Darjeeling to Kalimpong and Back.....

We arrived in Darjeeling just as darkness was shrouding the city.

The place looked unimpressive. Similar to many other Indian cities, but balanced on the side of a hill. There were no rolling tea plantations as far as we could see.

To make our room more affordable Fernando suggested we share a large double bed. I'm not a proud man, and he's a handsome fella.

Fernando looking out from Ghoom Monastery

Darjeeling rests at an altitude of 2100 metres. It is bloody cold. From 28 degrees celcius in Varanasi to a chilly 8 degrees in Darjeeling. I needed more appropriate clothing.

The faces of the locals looked far more Nepali than India. Much softer features with more pronounced Eastern Asia eyes.

Neither Fernando or I were impressed with the place, Fernando particularly disappointed that his idyl of rolling tea plantations was nowhere to be seen.. We decided to try and fit in Darjeeling's big three first thing in the morning. The recommendations were as follows. Pick up at 4.30am to see the sunrise from Tiger Hill, followed by a visit to a Needle shaped war memorial ending with a wander around the Ghoom Monastery.

I wasn't feeling great when we arrived, and didn't feel much better at 4.20am the next morning.

Darjeeling City...

A stream of jeeps bursting with Indian tourists lead the way to Tiger Hill. We were surprised to see so many vehicles on these tiny roads at this time in the morning. On arrival we were met with a barrage of chaotic parking. Vehicles were literally deserted all over the place. Our two young 'guides' could tell us nothing about Tiger Hill, and continued to play with their in car stereo whilst Fernando and I walked up the track, squeezing between cars and jeeps until we reached the top. An ugly radio/tv mast dominated the pinnacle, a shabby concrete shelter stood off to the left. The horizon was a think purple haze caused by the polluted Indian air. Over two hundred Indian tourists watched in excitement for over 45 minutes, gasping when the sun finally peaked over the hazy pollution. Fernando and I prayed for the sunrise to come quicker. It was the greatest anticlimax ever. We looked to our rear, where the mountain range began to light up..... It was the first snow capped mountains I'd seen since snowboarding with Amanda 3 years ago.

The city from a better angle....

We headed back to the jeep. 15 minutes later we were at the War Memorial. There was no information as to what, where, who or why.... Another great disappointment. We returned to the jeep a few minutes after having departed. No driver, and no drivers' best friend. Our two young chums were in a local cafe gorging on breakfast. We sat and waited. Once again they could shed no light on the war memorial.

Ghoom Monastery was nice.... Better than the sunrise and the war memorial..... By 7.30am we were returned to the lodge.

Unusual House in Darjeeling.... I just like the look of it....

Little Ghoom Monastery Monks

We wandered in to Darjeeling to use the internet to find out where to go or what to do. After half an hour we decided to head to a little hill station called Kalimpong by bus later that day. Having made plans we walked uphill for 10 minutes to Glenary's, a famous tea and cake shop from the time of the British Raj, it was quite a hike from the bottom of town. Before we arrived I realised I was lighter than I should have been. I'd left my camera bag at the internet cafe. I ran all the way back down through the hectic town. My bag was waiting for me behind the desk. I walked all the way back up to Glenary's where an excited Fernando was ready to take his first sip of fresh Darjeeling tea. He works in wine, he's all about tanins and delicate aromas. As far as backpacking through India goes, delicate aromas are few and far between. Usually more robust and foul smells fill the nasal passages in this country. We drank a pot of tea each and shared a huge dry fruit cake between us. I continued to feel worse.

We jumped in to our shared jeep at 1pm. Kalimpong was a couple of hours away, so we factored in three. One guy let me have the window seat as I was feeling so nauseous. There were four grown men across the row The seat was sized to accommodate three. The driver leant on the door to allow the latch to catch, holding me firmly, wedged in place. I hung the top half of my body out the window. As I hung out the window Fernando made himself comfortable on my back catching a little nap. We bounced our way through the hills as waves of nausea continued to wash over me.

The driver refused to apply the brakes preferring to use the screaming engine to slow the vehicle. We were both surprised that the engine survived.

We arrived in Kalimpong. Again we were slightly disappointed. It looked much like Darjeeling. Smaller possibly less hectic, but it was still larger than we anticipated. We found a room, paid slightly over the odds and went for a wander. After half an hour I had to give up, heading back to the room. I felt truly terrible. I was aching from head to toe and was suffering some nasty stomach pains. At 4.30pm I crashed down on to my mattress, out for the count.

When I woke at 7.30pm Fernando and I chatted a lot about life, death, love and lots about Amanda.... At 9.30pm I fell in to a fever filled sleep bursting with strange dreams. The next morning I felt much better.

Kalimpong was not what we wanted, we both realised we should have headed straight from Varanasi to Nepal, but there was no point in regrets, we just booked another bus and headed back the way we came, then onwards to Karkarbhitta, the immigration point for Nepal.

My Travel Gear....
Not alot!

We jumped on a local bus at 1.45pm.

At 5.30pm we were being stamped out of India.

We weren't sure what time the immigration point closed on the Nepalese side, and Fernando was becoming increasingly stressed. The bridge spanning the river was rammed with vehicles of every sort. Moving between them was almost impossible. Any tiny gaps were plugged with motorcycles or bicycles.

We arrived at immigration hot and sweaty with Fernando also little bothered. There was no electricity at immigration. They were working by torch light. We completed our paperwork. I opted for the 30 day visa (determined mainly by a previously booked flight) costing $40 with Fernando hitting the big time with a 90 day visa, costing $100.

My Nepalese visa runs out on the 11^th April (my birthday). My flight out of Nepal is the 21^st April. The mathematicians amongst you will no doubt have picked up on a slight issue here. I'll deal with this in due course.

Karkarbhitta like so many border towns is a frontier town full of tatty hotels, and shops selling rubbish. There is absolutely nothing to see or do.

Fernando was feeling rough, and didn't want to be rushed in to making a decision about getting the 4.30am bus to Kathmandu the following morning. He was feeling weak and irritable, with a bad stomach to boot.

We secured a little room, cosy enough for two beds. We headed downstairs to eat something simple and to enjoy a celebratory beer to mark our arrival in Nepal.

We hit the hay early. Due to a million very hungry mosquitoes I didn't see sleep until after 4am. Fernando also endured a rough night.

That morning we decided to book the 12 hour 'deluxe' bus at 4.30am the following morning, rehouse ourselves and basically chill out for the day..... Neither of us feeling 100%.

So here I am stuck in Karkarbhitta, the good thing being I have a good travel companion in Fernando. I may well stick with him for the trekking in Nepal..... We'll see if our plans match up.

Amanda would have enjoyed Varanasi, but she would have greatly disliked the past 4 days of hard travel for nothing. I have to say I would have totally agreed with her.

Bring on real Nepal, the mountains and the fresh air!