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India
Darjeeling?
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The Tea
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Many
tourists form all over the world has discovered Darjeeling |
Visiting
Darjeeling:
Gunnar
Christensen
It's
knocking at the door 4 in the morning:
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Your jeep for Tiger Hill, Sir!
I'm
in Darjeeling, the tea town in India, at 2134 meters or 7000 ft
above the sea in the northern Indian mountain landscape Himalaya
From
the top of Tiger Hill at 2660 meters you can see the most beautiful
sunrise in India. From here you can see the mighty "Mountain of
the Gods", called Kunchenjunga at 8.598 meters. It's tibetan
name is: Khang Chen Dzod Nga. You see a large mountain with seven
peaks and the highest and most famous of them all is the Kunchenjunga.
Its
getting crowded at Tiger Hill just before the sunrise: Lots of
tourists and local people gather, and when the sunrise came cameras
click all over the place.
The
highest railway in the world.
The
good old steam trains from the opening in 1881 are still working in
Darjelling. The trains are puffing its beauteous way up linking
altitudes varying from 1,828 meter (6,000 ft) at Manibhanjan, to
3,657 meters (12,000 ft) at Phalut and Sandakphu. This English made
train was opened in 1881 by the on a gauge of 2 ft, the maximum
gradient being 1 to 20 the distance of 82 km - that is 51 miles - is
covered in seven hours when the world's most beautiful scenery passes
before you. After a straight run of eleven kilometres at Sukna the
train begins its ascent, at very sharp zig-zag turn a fresh
landscape, each more enchanting than the other comes into view as
various plants replace stately forests. Ghoom Station at 2.438 meters
the highest station in the world is passed just before the train
enters end stop at Darjeeling Railway Station. Even though the bus is
faster, most tourists naturally prefer the train.
|
Mt. Everest
at Nuptse 8.848 meters |
Observatory
Hill
Darjeeling
has about one million inhabitant if you include the surrounding
areas. Beside Indians you find larger groups of people from Sikkim,
Bhutan and Tibet inhabiting the town.
The
town is built in three floors. On top floor called the Observatory
Hill you find the hotels for the tourists, the fine shops, the nice
big and wealthy houses of the well to do people in Darjeeling.
Originally
a Tibetan monastery was built on Observatory Hill. This monastery
was called Dorje Ling that gave the place its name: Darjeeling. Dorje
Ling means the place of lightening.
Next
floor belongs to the Indian inhabitants: Special Indian hotels and
shops like any other Indian town.
Then
on the ground floor you find the lowest social rang: Here lives the
tibetans, the buthanese and the nepalese. This is the most colourful
but poor part of the town with its crowded marked places and the
people with the most colourful clothes. These marked places are very
popular and you can buy handcrafts, silver and a lot of the local
hand made things here. At Market Square you can hear all the
languages: Nepalese, Buthanes, Tibetan, Indian languages like Hindi
and English.
The
Tea industry
Darjeeling
became a town thanks to the British colonists: the first Europeans
came here in 1829. In 1841 Campel started the tea industry and the
Darjeeling climate was perfect for tea. The summer temperature varied
from 9 to 15 C and the winter temperature between 1 and 6 C. This is
quite different from other Indian temperatures. The climate was also
the reason why many British settled there during the occupation. This
shows on the English architecture on Observatory Hill.
Darjeeling
is often called the Indian answer to Switzerland because it's nicer
and more clean than most Indian towns. Many rich Indians come to
Darjeeling for their holiday because of the climate. The last years
many tourists form all over the world has discovered Darjeeling
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