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There
was some unrest in Darjeeling, at the time of my visit in April,
1988. A portion of the predominantly Gurkah population was demanding
cessation from India, and had called for a bandh (a
kind of general strike, a very popular form of protest in India).
Things had gotten rather nasty when several people chose to
ignore the strike, and had opened their doors for business anyway.
Several people had been killed by radical elements of the movement, including an Indian journalist,
whose decapitated head wound up on the end of a stake in the
middle of the market square. The operator of the local
Youth Hostel had been cut to pieces as well. So, it was
with some trepidation that I made my way up from the roasting
hot plains of Calcutta into the cool mountain air of this faded
hill station of the British Raj.
>> Click on any photograph to enlarge it <<
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Darjeeling is perched on a series
of very steep ledges, which plunge on all sides into narrow
valleys. The scenery is nothing short of dramatic, especially
when the full panorama of the Kangchenjunga Himalaya is revealed.....
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....And here they are. Kanchenjunga
mountain is to the right of this picture. This was
taken from Observatory Hill, one of the highest points of
the Darjeeling region.
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Kangchenjunga,
the mountain in the far right of this picture, is the third
tallest mountain in the world.
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Looking straight at Kangchengjunga.
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Chowrastra
Square - the "upper" square of Darjeeling.
The old man in the foreground has his begging tin at the ready.
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Tea, tea
everywhere, but not a drop to drink. The tea Darjeeling
is famous for is everywhere - it's grown up and down the mountains
in terraces.
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I trekked down to a valley about a thousand metres
below Darjeeling. The temperature as you descend noticably
increases with every step! Darjeeling itself stays quite
cool - and downright cold at night (even in April).
In wintertime, it snows, of course. This is the Little
Rangit Valley. The far horizon is in Sikkim - a
semi-automous State wedged between Nepal and Bhutan.
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On the Little Rangit Valley floor, an hour's trek down the mountain side.
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A view of the
Himalayas, obscured somewhat by cloud. This picture
was taken from the outskirts of Darjeeling.
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A Buddhist
monastery in Darjeeling.
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Ladenla Road,
Darjeeling... where the action is!
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Tibetan refugees
have turned this region into a mini-Tibet! This lady
sold knitted items, and I bought (and still use to this day)
the blanket you see hanging closest to the left of the picture!
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Steeply terraced fields descend to the valleys either side of Darjeeling.
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On Chowrastra Square. The shops are all closed in accordance with the Ghorkhaland seperatists' decree at the time, leaving shopkeepers with little to do but sit about.
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The famous Darjeeling "Toy Train" - a narrow gauge railway line that wends its way up from the plains - was regrettably not operating at the time of my visit, due to the troubles. Mounds of sand had been heaped up by rebels in various places along the track to prevent the train's operation. |
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| The wonderful Windamere Hotel. |
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