15 January
Delhi - Bagdogra (airport) - Kalimpong
We drove from Agra to Delhi yesterday, then flew from Delhi to Bagdogra and drove to Kalimpong. We are currently at our hotel -- The Himalaya-- a 19th century British built curiosity where the first western trading expeditions with Tibet were launched. From the terrace you can see the 3rd highest peak in the Himalaya, Kanchenjunga. It's warm in the daytime sun and chilly once the sun is behind the mountain. )We left pea soup fog in Agra and Delhi. Maybe the sun will be out when we get back.) The river that the road followed is blue/turquoise with glacier water. Lots of colorful small villages hanging on to the hills, road crews out repairing landslides and washouts from the rainy season (there are women and men both on the road crews!), and lush, green, forested areas (teak, too) most of which are protected sanctuaries or national forests.
Our hotel yesterday was Ibis, which is considered a basic stopover hotel for people flying in/out if Delhi. We loved it- it was very much like a cabin on a cruise ship. Very modern and efficiently arranged - and the bathroom was EXACTLY like the one on a ship. Comfy, quiet, and the food was decent if a bit pricey (makes up for the cheaper room rate maybe?).
Contrast that with our weird hotel in Agra: we couldn't decide if it was old or new. Maybe 1970s that had a really cheap and bad "makeover"? At first it was a ghost town-- I swear we saw no other guests mid-afternoon or when we returned from supper-- but THEN, about 8:30 all hell broke loose when school-aged children began playing up and down the hallways and the stairs, slamming doors, yelling, etc. They kept it up for a good 3 hours. Then they were up at 6:30 am pounding on doorways to roust everyone out to get going. Understand that most of the buildings are concrete/granite/marble construction with high ceilings. Loud. Echo-y. I think it was a school field trip. It was a weird hotel. No other way to describe it -- not old enough for the shabbiness (or non-working things) to be quirky. Not modern enough to feel updated. Not dirty, and the breakfast was fine. But glad to be out and on our way.
5 days/nights up here and it will seem like a slower pace. Tomorrow starts with the handmade paper and ends with sunset view of Kanchenjunga (if it's clear).
Our guide is young, but educated and interesting. He is from Darjeeling so will know all the best places. We are the first tourists he has ever had from the USA as the primary agency he works for is out of New Zealand and Australia.
