Exploring Darjeeling The Lazy Way!

Well if you look in the internet about North Bengal you will get numerous places and uncountable travel packages. Frankly speaking I find all of these suggestions on the internet mind boggling and ultimately end up confusing myself every time.

So, this time I decided to avoid confusion and travelled to Darjeeling with my wife and my 16 months old hero without any itinerary or a list of destinations pre-decided.

We started by booking Vande Bharath train from Howrah to NJP and to my surprise we were lucky enough to get tickets available 2 days prior to our journey.

If not train then the other option would have been boarding a Volvo bus from Kolkata to Siliguri. Tickets can be bought online from redbus.in.

Board the train from Howrah in the morning to reach NJP around 2PM.

We booked a cab after reaching NJP. Do not fall for the agents lurking outside the station asking for cab. Head to the cab stop outside and deal with the cab drivers directly (Golden tips to save some bucks! :P). Things started to change within an hour's drive from Siliguri. The tea gardens, winding roads shrouded in clouds made us happy.

The only thing that was left was booking a hotel which was easily done while on the go. Makemytrip.com came to the rescue to our hotel search. I still remember 25 years back when I used to travel with my parents, we used to book hotels directly after reaching a destination. It used to be a task to check on hotel availability by physically stopping at the hotels for enquiry. Gone are those days!

We did not stop at NJP for lunch as the food served inside the Vande Bharath Express was quite good for us to survive another hour after stepping off the train. We asked our driver to take us to a restaurant on the way and this is when we had our trip's first Momo in the mountains. Every trip to the mountains are incomplete if you did not have Momo (a popular Himalayan dumpling) and Maggi. By the time we reached our hotel in the evening, rain had just begun. We spent indoors that evening, concerned as the forecast showed continuous rains for the next 4 days! So we decided to wait for some more time and then plan our next destination after checking out the weather conditions on the next day.

The day started amidst the clouds with no visibility outside our window. I was a bit disappointed and ordered the breakfast in the hotel as the rain was heavy and did not seem like we could go out for breakfast at Keventer's. After all it is Darjeeling, sipping on a cup of hot chocolate at Keventer's enjoying the view of the Kanchenjunga is a mandate. Though we started the day being disappointed, nature had other plans to cheer us up!

Around 11AM when the rain god decided to take a short break we stepped out of our hotel extremely excited. We hopped around the Darjeeling Mall, did some shopping and finally stopped at Keventer's for ham fries and hot chocolate.

We spent some of the time relaxing at the mall watching a shoot that was going on. When in Darjeeling do not forget to visit the Mahakal Temple just behind the Windamere Hotel. e were hungry again so we headed to Kun Ga to satiate our hunger with the delicacies they offer. Finally, we were tired by the day's walking we did and stepped back to the hotel to take some rest. As it had again started to rain we waited at the hotel for a couple of hours before moving out again for a romantic dinner with live music at Glenary's. The day was filled with joy, laughter, amazing food and quality time with my family. What else one needs!

We woke up to a fairly bright day today and decided to check out to settle at a lesser known place near Darjeeling. My wife suggested that we move to Lepchajagat and after scrolling through a couple of vlogs and travel articles we finalised our stay at Pakhrin Homestay.

Lepchajagat is a quaint village near Darjeeling that is hardly 45 minutes from the Darjeeling mall road. It is a much lesser known destination and offers a great view of the Mt Kanchenjunga. Also, the location of the homestay is such that one can spend days simply watching the sun go down from the balcony. The pine forest straight from the homestay was playing hide and seek throughout the day. I started enjoying the game of the clouds staring out from the balcony. Time flew by doing nothing and there isn't a moment when we both felt bored.

The clouds were all over and we guessed it right that rain would not stop so easily now. And for that reason our stay at Lepchajagat lasted for 3 nights and 4 days and I have no regrets for that!

Lepchajagat is a very beautiful place that I will come back to again and again! As a Bengali we are often labeled as 'Lyadhkhors' which in english refers to the sweet art of doing nothing or enjoying every moment. So Lepchajagat and the rains were a perfect combination to incite the 'Lyadh' inside our bengali being!

We spent most of the day watching the clouds play, witnessing the incessant rainfall and the mountains hiding itself in blanket of clouds every now and then.

We did not realise how quickly the day passed by just by staring out of the window from our homestay. Trust me we loved every moment of it. The hospitality of the homestay is amazing. You get unlimited tea throughout the day, just need to ask for it. The home cooked meals were tasty too. I tried the Pahadi Chilli for the first time. It looks different from the regular chillies that we use. These mountain chillies are round shaped and red in colour. It is hot too. The local prepare a pickle out of it that tastes amazing and quite different from the other pickles available in the market for sale.

It started with heavy rainfall and once again we had no other plans to make. But nature was not that harsh with us this time and in the evening the skies cleared out for a few hours and to our amazement Mt. Kanchenjunga was clearly visible from our balcony. The nearest view point is about a 5 mins hike from the homestay. We cherished the view to our heart's content and after taking a few photographs nature showed us our way back to our homestay by covering the mountains with clouds again. Though the view of the mighty Kanchenjunga was short lived but it was quite amazing and we were happy like kids being able to catch a glimpse of the mountain.

Today was different. I woke up to an amazingly bright day with clearest view of Mt. Kanchenjunga, sipping my day's first cup of hot tea that gets served at 6AM.

It was time to leave this peaceful place and find solace in another homestay nestled between the Gopaldhara tea estate as suggested by the manager of Pakhrin homestays. Rajeev, the manager is a kind person and has great sense of hospitality.

He dropped us to a Bulaki homestay in Gopaldhara and the great hospitality of the owner and his wife left a mark in our hearts. Now, whenever we plan a trip to Darjeeling Gopaldhara always finds a way into our itinerary.

We started around 11AM from Lepchajagat and reached Gopaldhara within 2 hours. Though the homestay at Gopaldhara is not very far from Lepchajagat but we decided to do a couple of sight seeing's on the way. Places like Pine forest, Simana (India- Nepal border), Jorpokhri and stopping by a roadside momo stall were the main reason for the delay. The pine forest has an entry charge of INR 20 per head for India Nationals.

You can also visit Pashupati market on the way. A great way to spend and explore the market in Nepal! After reaching the homestay we spent most of the day enjoying the nature. A brisk walk through the tea gardens in the evening rejuvenates the soul. Gopaldhara being an offbeat destination is not flocked by tourists. In fact we were the only family staying in the homestay.

Being located in one of the remotest areas, the mobile network does not work really well. So, this is one of the most ideal places to visit if looking for ultimate peace of mind. However, after breakfast we were planning to set out for sight seeing nearby and that is when we got to know about the strike by the tea plantation workers. Entire Gorkhaland and Darjeeling were in support of the plantation workers and the roads were completely blocked until 6:30PM. So, having no option to rent out a car we started walking around the homestay covered in forests in some patches and the tea garden.

By the time we came back soaking in the beauty of the nature we were informed by Pawan bhai the owner of the homestay that it would be better if we planned to leave as the strike by the workers got extended for indefinite period. Now comes the best part of being in the mountains. A totally unknown place, with no vehicles ploughing, living with unknown people it was a bit stressful at that moment. But Pawan bhai took care of everything. He arranged a car for us in the night to take us to Siliguri and believe it or not since we were travelling with my kid he refused to leave us alone. He accompanied us till Siliguri and ensured we were safe till the end of the journey.

The mountains are beautiful and what brings life to these mountains are the people living in the mountains. Their hospitality is incomparable to any other places in India. I stepped in to the homestay as a guest but I left with great memories and a brother in the hills. I will forever cherish this selfless act of Pawan bhai and wish to visit him every time I am in the mountains.

The trip ended abruptly but I cherish every moment of this trip. I still hold the people I met during this journey close to my heart. People living in the mountains are gems. If you ever need to understand simplicity visit the mountains, meet the locals and I am sure by the time you leave, you will leave as one of them.

Places we stayed during our trip:

1. Darjeeling- Khhurana Group of Hotels.

2. Lepchajagat- Pakhrin Homestays.

3. Gopaldhara Tea Estate- Bulaki Homestay.

For more travel stories follow me on tripoto! Our next adventure ride to the mountains coming soon.