If you ask me what is that one thing I am craving the most in lock-down, I would say travel. However, since we are counting our blessings, I am immensely grateful that I could make it to the mountains one last time. Just in the nick of time, my parents and I visited the most beautiful Queen of hills, Darjeeling for a 3-day trip. We had planned it around two months back and since it was a long weekend, the execution was not a problem. The process of choosing a place to stay is the most exhilarating to me. I had made a list and based on pros and cons we had selected Pahari Soul, right on Hill Cart road.
We started on 6th march from Kolkata and reached Darjeeling next evening via Siliguri. By the time we reached, it was raining heavily and the temperature had fallen drastically to 7 degrees C. Pahari Soul a very cozy home-stay with delicious homemade food. We took some time to acclimatize.
Next dawn, I was awakened by my Mom who happened to look out of the window and let out a gasp. The complete range of Kanchenjunga offered the most spectacle panorama! We immediately got out of the bed and took in the amazing landscape unfolding before us. It was a magnificent scene; the mountain peaks were golden from the sunlight. We made ourselves Darjeeling tea and sipped at it from our balcony while relishing the view. The ambiance touched my soul, I felt a strange peacefulness within which drowned out all the noises inside me.
We had our breakfast and ventured out to explore the town. We have been to Darjeeling countless number of times in the past and every visit makes it even more memorable. We hitchhiked our way around the beautiful monastery, rope-way point and the famous mall. The rope-way spans 5 kms over the beautiful tea gardens of Darjeeling. The breath-taking view makes up for the long waiting lines. Our lunch stop was Glenary's, the famous European themed cafe from the 1950s. We dug into our steaks amidst the backdrop of the Kanchenjunga. Next, we visited the tea bar, Nathmulls for our refreshing and aromatic cup of finest black tea. We returned to our stay after an enthralling local tour.
Next day, we made our way to Makabari tea estate to experience the magic that goes into making the fines tea of India. The manager took us around and we could witness the first tea leaves plucking of the year. The tea made out of these leaves are the most sought after. It was drizzling; I took a walk along the slopes of the tea garden to soak in the beauty for one last time before starting our journey back home.
My Darjeeling trip was one of the best in years. I wandered like a traveler and immersed myself in the quaint town. The people made me wonder how simple life is, if only we quit running after the daunting future. I learnt to take a pause and be grateful for the present. I cherish the memories of all the places I have been to, not worrying about unexplored territories. My soul remains content even if this is the last trip of my life.