Trip to Tumling,Jamuni & Darjeeling

We Started our journey on 25^th January 2019. Took an early morning flight from Kolkata and was in Bagdogra Airport by 10am. We had already booked a private taxi so without wasting much time we headed straight towards our destination-  Tumling. It is a tiny village or a hamlet in the eastern Himalayas, located at an altitude of 9,600ft and it falls on the way to the popular trekkers’ destination Sandakphu. During winter (December through February) there can be heavy snowing in Tumling and it gets covered with thick snow.  Since my friends and I haven’t experienced  snowfall before we decided to give it a try.

We were running short of time so we could afford only two small tea breaks on our way and reached  Manebhanjan by 1.30pm. We then took a four wheel drive vehicle (usually old British Land Rover but we opted a Mahindra Bolero) through Singalila Land Rover Association to proceed towards Tumling. These vehicles are ideally suited to climb the steep gravel road that leads up to Sandakphu. Usually the Association do not give permit to the visitors after 2pm if the weather is bad, so plan accordingly.

Chitre Monastery was our first stop. It is a tiny Buddhist settlement, about 3km from Manebhanjan and has an exquisite monastery, that is a must visit. The place is swept with vast expanses of lush greenery: towering oaks and pines as far as the eyes can see. We took some time out to walk through the gate into the monastery premises and took a look inside. Before the main monastery there are eight small stupas elevated from the ground. Many Buddhist prayer flags are hoisted around the area that flutter in passing breeze. The locals believe that fluttering of the prayer flags brings in purity and holiness to the area. This place also provides a marvelous view of the Kanchenjunga snow peaks.

The path to Lamedhura, our next halt for some refreshment, mesmerized us with its curves and views. Lamedhura is another small village in the Darjeeling district and visitors usually stop by Sherpa Stall for a plate of momo. After our light refreshment we moved towards our next halt and yet another picturesque mountain village, Meghma. Meghma, a mystic mountain village located on the Singalila ridge at an altitude of 9,514 ft and is mostly covered with a blanket of cloud. Hence, the name! This sleepy and mystic village falls right at the border of India and Nepal and there are only a handful of village huts where the local families live.

 

From a distant, we could see a hut-like structure and as we approached, we were shaken by the beautiful view-point amidst clouds. That hut-like structure was the viewpoint at an elevation of 10,070 ft. We reached  Tonglu. The small village is named after one of the peaks of the Singalila Ridge. It is located inside the Singalila National Park in Darjeeling district near the India – Nepal border. Tonglu is the perfect retreat to unwind and explore the mountains. After five minutes  we finally reached our anticipated destination Tumling, a fantastic travel destination for mountain lovers.  Tumling actually is part of Nepal although there is no restriction to visit the place for Indians or even foreigners with Indian visa. In fact the border between India and Nepal in this part is quite blurred and it’s kind of a free way for all. You won’t know when you are crossing the border.

We had booked a room in the Shikhar Lodge well in advance. and after an hour of resting we approached the nearby road to witness the sunset and we were awestruck by what we saw. We witnessed the sun set behind the Kanchenjunga range. It was a magnificent sight. The play of colors on the snow-capped peaks is worth the tiring drive.

 

It was extremely cold in the evening and we were expecting some snowfall but alas! there wasn’t any. Tomba the local wine is what we laid our hands on next. It is fermented barley drink served in a bamboo container which is equivalent to a bottle of wine. Warm water is poured into the container every few minutes until the drink loses its flavour.

The next morning we woke up and found shimmering snowflakes all around the place and the  magnificient Kanchenjunga appeared to be at a stone throw distance. On a clear day the view around is awesome. The viewing area in Tumling is just a small elevated land which isn’t maintained for years. Often cattle are left loose by the villagers for grazing. Sometimes several goats or even roosters would be sitting on the elevated land instead of human beings.

After our hot piping breakfast(we had Tibetian Bread)which was prepared by the owner Neela Gurung, a native Nepali woman  we started descending  and our next  destination was Darjeeling.

 

By late afternoon we reached our hotel and decided to spend the rest of the day exploring the hill station. After watching the wonderful views of the mountain peaks and valleys all around Darjeeling  Mall and lounging on the benches along the periphery we were engrossed in some window shopping from the local Mahakal Market.

Darjeeling is incomplete without the great breakfast indulgence in the Keventers and that’s exactly where we were in the next morning to taste the delicious ham, bacon and sausages.

Tibetan Refugee Self Help Centre was our first destination for the day. It is a rehabilitation centre for the Tibetan refugees in the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region. The centre is registered as a charitable organization under the act of Government of India and is a part of multifarious activities which ranges from handicrafts, training of artisans, and craftsmen. These activities are primarily to the care of the sick, elders and needy destitute

 

Darjeeling is surrounded by tea gardens.  Tea gardens can be spotted everywhere- on the hills, hill slopes and also on the near flat land. We too visited one such tea garden to know in details about tea plucking and quality of leaves.

 

We wanted to see some offbeat places so we headed towards Jamuni Tourist Complex. It has been recently converted into a tourist place by the Darjeeling authorities. The place has always been known for its natural beauty with hills, river and waterfall. Recently a bridge, a lake and a statue of Lord Shiva were constructed in this picturesque valley-like setting . The 13-acre complex Jamuni is located in north Darjeeling. It takes about 45 minutes to reach Jamuni by road (the distance is about 15kms from Darjeeling town). The Rangeet River flows through the place and you can see the stream flowing over the rocky bed  from a long distance. In fact you can dip your feet into the water of the stream or even swim. The view of the river and that of the landscape looks lovely from the bridge. This bridge has a strange name – Happy New Year Bridge(also known as Jamuni Bridge) because it was inaugurated on a year beginning (January 1, 2006).

Ghoom railway station of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was next on the list. It is the highest railway station in India, situated at an altitude of 2,258 mtrs (7,407 ft) from where the Toy Train starts its descend towards Darjeeling town. Ghoom Monastery and the Batasia Loop are the nearby places worth a visit. Batasia loop is a spiral railway track where the toy train takes a complete 360 degree turn. The toy train descends by 1,000 ft. as it completes the loop through a large circular area. Ghoom Monastery is the oldest Tibetan Buddhist Monastery of Darjeeling. A 15-foot high statue of Maitreyi Buddha is seen in the central hall, made entirely of clay brought from Tibet. Rare Buddhist manuscripts like the Kangyur can be found here.

The trip would be incomplete without a visit to Glenary’s Bakery and Restaurant. It is one of the prominent eateries of Darjeeling and has been in existence since pre Independence days. It is located in a large white painted two storied heritage building on Nehru Road very close to the Chowrasta Mall. The bakery is on the ground floor, the restaurant is on the first floor and there is a pub in the basement. The seating area is very nice and an open air sit-out offers a good view.  A number of nice picture frames and artifacts decorates the walls and the ambience was very uplifting.

 

It was time for bidding a Good bye to The Queen of the hills. Darjeeling is indeed a jewel in the Himalayan crown. Being part of the historic British summer capital era, the rich land which still produces the world’s finest tea, cultural warmth of the people blended with its spectacular topography makes Darjeeling a must-visit destination in the world. In this trip we tried to explore some offbeat locations to see what amazing Darjeeling is all about.