2 December Kalimpong to Delhi

Early start this morning but not difficult to wake up as there were doves in our ceiling making whoopee. We left at 6 am as we had to catch our flight at 10:40 and the roads are so unreliable. This was our last chance to see the Himalayas from our hotel, but they didn't oblige.

This is the view that never revealed itself to us.  Katchenjunga and Darjeeling.

Saw many troops of monkeys sunning themselves and grooming each other. The golden glow of the early morning sun gave them a halo of gold. It was so amusing seeing them sitting on a rock, overlooking the river and often mum and baby sitting side by side on a rock.

The Teesta eventually runs into the Brahmaputra and when we came down onto the plains it was suddenly at least a kilometre wide. It finally ends up in the Bay of Bengal.

We asked about the trucks we had seen with bunches of leaves stuffed into the bumper bar, front and back. This indicates the truck is broken down. I also asked what would be the best way to get from the airport up the mountain if travelling independently and the answer was to take a taxi which should cost 3000 rupees to Darjeeling (about $50 at current exchange rate)

We passed the Coronation Bridge built to commemorate King George VI's coronation. This is the bridge to Bhutan which is about a 3 hour drive away.

The road today seemed in better condition although there were still some serious sinking areas with sharp stones. Kush said he goes through a set of tyres in 8 months – in that time he wouldn't do many kilometres at all.

Once on the plains we drove on an 80 kph road through the Mohendra wildlife sanctuary so Kush actually got into 5^th gear. At night there are often elephants on the road and sadly 4 or 5 elephants are hit by trains each year and killed.

This time we drove through Siliguri which is fast becoming a major city. Here there are many furniture makers on the roadside making intricately carved furniture out of teak. In Siliguri we passed the road to Nepal which is only 1 hour away.

We farewelled Kiran and Kush at the airport with a tip of 1000 rups each and a glowing Feedback Form. The airport check in was effortless as it is such a small airport although for some reason my handbag set off an alert so I had to take out all batteries and electronics and it scanned clear the second time. We were picked up at the airport and taken to the Sisley Hotel in Delhi where the first thing we did was have a “hottish” shower to wash our hair. We put our laundry in as we had two nights in Delhi and then met with the tour group at 6 pm. Steve is the token male or, if you like, he has a sizeable harem.  Dinner at the Pind Baluchi in Gupta Road, Old Delhi, was very good. Our Biriani was served in an earthenware pot.

Must mention the Royal Enfield bikes which are still being made in India but which are being replaced by Japanese models.  Here's one we found in Kalimpong.  I don't know about you, but I think it's got style.

Here are also some signs we saw in Kalimpong.