Up in the Clouds

Like with most cities, there’s always more to do and see, but I came to Varanasi to see the Ghats and to experience the power of life and death on the holiest river in the world. I was thoroughly satisfied and after a couple days was ready to escape to higher elevation and cooler temperatures. This meant Darjeeling. Nestled in the lower Himalayas in an area between Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, I was somehow still in India. After a 10? hour train (it’s hard to get anywhere in India in less than 10 hours so this is my default) and a 3 ½ hour jeep ride up the very narrow and winding road to the densely lush, pristine, tea-laden hills of West Bengal, I made it to Darjeeling. I arrived to a familiar place. Very reminiscent of Dharamsala on the other side of the Himalayas, Darjeeling is one of the oldest hill stations in India, set up by the British during the colonization and served as the starting point for the first Everest expeditions. I came here, as previously mentioned, for the cooler temperatures and for a better glimpse of the Himalayas. From Darjeeling you would have to be blind to miss the astonishing view of Kanchenjunga, highest mountain in India and third-highest mountain in the world. And on a clear day you can even see the tip of Everest. I had pictures in my mind of these behemoths, rising high above the horizon like clouds in the distance. Never stirring. Too colossal to flinch. The only thing that moves is you beneath them.

Well too bad because I was blind the entire time. With nothing but hopes of clear weather, that’s about all I had to hopefully catch a glimpse of the higher Himalayas. Unfortunately, India simply did not want to reward me with these views, and decided to keep the hovering clouds intact for all 4 days I was there. This was unsatisfactory but the misty movement of the ghostly, elegant clouds of vapor provided for a relaxing atmosphere regardless, and gave the bustling hill station a sense of serenity. I didn’t mind, but if I could have had one clear day of massive mountains I also would not have minded. On the other hand, this was the first time in about a month that I wasn’t sweating, so that made up for everything.

The days here consisted of local sightseeing (not mountains) which included a beautiful tea estate/factory, a zoo featuring native animals of the Himalayas (and yes, I saw a tiger), and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, which was maybe the best sight I came across. It covered a lot of the history of the first expeditions and ascents of Everest and had inside some of the original equipment used by the first two climbers to conquer the highest point on Earth. I had recently finished Jon Krakauer’s "Into Thin Air" before coming here (which covered a crazy Everest expedition in the spring of ’96) so I was able to somewhat relate to the amazingness of the preserved artifacts this small museum held.

View from the roof of my guest house

Aside from these highlights, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Darjeeling. It’s hard not to enjoy the atmosphere there regardless of what the actual weather is like, which is always a clear sign of a genuinely pleasant destination. I didn’t mention much about the people there but they were all extremely friendly. Most are actually of Nepali origin, which is actually the language of choice in this part of India. And like Dharamsala, it was hard to believe that I was still in India at this point, as you see a much different side of the country here. But further exploration of the diversity of this amazing country only continues to impress upon me just how incredible India continues to be.