May 1 | Even Monks can be extravagant

On a strong recommendation from our hosts, we went to catch the sunrise at 5AM at the Mirik helipad, yes, Mirik does have a helipad. What made it the morning worse was that the shower did not have hot water and i had a cold shower at Mirik, at 5AM! All over the east of India, the sunrise happens substantially early and since i am from the west, it amused me that it was bright outside even at 5AM.

The helipad was right next to the Model Hotel that we had gone to yesterday; actually it’s a huge clearing and tarred circular area on the peak of the hill. Once again, the sky was heavily clouded and we ended up seeing nothing at all after having been there for over an hour. But from what uncle told us, this is a beautiful view if the skies are clear. Returning back, we got some chai back at the lodge and headed for the ‘Bokar Ngedhon Choekhor Ling Institute’ which was essentially the monastery we had tried going to yesterday to get a place to stay. It’s a red building with golden roofs that make the building easy to identify from any distance. Inside it has the main prayer hall building that houses the body of the monk who first came to Mirik to establish this monastery. They open that room only on very auspicious days and today is not one. Apart from the main building there are classrooms and living quarters for the lamas, smaller temples, admin block and open areas. The main prayer hall is open for all to see and we witnessed the Morning Prayer with about sixty lamas sitting around on benches with a senior monk leading the prayers. Kids as young as four and five are enrolled here and can’t be blamed if they are not the most attentive lot i have known. Even here the back benchers are still the naughtiest. We also went to the living area, where the lamas lived a very simple life but the prayer hall was nothing less than opulent with intricate painting on walls, ceilings and pillars.

It was time to leave and this time to Darjeeling for sure without any more detours. We were hoping that the skies are clear and we can see all that we missed yesterday. In the start we passed by a few tea gardens, the biggest of them all was the Goodricke Gardens. On the way de decided to just take a stroll on in one of the gardens that did not have a fence. It was a good walk with greens around us.

Passing ‘Fatak’ we noticed many cabs around a particular junction, a little curiosity and decent eyes took us to the board that read ‘Photography Prohibited. Nepal Border’. For us it was just overwhelming to be at a border in such proximity. Curiosity and kiddish excitement made us get the bike and camera registered to enter Nepal. The only papers required are the vehicle RC papers and driving license, if you have these you are eligible to enter another country. But once we got ourselves registered at the India side, we were asked to go with a similar drill on the other side as well. These guys were more inquisitive about the bags, but we were in no mood to open them incase they ask us to, so we decided to retreat.

Another point on the way is where one can look across the Nepal border, but again, we could not see anything. But another interesting incident happened here; we met two other bikers, another Delhi-B’bay duo. One of the guys, Donny works with MTV and we even figured that we had a common friend. The world felt like such a small place and makes the ‘seven degrees of separation’ so much more believable. Donny was headed to Bhutan after a few other stops and promised to let us know the details, i’m sure we will catch up once back in B’bay.

Sukhia onwards the air was again fogged and we could not see anything beyond 10-15mtrs. A careful ride and we were at Ghoom from where it’s just 8kms to Darjeeling. Being the weekend, it was even more crowded and entering Darjeeling felt like entering a city except that the roads were all inclines. The traffic’s quite a mess and one needs to be patient because the roads a not wide enough to allow overtaking. It was about 4PM; we looked for the Tourist Lodge and parked ourselves here before heading out to grab a bite. Our guide book suggested a few places and we landed at ‘Glenary’s’ which is very close to Chowrasta. The place had three layers; the first floor was the restaurant, ground was the bakery and we could hear some good music coming from the basement which was the pub called ‘The Buzz’. The pub with its window opening into the Mall Road and decent interiors was a hangout for the local musicians, there was no single band playing but people from the crowd would come up to play. It was a good evening.

For dinner we had booked ourselves at the ‘Windamere Hotel’. It had a common dining hall with a fixed menu. It was a beautiful setup with candle lit tables and extremely formal looking service, but we felt out of place, we were looking for a beer place with good food, but this was more like the place that one may want to come with his girlfriend. So we went scavenging the city and landed at Dekevas where we had steaming thukpas (noodle soup) which was mind blowing. After which we retreated back to our room and crashed.

Morals: There will always be places to visit and sometime they would be best only with a clear sky, but just because its overcast don’t miss the place because you don’t when the sky clears or you find something else that is as interesting. Randomly go for a walk in any tea garden, it’s a little hot but worth it. Always carry personal identification and vehicle papers at all times, keep them handy. North-east has a great talent in music; always make it a point to visit the local pubs to catch the action. Most small towns shut by 8:30PM and so does Darjeeling, so plan well to make sure you have a meal for yourself.