Yes .... My Darjeeling :)

Being a Calcuttian ( excuse me please .... i refuse to call myself a Kolkattian )  it was always  we always had near excess to this Queen of Hillstations.   ANy puja holidays or other holidays when we wewre not dragged to Mumbai with my mom (  she is a Bombay girl )  we were off to Darjeeling and visited all the delightful little valleys and smaller hill stations around from there.

My most favourite was Mirik....... that  time there was hardly any tourists visiting Mirik , for you see it had not developed into a full time tourist spot.   This was also introduced to us by our Jonga driver whom we always consulted to take us to far flung new places and he would readily oblige.

One summer whilst in Darjeeling he told me.... Madam this time we are going up to Mirik and i am sure you are going to thank me for it...... "
So early the next morning we piled into the little Maruti van ..... (yes that was when the maruti van was first introduced )   and up the winding  twisted rough roads we travelled ........ My god i still have no words to discribe that heavenly scene ......... it was like we had entered the kingdom of heaven .... and we would soon hear the angels sing :) .
Calm, Misty, Cool soft breeze  carressed my face , cause i was literary hanging out of the window , just did not want to miss anything out..
He stopped the van at a spot and asked us to get down and take photos if we so wanted.   Swirls of soft puffy  clouds engulfed us . Even NOW whilst typing i am just about experiencing that moment.......... they always said the first impression  always leaves behind lasting memories........... true. !!
From there he took us to the lake for a boat ride...........  : and quiet flowed the waters the only noise was that of the  row paddle on the lake. We were like wide eyed and in a world of our own ..... my kids were quiet young then .... boisterous lot....... THEY too were silent and dreamy and my daughter said ... " Mom, is this the heaven that you always talk of "?
I just smiled and gathered her to me and whispered softly ... " yes , just a Preview of it, my child"

later as we were coming down from this blissfull place i thanked my driver and he said wait M'am a little surprise for you ..... 
and he took us to his home up in the moutains where his wife and family had laid out a smal table with lovely china bowls and cutlery and we were served good authentic chinese food.
I had tears in my eyes ....... such love , such hospitality ,
Our trip was worth every paise that i gave him .   Though one should never compare in money the love that we were dished out.  :)
Can i ever ever forget this !!!!  Even Switerland and Jungfrau cannot hold a Torch to this memory i treasure.

OMG........... !!!!!!! i got lost again in this beautiful little town  called Mirik
So friends if you ever get a chance do visit this place , must be commercialized now , but the charm of this remote hillstation will still be there. i am sure of it.
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