The bridge at the border back into India (Sikkim is semi-independent, still has passport control etc), was closed due to a massive hole in it! Took 4 hours for new metal sheeting to be installed, and back on our way- thankfully the weather was ok!
(It was World Environment Day apparently, so these kids were marching around with cards they had made)
(The broken bridge)
Once back in 'India', the countryside gave way to tea plants...everywhere! The Darjeeling area produces 9million kgs of tea a year, which only accounts for 7% of Indian production! Wow, the world drinks a lot of tea.
(tea, and clouds = pretty much sums up Darjeeling!)
Despite being an area associated with the British Raj, very few of the buildings remain, with much of the town looking like every other Indian town - concrete boxes. Those that have remained tend to be used by government institutions, schools, and the very wealthy.
(a bit of British still standing- just)
The weather, much like Sikkim, was terrible - dense fog/rain/clouds - which rather limited what i was able to do, but i still tried to be active. There is very little to see in the town itself, with most interesting things being a walk away.
I visited the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre, a fantastic place where refugees from the Chinese invasion of Tibet are able to live and work to sustain themselves. They are all involved in making crafts of various kinds - carpet weaving being the main one, but tailoring, weaving, painting, carpentry all were present. Everyone seemed happy, and I bought a Yak hair shawl to help out.
(Buddhist monks being noisy)
(very friendly lady spinning wool to be made into carpets. One of the few words i picked up while in Dharamsala was 'hello' in Tibetan. "Tashi-delek"...which went down a storm here!)
(Child monks playing)
Also visited a tea plantation and factory, which it turns out, makes all of Harrod's organic Darjeeling tea. It was a small place, but fascinating to see the production process, which is surprisingly easy - pick leaves, dry leaves, then either pack (green tea) or ferment for a bit then pack (black tea). The whole place smelt of tea which i really rather liked.
(The toy train - one relic of the Raj that still works. It is supposed to link to the main train system, but a bridge has been broken for over a year, and now is just a tourist attraction. It goes at walking speed, so i of course chose to walk!)
Lloyd botanical gardens is a great remnant of the Raj, with a big selection of trees spread out on the southern slope below town, and provided a relatively quiet place to read, which is more than can be said of the zoo, which WAS PACKED. Was great to see a tiger, and red pandas up close, but you certainly cant describe Indian tourists as quiet. The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, which is found inside the park, has lots of photos of the first Everest submitting, and lots of history of Indian climbing, but its a rather dry place - just lots and lots of photos and bits of climbing equipment.
I DID enjoy Darjeeling- walking around, doing lots of shopping, eating at the cafes and reading alot, but it is most certainly an Indian tourist destination, and as such, lacks much of the charm of smaller places, and the peace as well!
(It was World Environment Day apparently, so these kids were marching around with cards they had made)
(The broken bridge)
Once back in 'India', the countryside gave way to tea plants...everywhere! The Darjeeling area produces 9million kgs of tea a year, which only accounts for 7% of Indian production! Wow, the world drinks a lot of tea.
(tea, and clouds = pretty much sums up Darjeeling!)
Despite being an area associated with the British Raj, very few of the buildings remain, with much of the town looking like every other Indian town - concrete boxes. Those that have remained tend to be used by government institutions, schools, and the very wealthy.
(a bit of British still standing- just)
The weather, much like Sikkim, was terrible - dense fog/rain/clouds - which rather limited what i was able to do, but i still tried to be active. There is very little to see in the town itself, with most interesting things being a walk away.
I visited the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre, a fantastic place where refugees from the Chinese invasion of Tibet are able to live and work to sustain themselves. They are all involved in making crafts of various kinds - carpet weaving being the main one, but tailoring, weaving, painting, carpentry all were present. Everyone seemed happy, and I bought a Yak hair shawl to help out.
(Buddhist monks being noisy)
(very friendly lady spinning wool to be made into carpets. One of the few words i picked up while in Dharamsala was 'hello' in Tibetan. "Tashi-delek"...which went down a storm here!)
(Child monks playing)
Also visited a tea plantation and factory, which it turns out, makes all of Harrod's organic Darjeeling tea. It was a small place, but fascinating to see the production process, which is surprisingly easy - pick leaves, dry leaves, then either pack (green tea) or ferment for a bit then pack (black tea). The whole place smelt of tea which i really rather liked.
(The toy train - one relic of the Raj that still works. It is supposed to link to the main train system, but a bridge has been broken for over a year, and now is just a tourist attraction. It goes at walking speed, so i of course chose to walk!)
Lloyd botanical gardens is a great remnant of the Raj, with a big selection of trees spread out on the southern slope below town, and provided a relatively quiet place to read, which is more than can be said of the zoo, which WAS PACKED. Was great to see a tiger, and red pandas up close, but you certainly cant describe Indian tourists as quiet. The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, which is found inside the park, has lots of photos of the first Everest submitting, and lots of history of Indian climbing, but its a rather dry place - just lots and lots of photos and bits of climbing equipment.
(Red Panda..isn't it cute!)
