Our 10 hour train ride to Siliguri was overnight and, surprisingly, very comfortable! We had top bunks on a sleeper car with plenty of space to stretch out. The sad bit of news was that to reach Darjeeling, we still had to endure a 4 hour jeep ride, squished in with 10 other people. We were unlucky and got the very back seats which were insanely bumpy, the least leg room, and close to the roof of the jeep. I don't know if what we traveled on could be called a "road", or more just a steep washbed of rocks and jagged cement.
Darjeeling inself is a great little tiered town with more winding roads than we can make sense of. Green moss covers everything, and it hasn't stopped raining much in three days, giving the place a very misty magical Jungle Book kind of feel. The few moments the fog has cleared rewarded us with phenomenal 360 degree views of the green valleys below and the distant Himalayas. You can see for miles and there are villages dotting the hills everywhere.
Yesterday evening we were strolling in the market and suddenly heard a huge rumble and felt the earth start to shake. It was like nothing we've ever experienced before. The normally subdued Darjeeling-ites started running around the streets in a panic. From the looks of most construction tactics around here, we expected a shower of concrete and bricks at any moment. The shaking went on for awhile and the electricity went out. The streets here are confusing enough, and we were far from our hostel...so the darkness totally disoriented us. We got lost, but after an hour or so of walking, some help from the locals, and the light of our UV water purifier (yes...it doubles as a light source! amazing!) we finally found our way back. We found that the concrete slab in our bathroom had snapped in half and one window was broken. We heard from the locals that the earthquake was a 6.9, the biggest in decades! The epicenter of the quake was not too far from here, in Sikkim. The electricity is still not on, but the town is using battery and generators. We are thankful to have avoided any danger, but it was definitely exciting to experience the earth move under our feet.
Darjeeling inself is a great little tiered town with more winding roads than we can make sense of. Green moss covers everything, and it hasn't stopped raining much in three days, giving the place a very misty magical Jungle Book kind of feel. The few moments the fog has cleared rewarded us with phenomenal 360 degree views of the green valleys below and the distant Himalayas. You can see for miles and there are villages dotting the hills everywhere.
Yesterday evening we were strolling in the market and suddenly heard a huge rumble and felt the earth start to shake. It was like nothing we've ever experienced before. The normally subdued Darjeeling-ites started running around the streets in a panic. From the looks of most construction tactics around here, we expected a shower of concrete and bricks at any moment. The shaking went on for awhile and the electricity went out. The streets here are confusing enough, and we were far from our hostel...so the darkness totally disoriented us. We got lost, but after an hour or so of walking, some help from the locals, and the light of our UV water purifier (yes...it doubles as a light source! amazing!) we finally found our way back. We found that the concrete slab in our bathroom had snapped in half and one window was broken. We heard from the locals that the earthquake was a 6.9, the biggest in decades! The epicenter of the quake was not too far from here, in Sikkim. The electricity is still not on, but the town is using battery and generators. We are thankful to have avoided any danger, but it was definitely exciting to experience the earth move under our feet.
Um yeah we were pretty concerned for you guys. Love you guys. Keep on trekking!
ReplyDeleteAre you guys stuck in Darjeeling till the roads reopen around Sikkim. Love you guys!
ReplyDelete'Sure glad that you are alright. I heard about the earthquake at work and that it was in India, near Nepal; so this posting was a relief. We love both of you. We're glad you're having "adventure."
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