India

[ge_rik]

Test

[ge_rik]

The DHR - our experiences
After boarding the train .......

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we passed through the suburbs of New Jalpaiguri (NJP), where the railway is cheek by jowl with the local community.

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We ground to a halt at a red signal about ten minutes into our journey and despite the combined efforts of an assembled committee of all the railway employees on the train, plus one who arrived on a motor bike, using varous mobile phones, we remained stationary for over an hour.

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Some of the local children used the train as an adventure playground while James and I were asked for our autographs.

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Eventually, we moved off and crossed a girder bridge on dual gauged track shared with a single track broad gauge line. Presumably, the reason for the red light.

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After chugging along the roadside for a few miles, we entered woodland and started our climb.

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The climb from thence onward was relentless. We followed the old cart road for the entire journey, crossing and recrossing it regularly with much horn-blaring.

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As we gained height, so the clouds started closing in around us. We looped back and forth across the hillsides. Here you can see the line lower down the hillside and also further up - ie where we had been and where we were heading
Rik

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As space is tight onn the hillsides, road, railway and communities are crammed together

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Very difficult to capture the magnificence and scale of the landscape through which we were travelling, but evidence of landslips were frequent, as was the ongoing reinforcement work. Here you can see where we have been - the line cuts across the centre of that landslip, and given that it looked quite recent, it was presumably the reason why the railway had been closed for around a year.

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At the half way point we stopped for fifteen minutes at Tindharia where we had some refreshments (mo mo, similar to dim sun dumplings), were treated toa visit from the Himalayan Queen and were passed by the train on its way down.

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As the rails were getting wet, out loco struggled sometimes to get a grip and so the driver had to do some running repairs on the sanding mechanism while we awaited the crossing of the downward train

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Difficult to get decent shots of the reverse zig-zags and spirals from onboard the train, but they were fascinating to experience

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Meanwhile, we climbed ever higher and the cloud pressed in.

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At Kurseong, they decided to reassemble the train presumably because the wiring on the empty coach adjacent to the loco as faulty. We were asked to detrain while they did a bit of shunting and when we reboarded, the lighting came on.

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The cloud grew thicker and darkness fell as we climbed up through Ghoom to Darjeeling and we shared the narrow street between the houses with the traffic. Because the cload is so thick, I completely missed Batasia Loop, the third spiral, as we descended from Ghoom to Darjeeling.

It took us a while to locate our Airbnb, which is on the back of the ridge from the main town (and hence quite quiet). But more of that later.

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[ge_rik]

Can't get the images to upload!

[IanC]

It's Friday 13th. I'm having the same problem on another forum. I've given up trying for today.

Ian

[daan]

Nevertheless, with your story I can sort of "taste the atmosphere" and that already provides sort of "pictures" in my mind..

[Lonsdaler]

It's like having our very own roving correspondent. Brilliant stuff Rik!

[FWLR]

It seems has your exploits are making you famous Rik in India…asking for your autographs….your’e both celebrities now

[ge_rik]

Test

Whilst in Darjeeling (pronounced Darjling or even Darzling), I had real problems posting and trying to attach images was very hit and miss. Now in Kolkata, so hopefully broadband here will be a bit more stable.

Rik

[ge_rik]

Update 7
Our last night in India. We're now in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). The journey down from Darjeeling was great - sunshine most of the way, unlike the ascent where we were in cloud and darkness for the final 1/3.

We travelled first class sleeper from NJP to Kolkata, sharing our 'couchette' with an elderly couple - his English consisted of gravelly grunts - but somehow we communicated. Arrival in Kolkata at dawn was truly memorable and are now in a really swish Airbnb for our final night - feels like 5 star. We even went to a top class restaurant for our final meal this evening and had a bottle of sparkling Indian wine to celebrate.

5.30 start tomorrow. Home by Monday evening.

I'm really sorry I've not managed to post more photos, but the technology has defeated me repeatedly. I've managed to extract the photos from my camera, two phones and tablet, which required various shinnanigans in uploading them to Google Drive and then downloading again onto my tablet. However, when trying to resize them for upload to the forum, everything I tried failed. An online tool insisted the resized images had downloaded to my tablet, but they hadn't, and the photo compress and editing apps I've used previously with great success on my tablet outputted images which the forum won't accept.

Very disappointed, sorry.

Looks like I'll have to do it all retrospectively on my laptop when I get home. Not quite the same as a live commentary but I hope you'll understand.

Rik

[tom_tom_go]

We are all grateful Rik for what you have provided on your tour.

Safe trip home.

Tom

[markoteal]

Yes safe trip home - looking forward to retrospective 'slideshows' of your pics

[IanC]

The main thing is that you've had a good holiday. What you have managed to share has been fantastic. Uploading the pictures on your return will enable you to reflect on your travels.

Have a safe journey home.

[Peter Butler]

Hard to believe it is all over so quickly, you have experienced so much you are both probably physically and mentally exhausted, you might take a couple of days to return to normal life before you fill in the details which we are all eager to see and hear.
Pleasant journey home.

[DG]

Rik

don't beat yourself up, or is it "knock yourself out" in modern parlance? This has been a fantastic account of your trip. Thank you , safe journey for you both.

Dave

[daan]

Safe journey back home, I guess when you're back in the UK the monkey's are out of your computer..

[River Lin]

Safe journey home.
D.

[Soar Valley Light]

Hard to believe it is all over so quickly, you have experienced so much you are both probably physically and mentally exhausted, you might take a couple of days to return to normal life before you fill in the details which we are all eager to see and hear.
Pleasant journey home.

Hi Rik,

Everyones comments in the last couple of days sum up the things I'd say myself, Peter's quote is probably the most apposite. Uploading once your home may also remind you of previously untold experiences. I'm sure we are all on the edge of our seats to see the photo's and hear some more of your adventure. It's been absolutely fantastic so far!

All the bets,

Andrew

[ge_rik]

Thanks folks

Now safely home and made a start on trying to collate the photos from all the various bits of technology.

Curiously, although I had a couple of mild doses of Delhi Belly whilst in India, my body decided that today, now I'm safely home, it would do the full-blown version, so I've been a little incapacitated today (fill in your own details). Frustratingly, although James and I ate exactly the same food on the journey home - he's been as right as rain today.

Will try to make a bit of sense of the hundreds of photos and video clips and put something together in retrospect.

Rik
PS - Just been back and inserted the photos of the journey up to Darjeeling which I was struggling with while I was there. Hopefully the text will now make a bit more sense - https://gardenrails.org/forum/viewtopic ... 50#p135111

[Peter Butler]

Good news that you are both home safely and in reasonable working order. That was some journey and one which will keep us enthralled for some time to come.
Just feed us any details you have as it will be alien to the vast majority on the Forum. Anything you have to say or show will be enlightening.

[ge_rik]

Darjeeling 1
The day after our arrival in Darjeeling, our host, Rapden, took us on a walking tour of the town. A couple of doors from his cottage was one of many Buddhist temples. I'm not familiar with Buddhism (or any religion come to that), but the ornate decoration and quality of the murals inside was mind numbing. And this was just a small temple tucked away in a tiny community.

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A couple of doors away from the temple, one of Rapden's neighbours brewed her own rice wine, called chang. Even though it was only 10.30am, it would have been impolite to refuse a sample. Unlike the rest of India, the majority of Darjeeling inhabitants are Ghorkas (brought to defend the frontier by the British). They eat meat (particularly beef) and are not averse to a glass or two of alcohol - so we found out.

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Rapden's cottage (or homestead) is on the reverse of the ridge from the main town and so is relatively quiet. Our walk took us around the edge of the ridge to Ghum - also spelt and pronounced Ghoom). This was the station we should have got off the train instead of going on another four miles to Darjeeling town the night before.

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There's a small museum devoted to the DHR on the top floor of the station building and, somehow, Rapden persuaded the station master to open it up for us. In the yard was a lovely little Sharp Stewart loco! (I do not need any more locos on the PLR...... do I?).

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We then popped into Rapden's favourite eating place where they served a local delicacy - taipo - basically a large suet dumpling stuffed with beef and accompanied by a thin beef broth. We encountered a few of these places on our travels. James liked to refer to them as 'places with no name'. There is no outward manifestation that they are places to eat (or drink) but, of course, the locals know where they are.

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After popping into another ornate temple ......

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...... we encountered the Batasia Loop - one of the three remaining spirals on the DHR. We were just in time to see one of the steam locos and train traverse the loop. Short steam excursions from Darjeeling to Ghum (4 miles x 2) via the loop are run three times a day for tourists. The cost of the excursion is not far short of a single ticket on the entire 55 miles.

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A little while later a 'normal' train followed on.

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We then visited another monastery which was nowhere near as elaborately decorated and a bit drab. However, it's the one hotels send tourists to (for a ridiculous price) as it is the closest to town and there is somewhere to park. In the yard, some of the novice monks were playing marbles. They were impressively skilled at flicking their own and others' marbles into small potholes.

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We then hopped into a jeep taxi (again, only the locals know which jeeps are taxis) which took us into the main town and to the station.

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There was plenty of shunting going on (as you know, I love shunting operations)......

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....while across the road three of the steam locos were in steam, presumably awaiting their turn to haul an excursion.

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I suppose, because they are in use every day, the locos were not in the sort of condition which we have come to expect on our preserved railways.

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Then on to a tea plantation and tea factory tour. By now the skies had cleared and the sun was shining. Apparently, the weather in Darjeeling changes every ten minutes or so.

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I must admit to previously knowing very little about how tea is produced. Amazing how white, green and black teas are made from the same leaf by simply leaving the rolled leaves to oxidise for varying lengths of time (ie spreading on a slab and letting air pass over it for an hour or so).

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Then another 'place with no name' for an egg-bun (omelet in a bun - inevitably with chillis).

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We then strolled up into the main town where we boarded another taxi to take us back to Rapden's community and yet another place with no name, where another of Rapden's neighbours distilled a rice-based spirit called Roxy. Quite powerful stuff - we had to have two glasses to fully appreciate the taste.
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The following morning we caught the sun rise - out there behind the clouds are the Himalyas. We never did see them while we were there!

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Rik