By Amanpreet Singh
Hey, Cloggers! You know I like my crew and our rabid, airborne adventures. This was, however, a different adventure with the emphasis on pure and communal joy. I swapped the helmet for a warm scarf and took off to Darjeeling, the Queen of the Hills, on a 6-day trip of a lifetime with my favourite person, Sapna.
It was not that you needed to conquer mountains; it was conquering romance and fun, one cup of hot chai at a time.
Days 1 & 2: Kanchenjunga’s Greeting
The trip itself was a beautiful preeminence, winding roads and mist-covered forests. We arrived at our guesthouse and dropped off our backpacks, and right away went in search of the right spot.
It struck us the first morning, and then we had the Epic moment of the whole trip. It was on Observatory Hill, where we were standing sipping very hot tea on the street-side, when the clouds at last parted. There it was: Kanchenjunga. The third peak in the world was radiant in the foreground, and it was massive and peaceful. Sapna put her arm around me, and we stood spell-bound, doing nothing but taking in the view. We had a gorgeous, common awakening that we were indeed out of touch with the everyday. It was the first impression of the whole journey, peace, beauty, and an ideal coexistence.
Days 3 & 4: Riding the Tiny Giant Ift
Darjeeling has a heartbeat; it is the heritage Toy Train. We had this as our primary mission on Day 3. The great steam engine, billowing to the top of the hill, was like riding into a book of history. Sapna and I got seats directly by the window.
The fun was non-stop. We were leaning out (of course, not too far) to wave at children. Every time we heard the engine give a great snort of smoke, we cheered, and we even lost our way in seeking the best point of observation in and about the Batasia Loop. It was all afternoon of stupidity, holding hands, and understanding that sometimes the slowest route is the most rewarding.
We even spent the day visiting the tea estates, gripping hot cups of the finest Darjeeling in the world, and disputing with one another on which mixture was the best. It was not only the sights that made the fun but the details of it all, the silly ones, the chilled breezes, and the hot cup shared with Sapna.
Days 5 & 6: The Tiger Hill Promise
The loveliest event in the course of our journey was the dawn pilgrimage to Tiger Hill. Waking up at 3:30 AM in the cold in the Himalayas can be considered an epic by itself, yet it is worth it.
We were huddled round a thick shawl and waiting in the cutting cold. Then it came, the sun rose, and gave a beautiful effulgence of orange and pink and gold over Everest and Kanchenjunga. The mountains did not merely light, but became pure shining gold. It was an amazing, near-biblical experience. Being there at that moment with Sapna and our arms allied, observing the world wake up in such splendor, was by no means the ultimate goal of our romantic adventure.
The last day was devoted to bidding adieu to souvenirs, vowing to resume the acquaintance, and simply basking in the colonial atmosphere of the town. It was the ideal reminder of the best adventures being ones where one shares them with the person you love, that is what this trip to Darjeeling was.
Have you ever experienced a truly epic sunrise? Share your best moment below!
Stay lovely, Amanpreet Singh clogtheblog.com
