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| A view from Mall |
Laudable Landscape @ Darjeeling Mall
Designers are said to leave their mark of creativity and aesthetic sense with a feeling of “one & only” that others follow as followers. But the creation walks tall with the passage of time making the “Designer” iconic even after death.
It
seems to be so as the same is applicable here. Amidst so many adverse and
changing circumstances, Darjeeling stands even today such a destination amongst countless of hill stations across the
world because of the touch of a supreme “Designer” backed by an out
of the world design.
This
is one of the rarest places where you
find culmination of all best ingredients
of life at the top of 6000 ft. from the sea level, for which the
contribution have come from both - nature and man .
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| Kanchanjunga Peak |
- True color of nature is showcased in
the riot of colors at Tiger Hill ;
- Endless unabashed greenery as the
carpet all over to soothe your eyeballs;
- Aroma of tea makes every morning worth
living ;
- Himalayan Circuit with misty
mountains and winding roads to tone up your leg muscles ;
- Playful Cloud with sun and shadow ;
- Leisurely hours at Mall with the
clock ticking all the way and children on the back of the ponies ;
- Simple and cosmopolitan lifestyle
of dwellers;
- Heritage and history empower the
place with evergreen USP and
trademark;
- Toy train over 129 years has proved that a toy can be a wonder
that drives the mass of international tourists to log in for Darjeeling;
- Best of schooling and hostel facilities concentrate for the elites to endear the place for shaping up a
special childhood ;
- Food paradise for all taste buds
with delicacies even from continental to colonial era to regional ones;
Whenever
I be there, I salute the creator everyday for creating this wonder.
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| Road from Mall to Market |
LOOKING BACK IN WONDER ….
History
of Darjeeling has always been wonderful to know. Let’s dig for a while through FAQs & Answers:
Q : Why
Darjeeling as the name of the place ?
A
: In local language , it is called Land
of thunder i.e “Dorjee” , the god of
thunder lives here as believed by oldest tribes of the area.
Q : When
the proposal of building the first ever
sanatorium for British soldiers was
received from the then ruler of Darjeeling ? How many residents had
been registered in Darjeeling ?
A
: 1829
/ 100 nos.
Q :
When British rulers could create the territory of Darjeeling, Tarai and
Kalimpong from Kingship of Sikkim?
A : 1935
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| Darjeeling Town : Mall |
Q : How many hours did it take then to reach Darjeeling ?
And the cost ?
A
: 15 days / by foot , chariot, horse carriage and boat / during that period , the cost was @ Rs.
300/-
Q : How many hours does it take now to reach Darjeeling ?
And the cost ?
A
: 3 hours / by jeep, trekker, car /
cost is @ Rs. 60-100/-
Q
: How had Darjeeling been treated during British regime ?
A : It had
carried a very special place in their heart since being “Summer Capital ”. The
place had grown in every way from Teagardens to Missionary Schools to Sanatoriums
to tourist centre to Churches for which
special credit should go to Mr. Campbell. Entire Darjeeling even today has been carrying on with the British
architecture. The old is gold in the field of food and beverages for all – as
on date the old joints & confectioners like Keventer’s and Glenary’s still remain crowd pullers with equal ease and
force the new born restaurants to
be shaky enough for the rise in sales
chart .
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| Glenary's ; Must Visit Spot For English Breakfast & Darjeeling Tea |
Q : What is the oldest church ?
A : St.
Andrew’s Church – foundation in 1843
Q : What is special about “Toy Train” ?
A : Such
tiny wonder (a steam engine driven small tram type of carriage) has been in
place since July 1881 running across 3 loops, 6 reverses, and highest station
Ghoom (7401 ft.) in the midst of forest terrain. It takes 7 /8 hrs. per trip ,
when a tourist gets real time look and
feel of the lifestyle of local residents. The experience of most of the
tourists is “awesome”.
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| Toy Train |
MUST SEE SPOTS…..
- Tiger Hill
- Ghoom Monastry & Railway Station
- Mall
- Observatory Hill
- Natural History Museum
- Mahakali Mandir
- Tibetan Refugee Center
- Tenzing Norgay Mountaineering
Instt.
- Padmaja Naidu Zoological Garden
- Botanical Garden
- Lebong Race Course
- Tea Estate
- Step Aside - Residence of Deshbandhu C.R. Das , who
died here in 1924
- Ropeway
- Mirik , can be reached by vehicle
- INOX
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| Pineridge Hotel : English type Hotel with Fire Place |
GOING
By
train you have to arrive at New Jalpaiguri Station. There from, to Siliguri Main
Bus Stand. Hundreds of vehicle await passengers to take to Darjeeling town. Time
– 3 hrs.
By
flight, please arrive at Bagdogra Airport from Kolkata. There from , to Siliguri for Darjeeling bound
vehicle.
***
If you know driving or like driving at sea level , you will realize the skill
of the drivers taking you to the hill
top at ease by twists and turns while
gossiping with local lads.
STAYING
There
are no dearth of hotels. They are plenty ……. From A-1 to shoe string budget. You may not expect a hole in your pocket the
way you may have experienced in other city . There are some old hotels near mall. We stayed
at Pineridge Hotel , 1 minute from Mall.
This hotel is of English architecture having room heater, mountain facing
rooms.
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| The school going kids at Mall |
The
enjoyable time is from March – May and
Sept – Oct. In winter, cold hits at 1 degree to 10 degree.
EATING
Here
, you may be spoilt for choice. But, pls.
do not miss following recommendations :
- GLENARY’S
- KEVENTER’S
- MOMO & THUKPA
- CHINISE DISHES
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| Slow and relaxed pace of life @ Mall during daytime |
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