The road to Darjeeling lead from Pelling to Jorethang, on the border of Sikkim and West Bengal, and then, in another shared and smushed Jeep, along the bumpiest, narrowest, and steepest road we had yet traveled. Luckily, the rough part of the journey was short and decorated with scenes of the steep and emerald tea estates on the outskirts of the hill station. The green hills were a brief respite between the rickety road and the smoggy gridlocked center of Chowk Bazaar. The Jeep emptied us in the middle of a traffic jam (or just regular traffic, depending on your cultural background) and we dodged motorbikes and Jeeps to get to the other side of the street only to met with a row of putrid stalls displaying sides of beef, chicken parts and stagnant fish, all covered in flies and laying on newspaper above their own guts on the grimy floor.
After asking directions we climbed the steep and winding road with our heavy packs to Andy's Guest House where Mr. Gurung, the owner seemed to be waiting for us on the balcony. We booked a double (as in two single beds) that featured clean, wood-panelled walls and a bucket that we could fill with hot water between 7 and 9 am for 400 rupees (about $9). The entire lodge is immaculate with an extraordinary rooftop viewing area that I think must be the highest point in the city.
The rest of that first day was spent eating Tibetan food at Dekevas in the Clubside area and checking out the vendors along Chowrasta, where I bought a purple scarf and played with our negotiating strategy.
No comments:
Post a Comment