Darjeeling
Darjeeling - what bells does it ring - Darjeeling Himalayan Railways, exotic tea flavors, imprints of Victorian Age - all this and more in the land of non-elusive Nirvana.
Do not forget to pinch yourself if the sight of tea estates from the windows of first class coach belonging to Toy Train looks too good to be true. The playing children with their parents carrying the huge basket meant for collecting delicate tea leaves might catch fancy as the wish of being there in the first place crosses mind. After all, joy is what is much looked for in a hill station as old and as amusing as Darjeeling. At around 6710 ft, one can dream of sipping world-famous Darjeeling tea and going on to enjoy the waves of cool breeze softly combing exposed skin until goose bumps accompanied by views of green mountains and some of the highest peaks of the world.
While on the roads to tour Darjeeling, the Victorian town is hard to miss which puts on show the period it was under British control. The colonial era is still a part of the popular boarding schools located in this renowned hill station.
But what is not exactly reflected by the town is the time when it used to be a part of Sikkim until annexed by British for their own purposes. Situated in West Bengal, the hill town is well known for mixed ethnicity including Nepalese, Bengali and Sikkimese, a result of its history been rooted in these places. British era of past will continue to influence the way Darjeeling tourism is evolving.