Hi all! Today’s photographic memories are coming to you from 2004 and from Darjeeling, a town in the mountains not that far from Nepal – yes technically I believe in the Himalayas. This destination is famous for its toy train which is usually the number one reason most western tourists visit the town. I took this very cool railway back in 2004 twice – once was a the tourist train which was pulled by a small steam engine and only went around 7km in a loop. The second trip was hauled by a smallish diesel locomotive all the way down the mountain to Siliguri.
The temperature difference was stark between the two places, probably 10 degrees cooler in Darjeeling and more at night falling below zero. They say you can see Mt Everest from Darjeeling. I did not – I had cloud cover the whole time! It was misty indeed and I remember it rained on the day I left, possibly clearing out the clouds for better views.
Still, around the town was very interesting. There was barely any flat ground at all, and I went for a hike to what felt like the ‘other side’ of the mountain, but wasn’t that far so probably wasn’t. There a bunch of kids asked me to take their photos, which I did and you will see here on this post. Keep in mind, those kids would be in their 20s today!
Also one of the attractions was the ‘Shrubbery Nightingale Park’ which is lit up at night and blasts out loud Hindi music through tinny speakers dotted around the place. It’s… unique shall we say. Other highlights include just admiring some of the buildings built on the side of the mountain. That’s impressive to say the least, and there was a celebration (possibly Holi?) on the day I left and there was powder-dye being flung around the place!
Anyways, Darjeeling was a special little place and I hope you enjoy my pics!
Thanks for popping by today – May the Journey Never End!
Andy's World Journeys 
Beautiful post, Andy. I especially enjoyed your portraits. Stunning.
thanks Jane. it was 2004. id think twice before taking these days
Wow, so rural. It is great to see the real deal. Now I want some tea though after seeing the headline of your post! 🙂
thanks Anna!
I hate to say it, but we were terribly disappointed with Darjeeling. Something to be said for having low expectations. I think we were expecting too much from it. Glad you liked it though. Maggie
what did you expect? It’s a cute little town up a mountain. I’m not sure what I expected now that I think about it. thanks for your comment!
I had a romantic notion of it with colonial architecture and good restaurants. I think my expectations were increased when we went to Shimla and found all of that. I should have known better.
Darjeeling looks less-populated and chaotic than the major cities of India, like Delhi or Mumbai. Even more interesting that it looks more distinctively-Nepalese or Tibetan, as it’s geographically-closer to those two places. A quick Google Map search shows that it has TONS of tea gardens, as it’s no surprise due to its world-famous Darjeeling tea. I’d love to check out Darjeeling someday for its tea and unique architecture! 🙂
also the train ride is very very cool! Thanks for commenting!
We stayed in Nepal for week but didn’t go there. Interesting journey.
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cheers! Lovely place