Singalila trek

A 5-day trek running along the border to Nepal, from Mana Bajyang to Sandakphu. Beautiful varied vegetation, orchids and rhododendrons, mist and mountain views.

Buddha's birthday celebration

In the festivity all the buddhist monastery communities around town picks up their holy scriptures and carries them to Chowrasta square in the middle of Darjeeling.

Ghum loop

A walk around the hilltop of Darjeeling to Ghum, visiting some monasteries and finally dropping all the way down to the Rock Garden.

Observatory Hill

Even with 3 different maps of Darjeeling, this hill was so well hidden, under the name Mahakal Mandir, that it took us over an hour and 3 times of asking directions to find it. In the end it was only 10 minutes from the central square, Chowrasta...

Happy Valley tea estate

Visit to the tea fields and factory to learn more about how to make tea.

Tiger Hill, Zoo and something else

Sunrise at Tiger Hill. Visiting Darjeeling Zoo for endagered local animals. Contemplating tea fields. Cheapest momos and alu chat.

"Welcome to Darjeeling, do not spit & litter"

Wow, we've slept a lot. Guess we really needed it.

Great weather today, and we're off to explore the town again. We've been to the botanical gardens and the Tibetan refugee self-help center.

Darjeeling, finally

I think we deserved what we found at our first destination, the lovely hill station of Darjeeling. Yes, that's where the tea comes from.

The photos cannot show enough, but trust me, it's a great escape from everything that is hot and dusty and smelly south of here.

We had a heavy shower on the way up in the jeep, but after checking in to a tiny guest house at the very top of town, we got up onto the roof and watched the hills surrounding us endlessly in all directions and the great 5 peaked mountain of Khangchendzonga hovering way up in the sky on the border to Nepal. It was the clearest views we had had since we were crossing Thorung La, and the host said it was the first time they had had a clear view of the mountain in 6 months.

Sorry, but I forgot my camera on that one...

Arrival in India

Unfortunately, when we came back from out little detour to Dhulikhel and surroundings, the world had not suddenly and unexpectedly solved all its problems.

It had, however, opened up a little corridor to the border of India at Birganj. Which meant that we would have to travel a couple of days through hot Bihar, which made us seriously consider taking a flight to Bangkok instead.

But with our economical situation we thought better of it, and off we went in a night bus to the border... which didn't open until 6am so we had to wait two hours... Ah, what lovely last two hours in Nepal. Sigh.

Dhulikhel, Namo Buddha & Panauti hike

Ah, what lovely unpredictable travelling. Better not to get too cosy.

On the day we had reserved for leaving Nepal, after waiting to get the Indian visa for a week, we were notified that all the roads except Kathmandu-Pokhara had been blocked again due to strikes in the Tarai.

So, to make the best of the situation, we took a little detour out in the valley to visit some small towns and villages, hoping that all would return to normal in the world before we got back.