The Rest of the Day in Darjeeling

After we returned from our sunrise visit to Tiger Hill, elated and thankful that we had experienced a very rare, clear day to see Khangchendzonga, we spent the rest of the day touring other parts of Darjeeling. We then went to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, the premier center in India for training to conquer the Himalayan peaks.

It was awe inspiring to see old photographs of those who climbed Mt. Everest, from the first ascent by Sir Edward Hillary and Tensing Norgay – both icons of mountaineering – to other ascents by Indian, American, British and a host of teams from other countries. I can only dream about making it to the summit – a trek to base camp maybe – but the summit is a dream for another reincarnation.

We then visited the Zoological Park which is dedicated to the conservation of endangered eastern Himalayan animals including tigers, snow leopards, pandas, mountain goats and others that are rare to see in the wild. They work hard to study ways the endangered animals can thrive in the Himalayas as expanding population and development eat into their habitat.

Our next stop was the Tibetan Refugee Center where exiled Buddhist followers of the Dalai Lama live and work. The center was donated by benefactors in India that allows the Tibetan refugees to create their skilled crafts, which are sold at the center to support themselves.

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at a tea tasting shop and sampled many varieties of Darjeeling tea – and, oh yes, purchased several for ourselves and for gifts. It was similar to a wine tasting back home.

On our return to Bagdogra the next day for our flight to Varanasi, we saw several political demonstrations for a separate State of Gorkhaland. Our guide told us that a major gathering at their town auditorium would occur the next day where the question of creating the new State of Gorkhaland out of the current State of West Bengal would be debated. It seems that several parts of India are pressing for breaking away as separate states for political, ethnic and economic reasons. Whether this will make their lives better is still an open question in the Indian political arena, but it is a movement that is sweeping the country.