India - Darjeeling

I was very excited to go to Darjeeling, mostly because I love The Darjeeling Limited. Well turns out, the movie has nothing to do with the actual Darjeeling.

Arriving in Darjeeling felt like arriving in a completely different country. The people, food, and culture of Darjeeling seemed a lot more Nepalese than Indian (which makes sense since the town is so close to Nepal).

In Darjeeling we:

• Stayed three nights at the Pagoda Guesthouse. No running water, freezing cold at night, and non stop dogs barking outside of the window. We got what we paid for at $2 a night. The owner was very friendly though. And we loved Tyson the guesthouse puppy. What a name.
• Took a tour of the Happy Valley Tea Estate. We even tried the signature Tippy Flower Orange Pico 1 blend. Happy Valley still uses the machines that they did when the estate opened...in 1854.
  
• Ate Tibetan momos for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
• Woke up at four in the morning to head to Tiger Hill for a breathtaking view of the sunrise over the Himalayas. We even caught a glimpse of Mount Everest.
• Experienced a 24 hour, full town strike. The entire town was shut down. Restaurants, stores, markets, tourist attractions...everything was closed. The strike had to do with Darjeeling and the surrounding area's desire to become the separate state of Ghurkaland. The unity in Darjeeling was actually quite impressive. We were dissapointed that the Zoo and Mountaineering Museum were closed. We were also quite hungry.
• Strengthened our calf muscles by walking up and down hills so much.
• Regretted not bringing ski jackets, gloves, and hats to India.
• Visited a fun temple covered in Tibetan prayer flags and swarming with monkeys.
• Drank Darjeeling tea at every meal.
• Took the seven hour Toy Train down the mountain. The tracks run alongside the road for most of the trip. So we actually got stuck in traffic, while on a train. Though the non stop train whistle honking got a little old, the views over the hillside villages made the trip well worth it.
  

Getting from Darjeeling back to Udayan Care in Greater Noida took a full 72 hours! Our train's departure was delayed by a mere 15 hours. How does that even happen?! Living in India has definitely helped me to become more laid back and much more patient. Things that would have driven me absolutely bonkers three months ago are no big deal now. Like being stuck in the one city specifically mentioned as having "absolutely nothing of interest in it" (by my tour book) for 15 hours.

And after three weeks of traveling here, I feel like I could travel anywhere. I can make train reservations (which involves hours of waiting in line and passport numbers), find my way on a map (not necessarily a given considering my sense of direction, or lack thereof), find the cheapest possible hotel, bargain for rickshaw rides, ask for help. And most importantly, I can remain calm and relaxed while doing it. More than anything, traveling in India requires flexibility.