Lepchajagat - An offbeat heaven in the Eastern Himalayas
There's a different kind of solace in the mountains.
It's the calm that comes after weathering several storms and disturbances. It's the kind of solace that lived experiences and the resultant acceptance of life teaches us. It's a wise, deep calm.
After some trips to beaches, nature resorts, holy and historical places, this time family and me decided to spend a few days in the hills. And what better than some offbeat location near the queen of hills - Darjeeling?
But Darjeeling main area was too crowded to offer peace to city-bred people like us. So begun the search for offbeat places around the area. We shortlisted Jorpokhri, Lepchajagat and Mongphu after extensive Google searches. Then the search for suitable accommodation, as we are stickers for cleanliness and good food, and must have the basic amenities like geyser, room heater, provision of all meals etc.
Lepchajagat scored on this front, with West Bengal Forest Development Corporation Nature Resort situated right in the middle of the scenic forest.
It offers views of the mountains straight from the rooms, along with reasonably priced accommodation.
Now, getting confirmed train tickets in the festive season is a different kind of struggle. We had reserved tickets in different trains, hoping at least some of those would get confirmed. Well, they did get confirmed, but not till keeping us on tenterhooks till the last minute.
Anyway, der aaye durust aaye.
We reached New Jalpaiguri on a balmy morning. As it is on the foothills, NJP and Siliguri are fairly hot, compared to the hills.
After crossing about 40 kms, however, the first breath of mountain air came to us reviving spirits and energizing us. As we drove along the winding roads, the air got nippier, the roads steeper and curvier, and the scenery more and more gorgeous.
Day 1
We landed in the breathtakingly beautiful Lepchajagat, a small hamlet near the forests in Darjeeling district at 12.30 noon.
And it was freezing cold! With the clouds coming down, the winds became biting and chilled us to the bone. We demanded a room heater but heaters were available only after dusk! Talk about conditions in comfort! Even the geyser took it's own sweet time to warm up, so we had to brave the chilly water till then.
The resort is set amidst lush forests at the edge of the mountains, so that automatically brought down the temperature by a couple of more degrees. Forget about enjoying the breathtaking beauty, we were just shivering in our woollens!
After a homely meal, we set out for a walk to explore the surroundings. The walk over the rocky path in the biting cold almost knocked us down, bit we did see a couple of view points and the sun setting over the hills nearby. Time for some hot refreshments!
Tea, followed by chicken soup, warmed us well enough. The room heater was also doing it's bit of course. There's not much to do after sundown in this small place, so an early dinner followed by some much needed sleep was a good option.
Day 2
Scurrying up at 5 in the morning, when its 6 degrees temperature, is not a mean feat for owls like us. But the pull of Kanchenjunga made us do it. Layering on woollens, we rushed to the terrace to catch the sunrise in time.
And boy, was it worth it! The sky changing colours from violet to crimson to orange, then the rays of the sun colouring the peaks pink, it was ethereal!
Words are not enough to describe the wondrous sight. The entire range of Kanchenjunga came into sight slowly, in the form of a sleeping lady. I wanted to cry, it was so pure and beautiful!
Staring at the phenomenon my family and me almost froze, both in cold and in awe. When we couldn't weather the breeze any longer, we came down right back into our snuggly bed!
Breakfast was puri and vegetable curry made in the local style - simple and wholesome. The famous Darjeeling tea was absent, however. We had some excellent coffee later, at a roadside stall to compensate. A walk along the stalwart pines revived both appetite as well as spirits.
In lunch, we were served almost the same as day one. No variety in these small resorts. The food was homely and delicious, however.
The sun was playing hide and seek, and the wind blowing merrily, so clutching our sweaters we ventured out again. Anyway staying indoors in the cold wasn't a viable option.
Now, the sun came out a bit. Energized, we walked to the local sunset viewpoint. And saw the golden sunset from the pine trees.
What a day! Both sunrise and sunset views! Braving all this cold and steep walks was worth it! Coming back, we had steaming chicken momos at a roadside eatery. Then back to the room heater in our hotel room. Soup and dinner rounded off the day.
Day 3
I woke up at 6 to get a glimpse of the sunsoaked peaks once again. And was rewarded with this.
Our time for saying sayonara to this beautiful place neared. After breakfast, we went to the terrace of the resort to soak in the brilliant sunshine that had showed up after two foggy days. It was so bright and cheerful, we were reluctant to let go of the experience.
But time waits for none, and soon we had to say goodbye. We started out for Batasia Loop in Darjeeling.
To be continued in next post....
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