Darjeeling has some very fascinating
places of interest. The Botanical
Gardens that contain a representative
collection of Himalayan plants, flower
and orchids. The hot houses are very
interesting. The Tibetan Refugee Self
Help Centre established in 1959 to help
rehabilitate Tibetan refugees who fled
from Tibet produces superb carpets,
woollens, wood carvings and leather
work. You could walk through the
workshops and observe the work in
progress. The weaving and dyeing shops
and the woodcarving shop are
particularly interesting and the
workers, very friendly - the women have
very beautiful and expressive features.
The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute
set up to train mountaineers, also has a
museum containing an interesting
collection of historic mountaineering
equipment, specimens of Himalayan flora
and fauna and relief model of the
Himalayas. An early morning drive to
Tiger Hill for a breathtaking dawn view
over Kanchanjunga and other eastern
Himalayan peaks is a fantastic
experience. On your way back you may
visit the Ghoom monastery, which is the
oldest and the most famous monastery in
Darjeeling. It enshrines an image of the
Maitreya Buddha (the coming Buddha).
Another must in Darjeeling is a visit to
the Happy Valley Tea garden. Here tea is
still produced by the ' orthodox' method
as opposed to the 'curling, tearing and
crushing' (CTC) method adopted in the
plains. The process is a fascinating one
to observe with possibilities of lots of
good pictures. Darjeeling offers plenty
of options for walking. Of special
mention is the circular walk around the
Observatory Hill for breathtaking scenes
of natural beauty of the Himalayas and
the city below. The shopping options of
Darjeeling are revealed once you visit
some of the curio shops along Nehru
Road. All things Himalayan are sold
here-'thankas' (paintings), brass
statues, religious objects, jewellery,
woodcarvings, woven fabrics, carpets
etc. However, bargaining is the order of
the day, so be prepare to jostle with
the shopkeepers.
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