If you want to experience the cul-
ture and warmth of the locals, travel
to the outskirts and you will imme-
diately experience the real meaning
of “everybody” and “nobody”. Ev-
erybody is welcome and nobody is a
stranger; the mantra that bring these
wonderful people to embrace every-
one they meet.
One of the most fun activities, for
both young and old both, is the toy
train that operates in the area. How
could I miss that? The Darjeeling
Himalayan Railway or commonly re-
ferred to as the ‘Toy Train’, has earned
UNESCO World Heritage status mostly
due to it being the only train that still
operates on narrow gauge. Something
it has done since 1880. A steam en-
gine is used to pull the mini carriages
while proudly offering the passengers
a view of the serene beauty the line is
engulfed within.
As an adult, the experience of the
toy train is tough to describe. You must
put aside everything to enjoy this two-
hour joy ride of just 14 kilometres.
Kuu-jhuk-jhuk ... a sound which
excites children and reminds adults
of their childhood. It also manages
to paint a picture of serenity and di-
vinity in the minds of senior people ...
the enchanting beauty of the hillside
country coupled with the novelty of
the steam engine led toy train etches
an unforgettable experience in your
mind ... an experience to enjoy, a
memory to treasure, indeed a brilliant
journey.
The first stop of this journey is a
quick five-minute stop at a water sta-
tion to allow passengers to pick up
a drink before heading to the next
stop which is called 'Ghoom' or ‘to
roam’ in English. This is where the
railways have a museum offering pic-
tures, monuments, and various his-
torical details where passengers can
enjoy the museum and war memori-
al. There is a quick stop at the Bata-
sia Loop which offers a breathtaking
view of the Kanchenjunga Peak, the
TRAVERSE 110
3rd highest mountain in the world.
The Eastern Himalayas region
boasts of an abundant variety of flora
and fauna, some of the species being
extremely rare and beautiful. If you
want to witness this, then get off the
train and go for a nature walk, trek up
to the hill and see the awesome rare
species for yourself.
I did some trekking and as luck
would have it, beautiful clouds were
stopping my view to an even more
beautiful Kanchenjunga Peak. I need-
ed more so decided to pick up my
bike and ride out of Darjeeling to-
wards Gangtok the capital city of the
neighbouring State of Sikkim, about
100 kilometres away from Darjeel-
ing. While only a distance of 100km
the road was downhill and had lots of
steep hairpin bends which contribut-
ed to slowing me down.
The locals were celebrating a fes-
tival called ‘Chhath Puja’ so I decided
to make the most of my slow descent.
I stopped, got my camera ready and