Historic railway

I woke to a glorious view of Kangchendzonga (8598 m), the 3rdhighest mountain in the world and India’s highest.  It’s in a range with several other very high peaks as well.  Yesterday, I didn’t know it was right outside my window because of the clouds. What a stunning view to sit down to and eat my breakfast!

I ordered omelette and toast but it came as an omelette sandwich.  The toast was soggy, but that’s Darjeeling.  I had dried my socks on the lamp to a crisp but next day they had re-absorbed the moisture from the atmosphere.  The sheets are damp on the bed too.

I had booked the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway “Joy Ride” on the historic “Toy Train” on  Indian Railways’ website.  So I went down to the station a little earlier just in case they needed to check the e-ticket but it was all very easy.

The railway was opened in 1881 so that rice in the lowlands could be brought up here to sell, as the market price then was a lot higher than in the lowlands.  To overcome the challenges of the geography, they opted for a narrow 2-foot gauge which gives it the “Toy Train” nickname nowadays.

There was a gathering of railway buffs around the coal-fed steam engines that were being prepped for our service.  The price of the ride was a lot more than what I had read in the book, but I managed to confirm that it was right.  The prices have gone up considerably in recent years; I suppose there’s a bit of work maintaining the tracks and the rolling stock.  The joyride costs about the same as the service all the way to New Jalpaiguri, a 7h journey on the slow “Toy Train”.

We all boarded the two wagons and left on time at 1000 and travelled for about 30 minutes before making a 10 minute stop.  The track and train ran very close to shopfronts, walls, bushes and traffic.  It was also smelly from the coal smoke, and noisy from the steam engine and the incessant tooting of the whistle.

The stop was made at Batasia Loop, a loop which helps the train gain altitude effectively in a short space.  It was also quite a scenic spot for seeing Kangchendzonga.

Moving on, it was a short ride to Ghum station where we had a 30 minute stop to visit the railway museum.  I learnt about the construction, design and in particular the z-reverses to effectively achieve ascent.

Returning to Darjeeling, we made the same stop at Batasia.  The train was nearly empty as many people were picked-up by their tours and moved on to the rest of their itinerary.  We got back to Darjeeling station at 1200.

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My priority now was to get my Sikkim permit.  I wandered around the maze that was Darjeeling to find the office which I had found yesterday.  When I got there, it seemed all quite easy as they no longer require photocopies of the passport, visas etc.  But this government office was handling applications.  They ask you to fill in the form, check it and stamp it.

The actual permit was to be issued at the District Magistrate’s Office in the courthouse “down the steps next door and walking about one minute”.  Well, including multiple checks with passers-by, it took about 30 minutes and it was a little outside the town centre.

I got an insight into Indian bureaucracy with the crowds at the courthouse wanting all sorts . Fortunately, my permit was a breeze.

It seems very strange that it can be issued on the spot at Rangpo border checkpoint, at Siliguri station (at the Sikkik Tourist Information Centre) but in Darjeeling it was very complex.  And it was issued by the West Bengal government rather than by Sikkim!

Walking back to town, the distance seemed much shorter.  I finally got internet in Darjeeling (wifi does not work in my accommodation, the Pahari Soul) at Glenary’s Cafe.  I had some tea and dessert, trying to call it lunch.  But after a while I realised I needed more than shifted to Hasty Tasty nearby for a masala dosa.

My last task for the day was to arrange a sunrise tour for tomorrow.  As I was out of town, one taxi-stand could only offer me a whole-car service.  Luckily, at another taxi-stand, one driver was happy to sell me a seat-in-car arrangement for INR200.

I headed back to my miserable accommodation for a well-earned rest (after all that running around for the Sikkim permit).  Just to get out of the damp environment, I went to the nearby Dali monastery for a look-see.  It turned out to be the right choice as it was perfectly set to capture the setting sun.  Aahh … warmth and natural light!  Something lacking in my accommodation.

Unfortunately, my tummy played up in the evening.  It wasn’t serious but I didn’t want to have trouble on the sunrise tour, so I popped a pill.