1. Winding roads from the mountains back to plains is melancholia. Recounting that familiar sadness, I soaked in the journey uphill to Darjeeling from the airport. Change of scenes from meadows and hilly silhouettes, to hairpin bends at sharp inclines to clouds above, waterfalls below and mountains all around, is like the magic of suddenly stepping into wonderland.
Ah ... journey to the hills.
2. When night descends in the mountains, the sky reflects on earth, but with human warmth breathing in it. One sees a twinkling land of stars, with grey mountain waves in a nearby horizon. Abyssal valleys descending to darkness if one looks below, a constellation of lamplights in human homes if one looks far ahead. We looked far, farther.
When night descends in the mountains, it is misty and memorylike.
3. We have quite a room with a view. This morning it seemed a piece of cloud might just float in if we opened the window. Yesterday when in the airplane, there was a strong desire to open that window and step out, carefully, and walk around a bit in cloudland. That was Rhea, saying it aloud. That is also me, not saying it aloud. For all the flights I have taken in past 20 years.
4. Glenary's in the rains was beautiful. And fun.
5. Fun fact on altitudes.
Kolkata - 30 feet
Airplane - 30,000 feet
Bagdogra - 450 feet
Kurseong - 5000 feet
Darjeeling - 6700 feet
Ghoom - 7300 feet
Tiger Hill - 8500 feet
Kanchenjunga - 28,000 feet
Kolkata - 30 feet again !
The girls realised they trampolined from 30 to 30,000 ft and spent 4 days at 6000 ft looking at a peak close to 30,000 ft again. That is being at a place 200 times higher than home to look at 1000 times higher a mountain. Erm, and then back to 30 ft. Rhea created an elevation route map as a keepsake.
Also, the 28,000 ft painting of "Five Treasures of Snow" or "River Shining like Gold" is what we woke up to at sunrise. Could be heaven. Or a dream. Or as a friend said, a wrinkle on the skin of a planet.
6. Did we know that the daily diet chart of Himalayan Red Panda must have 4 bananas, 1 egg, 300 ml milk, 30 ml honey and 4 kgs of bamboo leaves? Did we know the Zoo at Darjeeling was one amazing place to see and do stuff. Adventure sports, obstacle climbing and ziplining were the highlights and "Thinking will not overcome fear, Action will" was the takeaway mantra.
A first for Rhea and was she brave. Of course, Didi had her back.
7. Our ropeway ride had two episodes. The forward journey was in silence and fog with everything invisible and inaudible except the occasional metallic sound of the cable car at towers. We were in a gondola with an over-anxious short-tempered frowning couple who marred the weather. Thankfully the return journey had sunshine, laughter, clear views and fun companions.
8. Drizzly hot chocolate and toasted bacon sandwich at Keventer's. Out-of-the-world roast pork sub and chicken hotdog with creamy sinful latte at Glenary's, times three. Tender pork steamed momos and flavourful glass noodles from Kunga's and ice-cream from the Him cream next door. Hillside Maggi s and Wai wai s and momos and Tibetan pickles plenty.
Oh and the mountain breakfast platter in the hotel served by smiling waiters offering endless refills, and the Heart Sutra playing, wafting in the restaurant air in a low chanting hum every morning. Happiness.
9. Miscellany [photo spam alert]
10. We left Kolkata in Durgapuja and returned to a different looking city. The kerfuffle was over, an afterglow remained. On the way from airport to home, Heeya noticed the Autumn sky, with its clear blue and soft whites, in a way she didn't notice before. Reminded her of a long distance friend she will see again.
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