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Descending the mountains from Sikkim I arrived in Darjeeling amid a light rain in need of a guest house with good internet. After a few miscues I settled on Hotel Fairmont with cheap rates, basic rooms, good wi-fi, and well, I never figured out how to get hot water but was too tired to go back to the lobby. I had previously popped my head into backpacker-favorite Dekeling Hotel which had indifferent staff being chased by blond northern European women also in search of hot water. With that many backpackers their wi-fi was overloaded.
I awoke to a bustling, noisy regional trading center rather than the hill station retreat I imagined. A British couple I met in Lakshadweep has said it took them a day or two in Darjeeling to figure out that the good stuff is all outside the city. The draws are heritage accommodation and treks in the tea fields.
I only had a few hours before the 2.5 hour trip down to Bagdogra Airport so did a 2-hour walking circuit of the city, from the UNESCO-listed toy train, which was having technical issues and very run-down, through the markets, down to Happy Valley Tea Estate that supplies Harrod’s, to Nathmull Tea for obligatory tea purchase and wrapped up with a slow-cooked Tibetan meal.
Darjeeling the city is not the stuff of its legend. Make the time and enjoy its countryside rather than stay in town.
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@ffi – I did not realize they also had those trains in the south. The Darjeeling one is in bad shape, though I think the route would be interesting as it stakes through the villages up close.
We did the narrow gauge train once in South India, but did not choose First Class
Big Mistake as the first car was F and had great views while climbing the hills