Sunday, May 9, 2010

Darjeeling

After my last post I had some dinner and crashed- but the good nights sleep I so sorely sought was not to be found. Turns out I had chosen to stay at an Indian hotel- ie one that caters to Indian tourists. It was LOUD...people yelling and banging about until 12 at night, then right back up and at it first thing in the morning. No running water either, and as a result I decided to switch hotels. After springing out of bed to see what was sure to be an amazing view, only to be greeted by a wall of cloud, I ambled on 5 minutes down the road and found a winner. My new lodge is exclusively for foreigners with a cheap restaurant, a couple of guitars, and better rates. Had tea in the restaurant while plotting my next move...whenever I arrive places I usually spend a good chunk of the first day sorting myself out and setting plans up, as well as exploring the city. After surveying many agencies, I settled on one to organize a trek of the Singalila ridge (lower portion). I leave tomorrow morning, and the trek is 5 days long. It is supposed to yield great views of some of the highest peaks this planet has to offer, and the rhododendrons are in bloom. Really excited for this one. After that I simply wandered...checked out some Gurkah knives...drank too much tea, and met a few people back at the lodge. Had a good jam with a guy from Australia, and then went to bed. It's cloudy again today, but the day is young and I'm thinking of heading to a tea plantation to play the civilised English gentleman that I most certaintly am not. This will be my last post for about a week- I'll be back in civilisation on the 15th or 16th. After that I am probably going to head into Sikkim and do another shorter trek. Thanks for reading

Nick

2 comments:

  1. Hi Nick---enjoy the trek because you will see some spectacular scenery. It reminds me of the great experience the boys and I had climbing Ben Nevis and hiking across the Highlands of Scotland---enjoy and keep Living that Dream of yours. Uncle Jack

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  2. This is where Nick is going: The Singalila range is one of the rare spots on earth where the view embraces five summits rising above 8000m, amongst them Everest, Makalu and Lhotse.
    On these 19th century English Lords trails, you will trek on narrow paths along the Indo-Nepali border, sometimes at the edge of the jungle, sometimes through rhododendron forests.
    The visit of the main Sikkim monasteries (Pemayangtse, Tashiding, Rumtek) provide a touch of culture and make of this journey a rare venture

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