Darjeeling and the toy train

After downing a fistful of imodium and antibiotics we set off for the toy train from kurseong to darjeeling 30kms away and 400m higher into the himalayas. The station was tiny with one way in and out. The train chugged onto the platform and we managed to grab the last remaining seats in first class. The only difference between first and second is that you get a chair rather than a place on a bench. The train steadily backed out onto the main road with cars beeping their horns whilst swerving round the carriages. Forward gear was engaged and we were off at a break neck speed of 10kmh with cars and motorbikes whizzing past us on the narrow streets. The weather had been really dry and most of the views were clouded in a thick haze from all the dust. You could anticipate what views must be past the dusty fog but we only got short glimpses of it. The train was a lot of fun going past houses literally on the tracks and going slow past little landslides and loose gravel from the constant roadworks.

It was almost dark when we got to darjeeling. We could make out the terraced layout of the town with lots of concrete hotels dotting the steep slopes. I was expecting far more of a colonial influence on the architecture but most was cheap and functional square multistorey buildings. Our hotel was pretty nice, there was no heating (as per every hotel and homestay in the area which is utterly diabolical given it drops to below 10°C at night) but the bed was really cosy and comfy so we got plenty of kip each night. We wandered round town with no real purpose for the next two days trying to acclimatise to the cooler temperatures and ease our way into the mountain way of life. Darjeeling has an interesting little stretch of shops, restaurants and market stalls leading up to the main square on top of the hill. Here there were tea shops galore and people just chilling and taking in the views. There was even blokes with little ponies offering rides to kids a la blackpool beach.

We thought about taking a trek from darjeeling right into the heart of sikkim but 6 days sounded an awful long time to dedicate to one walk and our fitness levels probably fall way short of the requirement. We chose well as the next day the heavens literally opened as we searched in vain for a shared jeep out of dodge. We were too late for the right jeep to take us onto pelling.so we trudged back up the steep streets getting smashed to pieces by hailstones as big as marbles. We holed up in a really cute guest house recommended by a friend and dried off listening to the storm rattle the corrugated iron lining the roof. Now i like spiders, i have a lot of time and respect for the 8 legged creatures, however when faced with one the size of an outstretched palm i quickly turn into a quivering mess. And thats exactly what happened when one that size scampered up the curtain next to my head. Its legs would have poked out a good inch either side of an upturned bibby's lantern. We turned the place upside down, moved the bed and took down the curtains to find it. We even got the owner and her sons involved in the fruitless search which ended up in major embarassment and pityful looks from our helpers. Given it was pissing it down outside and there was a giant arachnid on the loose waiting to pounce on our faces as we slept the coming night we thought the best idea would be to get zonked on booze. So we did just that, blew a whole days budget on ale and wine and crawled back to our room of fangs, poison, hairy legs and terror with smiles on our faces.