rolling slopes filled with tea plants, and sometimes of the unexpected cherry blossom like flowers on a tree.
Chimney was a small hamlet, and the main memorial and viewing point was closed, it being a Thursday. No complaints, the sights and sounds on the way made up for the disappointment.
We then stepped on a path to Bagora forest, a rather unexplored gem towards Dow Hill, Kurseong. The tall deodars, pines and other evergreen trees stood like sentinel all around.
The peace and calm all around was unbelievable. Not a sight on the road - just us and the dense forest. The sun rays playing hide and seek, creating light and shadows. The wild flowers in bloom. The whistling wind in the trees. Magical!
Since we already spent a lot of time in this beautiful place, we had to skip Dow Hill as it was another few kilometres away on a detour. Our friendly driver-cum -guide (who was a suave English literature graduate and an entrepreneur to boot!) told us it was quite similar to this forest.
We crossed several tea gardens along the way.
Another couple of hours on the road, and the landscape changed. Regular roads, traffic jams, malls, city life was back!
The trip ended, but the memories stay on. The bracing mountain air, the shades of green, that whiff of first flush Darjeeling leaf tea, the sing-song dialect of the people, their open smiles, all stay with us.
Till next time, bye-bye Darjeeling!
Concluded.
#Darjeelingtrip
#Queenofhills
#Bengalspride
#hillstation
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