Pics from my Darjeeling trip

Last week (Aug 31 - Sep 3), I went to a short trip to Darjeeling with my family. We took the Darjeeling mail on Aug 30 night from Sealdah to New Jalpaiguri. From there we took a cab to Kurseong. From Kurseong we had reservation on the toy train to darjeeling. Hotels are are relatively cheaper at this time of the year. We stayed two full days at Darjeeling, did sightseeing in the morning, and shopping etc. in the afternoon. During our return journey, we visited Mirik. There is a beautiful lake and several tea gardens at Mirik.

This is a view of the hills from toy train. The almost 3 hour toy train ride was wonderful.

Me at Rock garden. Situated 10 kilometres from town, the Rock Garden and Ganga Maya Park are attractive tourist spots with natural waterfalls.

Batasia Loop and the War Memorial. The toy train makes a 360 degree turn at this gigantic railway loop, and is almost 5 km from town. It provides a panoramic view of the mountains beyond. Within the loop lies a war memorial that commemorates the brave sould who sacrificed their lives in India’s various wars since 1947.

Common Leopard at Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park. One of India’s most highly regarded zoological park, the Darjeeling Zoo is home to diverse and rare species, like red panda and the Tibetan wolf.

A view of houses atop the hills.

A beautiful tea garden near Mirik.

Mirik lake. The pristine lake surrounded by high forested hills, tea gardens, orange orchards and cardamom plantations.

Got a glimpse of women picking tea leaves during our return journey from Mirik to NJP. Some women have a umbrella attached to their heads to shield from the sun.

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