Steve remains in Nepal to trek the Annapurna Sanctuary, so I’m off to eastern India joined by Kiwi Lizzie, who Steve and I met while trekking in Gokyo. To ease the pain of the 17-hour local bus from Kathmandu to the Indian border, we both purchased two seats. As fate would have it, our bus lacked the two front seats flanking the driver that I had selected, so I was moved to the back row, which meant a long night without the advantage of a recliner. A local kid was quick to lie across the remaining seats on the rear bench, and I was left with enough room to stretch out like a licorice. The window directly above my head wouldn’t close, either - between the cold draft and the blaring Nepalese R&B music, I was resigned to a sleepless night on this bus relatively early on. And I had to laugh, for there were so many rookie mistakes for me to learn from…
We arrived in Darjeeling by Tata jeep after three hours of potholes and switchbacks up an impressive grade. The temperature dropped considerably as we ascended into hills blanketed with tea estates, and the town itself is perched atop a foggy ridge with narrow, windy streets and towering cedars. Not to mention Darjeeling’s backdrop, the 8,598m Khangchendzonga, ranking as the world’s third highest peak. Despite its scenery, the highlight of Darjeeling must be the Himalayan Zoological Park, which hosts Snow Leopards, Indian Tigers, Himalayan Wolves and Red Pandas.
