Ahhh…what a difference a train makes. After our last two train experiences Sherri and I were kind of dreading the overnight train trip to Darjeeling. Previously we’d traveled in 2^nd class, which was ok, but the 17 hour train trip back from Varanasi in sleeper class with no AC and sleeping in shifts was “an experience” to put it mildly. For the trip to Darjeeling we had tickets in 3^rd class and Sherri’s brother, David would be traveling us, so we at least felt it would be safer and hoped we could get some sleep on the long overnight train.

We boarded the train and were even shown to our seats by a professionally dressed train employee. As the train pulled away from the station relaxing music played from the speakers overhead…soon a train attendant appeared with a tray of candies, an then another attendant appeared with a tray of sodas, followed by a tray of savory snacks…all complementary, of course! Sherri’s brother David looked at us questioningly, “you guys are crazy, these Indian trains are awesome” he said, but he had no idea what we had been through. This was definitely the train experience we had hoped for…we were served a delicious Indian meal and we were seated with a nice Indian family on their way home to Sikkim. The three children were super sweet, sharing some of their candies with us and Sherri and I taught the father how to play gin rummy, in which he totally beat us in the first round…beginners luck! Even though 3^rd class meant there was a little less space (beds are stacked with 3 on each side versus only 2 on each side in 2^nd class) we were much more comfortable and happy on this train which we later realized was specially operated by a tour company, hence providing a much higher quality of service.

We arrived in Siliguri by mid-morning and were swarmed by taxi and jeep drivers all clamoring to take us on the three-hour drive up the mountain to Darjeeling. After much negotiation we found a driver with small car that would leave right away and not try to squeeze any additional people into the car.

Darjeeling was such a welcome relief from the hot sticky city. The air was crisp and clean and the views were magnificent! Even the people in Darjeeling were different…a mixed culture of Indian and Tibetan people, whom we found to be much friendlier and happier than the people in the city.

Darjeeling, also known as “Queen of the Hills” is a hillside town located at an elevation of nearly 7,000 feet. Darjeeling is well known for its tea and we definitely drank a lot of it! At home Sherri and I are big tea drinkers, so it was really cool visiting a well-known region where it is grown. We visited the Happy Valley Tea Estate where we got to observe them plucking the leaves by hand. We also got a tour of the processing plant to see how the tea is dried, separated and made ready to package and sell. After learning all about tea we went to the Elgin Hotel for a proper afternoon tea, complete with fresh scones, preserves, sandwiches and all sorts of yummy pastries.

One morning we got up before dawn to watch the sunrise over Tiger Hill. It was awe-inspiring watching as the sun slowly rose. Lighting up the clouds, its rays reached the snow-capped peaks of Mt. Kanchandzonga and the surrounding Himalayan mountains. We spent the morning walking back to Darjeeling stopping to explore the various monasteries along the way. The Santen Choling Monastery was by far my favorite! We stopped there to have chai in the courtyard and you could hear the monks chanting from within the temple. We were invited to go inside, sit and observe as a young group of monks (probably around the ages of 7-10) chanted their scriptures. It was a very cool experience!

Darjeeling is a great place to visit for anyone that is in the West Bengal region. It is especially a great place to escape the heat if you happen to be visiting India during their scorching hot summers. We stayed at the Lunar Hotel, which is centrally located, has very nice rooms with great views and the Lunar restaurant inside the hotel is known as the best vegetarian restaurant in Darjeeling. We loved the food! It was the best hot and sour soup I’ve ever had! The room rates they first quoted us were a bit high, but they are willing to negotiate cheaper rates if you ask!