If one wants to go to Darjeeling
or Gangtok and, for that matter, any part of Sikkim, the closest landing strip
is Bagdogra International Airport. So we fastened our seat belts at Indira
Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, for a four days adventure trip in the
lapse of Himalayas. Our flight took off around 2.15 p.m. with a flight time of
two hours and 15 minutes; we finally landed around 4.30 p.m. Upon landing,
unlike every airport’s baggage service, Bagdogra’s baggage service was better
as we got our bags faster than usual. After claiming our bags, we went to the
information centers of West Bengal and Sikkim Tourism to ensure that we have
included all the must-visit places of Darjeeling and Gangtok to our list. Upon
gaining all pre-requisite knowledge about the sites, we went to a pre-paid taxi
booking center to book a cab for Darjeeling. We were charged INR 2800 for the
whole trip, of which we were supposed to pay INR100 at the booking center and
remaining once we reach our destination.
P.S.: We tried OLA and UBER
outstation initially, but it did not work. The local fleet has a stronghold in
this area. Hence, there are very slim chances that you will find OLA or UBER
here.
We started around 5.15 p.m. from
Bagdogra Airport; as soon as we hit the road after traveling a few miles, only
we were able to see tea gardens around. Looking at our excited faces, our
driver informed us that we would find more beautiful fields once we reach
Darjeeling. Beautiful sunset and cool breeze with a mild fragrance of
blossoming flower, I don’t think there can be anything better and soothing
during a road trip. Moving towards Darjeeling, we experienced the change in the
terrain and weather; we started experiencing fog at few places as we gained the
altitude. But whenever the fog gets cleared, we were able to catch the glimpses
of the mesmerizing view of the valley. As we gained further altitude fog got
dense, being seated next to the driver, I was unable to see anything; as a matter
of fact, our car’s headlamps failed to penetrate through the fog. I don’t know
how our driver was able to steer; guess that’s why it is always recommended to
have an experienced driver with you who is very well aware of the terrain while
traveling to a hilly region. After approximately 2 hours, we were reached
Darjeeling; it took us around 20 more minutes to reach our hotel. We finally
checked-in our rooms around 7.45 p.m. As everyone enjoyed the whole trip, no
one felt any kind of exertion. We had our dinner at the hotel and then we went
out for a walk to MG road as it was quite near to our hotel. While taking a
walk, we asked the driver who picked us from the airport to show us around Darjeeling
then takes us to Gangtok the next day. After a little bit of negotiation on the
price, we were able to reach a number where we closed the deal and laid out the
complete plan for the next day’s travel. After walking around for 45 minutes,
we finally bid good night to Darjeeling and gently slipped into our dreams.
Stay tuned to know about our next
day’s adventure.
