I had finally ended dealing with yet another maddening week at work and the work fatigue had already taken a stroll over me for sometime now. With the extended weekend just around the corner, a short relaxing trip seemed like a perfect idea to unleash my mind of all the stress. Darjeeling, a popular tourist destination in the Indian state of West Bengal was my pick this time. Although, unfortunately so, my girlfriend, Natalia, having some prior engagements could not accompany me but this did not deter me as I needed a vacation the most at that moment.

I got ready to wander all by myself among the lovely hills and so, Darjeeling here I come! As I stepped on the land of the town, it seemed to have a bewitching appeal, with a breath taking vision of the snowy white and green hills bathed in glory. The waterfalls and the beautiful tea gardens adorn the alluring little hill town of Darjeeling. Having reached Darjeeling early in the morning, I checked-in my hotel, Mayfair Darjeeling; quite a decent one and pretty much what I had expected after seeing the pictures online.

Lazy as I am and more so when vacationing, as for starters, I decided to breathe real easy and take a tour of the World renowned, Toy Train. Named so for its toy like diminutive built, Toy Train is a wonder ride, which takes you around among the scenic snow clad hills and the view of the Kanchenjunga is simply superb and awe-inspiring. Next in line for me was a peaceful ‘birds and butterfly’ tour, which covered the best possible areas for bird watching like Lava, Neora Valley National Park, Darjeeling, Tiger Hill, Sandakphu, Singalila National Park and others. It is most fascinating to quietly observe the strange little movements and activities of the various varieties of birds and butterflies from a close view. In the evening, it was time to taste the speciality of the town, the popular Darjeeling tea and go for some shopping, to make sure I don’t miss out on the women time, even in Natalia’s absence. A nice fulfilling evening was spent at the Chowrasta & Mall, a very lively walkway right in the centre of the Mall Road. It is full of bright and chirpy shops, restaurants and crowded with people, wherein I began my time sipping a divine cup of tea, shopping at the many small shops spread across the area and so, it marked the end of my lively day.

Next morning, waking up all energised in the fresh air of the green hill town, I decided on an active and enthralling day for me. I headed to adventure with some activities like trekking and water rafting and was quite content with the fast pace of my day. From then on, my trip picked up momentum and I pushed myself to cover all I could visit, see and experience in Darjeeling. In the remaining three days of my stay, I managed to embrace every corner of the entrancing town I was opportune to be in. I experienced sheer bliss in the high peaks at Tiger hills, marvelled at an amazing creation like Batasia Loop, prayed at the Peace Pagoda, encountered some wildlife at the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park and some flora at the Lloyds Botanical Garden. Although, there is still a lot more left to admire and enjoy in Darjeeling, I did get a good share. Though, I didn’t have my fill of the place, anyone possibly couldn’t, I bid adieu with a hope to cross paths again soon enough with the stimulating contour of the place.