THE MOST UNUSUAL SOLO TRIP- THE LANDING || PART 4

The Landing

I had finally reached Gangtok. It was a hell of a ride but I did. Gangtok was a beautiful place and a really disciplined one. I liked how people were so fond of following rules and maintaining the cleanliness of Gangtok. I remember one example of the same. I saw a guy who was not from Sikkim, eating a packet of chips and was on the other side of the road than where I was. He ate all the chips and threw the packet on the grass which was on the other side of the footpath. So basically you have a road, then a footpath on the edges and on the other edge of the footpath you have little grass. The dustbin was around 10-20 meters back to the direction of that guy. As soon as he threw the packet, the lady who was walking just behind him picked the packet and went back to the dustbin and threw the packet there. She did not even let that guy know about what she has done, not scolding him like what Anushka Sharma did and definitely not uploading it on social media like a publicity-hungry rat. That guy did not even come to know about this. How beautiful is watching all this? No wonder, Sikkim is recognized as the cleanest state in the whole of India.

Bagdogra to Siliguri

Since this blog is just about my experiences, hence I will not go into details what was there in Gangtok and how it looked but I will definitely write a post for the same. So, I left Gangtok two days later when I got the phone call from the Jet Airways Cashier that my bag has arrived. I went to the Bagdogra airport. The cashier handed me my bags and asked me to look at my wallet and other important stuff if it is present or not. Everything was searched. It was clearly visible. The position of each currency note was different than how I arrange them normally. They searched everything, either small or big. I took my bag and went to Siliguri again. This time I went by a manual-rickshaw. The rickshaw puller was a very old man. He must be more than 60 or 65 in age. He was either very old or looked very old. Till now I had got familiar with the concept of fooling a tourist so I asked the man, "How much till the taxi stand?" "Twenty," he said in Hindi but with a Bengali accent. I said "Thirty??" He said, "No, twenty. I won't cheat you. Don't worry. You are like my son. Come on it will be twenty rupees." I hopped on the rickshaw. Every vein in his arms and legs was visible as he pulled the rickshaw with the full force. He did not understand Hindi that much. I asked him, "How far is taxi stand?". "Yes, I will drop you to the taxi stand." "No no,  how far is it?" "Yes". I said "Okay". He was struggling with his Hindi. He dropped me to the taxi stand and had waved to 4 people along the way. Guess he was quite popular in that area.

On the way to Darjeeling

Siliguri To Darjeeling

I got on the taxi to Darjeeling. It was a shared cab, again Bolero. I met a man in the cab. His name was Bikas. I said, "Okay, Vikas" and he said, "No, Bikas". He was 43 as he told me. He was a short and skinny man with all his hair dipped in oil and stroked backwards by a comb. He claimed to be in Indian army. We talked for almost 2 hours in the cab. He told me the history of Darjeeling and how Gorkha fought in it. He told me about every point that came along the way. Look this is the toy train, the engine is this, coal is brought from there and whatnot. He even told me the price rate from every station. Look Parineeta was shot here.  As the journey came to an end, he invited me to his home. I said to him that I already booked a hotel. He insisted to come to his house whenever I visit Darjeeling next time. I happily nodded. He told me he works at the Himalayan Rock Institute and is the trainer for rock climbing where Tenzing Norgay used to practice. He asked me to visit him the next day. I called him the next day and asked him to meet at Happy Valley Tea garden. We met and talked again for two hours. We drank tea together at two different stalls. He wanted to introduce his family to me but I couldn't go to his home because of time restraints. I promised him to visit him next time I am in Darjeeling.

I met a few other people who accompanied me for around one hour each. I met a cab driver whose whole life revolved around marriage and relationships. He was a very kind-hearted person or open-hearted I must say. He commented on every couple he saw and a new comment every time. He and I talked for one hour while visiting 2 places. "You see this young couple? They must be just 15 but I can guarantee that when we will be returning from the same road, they will be here. I am telling you they are waiting for the sunset till it's dark". He insisted me to come to his family restaurant and try beef. I denied as I did not had that much time. I bade him goodbye. 

Happy Valley Tea Garden, Darjeeling

I met a teacher/professor who was very kind. He opened his mouth about only 30% while talking. He had a brown muffler coiled around his neck and was wearing a black blazer with black trouser.  He and I talked about engineering and different scopes for an engineer after graduation and their different aspects. He was very intelligent and quite popular in that area too. He talked to almost around 10 persons while covering around 2 km with me on foot.  I really mean talking and not waving.

Except two places, I visited every place on foot. I wanted to. What type of travelling are you doing if you are just sitting inside a cab?

Darjeeling from a tea stall

 I noticed how rarely any person had his earphones plugged in. This is an indication of how open people are towards talking and listening. I visited Mumbai last year where you will rarely see anyone without the earphones. In Darjeeling instead of listening to songs, they prefer listening to the people and make new friends like Bikas. I talked to many people and got along with them. I sat and observed their lifestyle and how they live at Chowrasta. It would have been impossible for me to do these things while being just inside a cab and roaming here and there like a president. Next morning at 3 am I visited Tiger Hill to see Mount Everest and then returned home.

It was hell of a solo trip. It was something I cannot forget and hence I took you along with me on this journey. I will never forget the taxi driver, that professor, that cab driver, that rock climbing instructor. They made my journey from being a dull and stressed trip to a happy and exciting journey.  I will never forget them and I hope I narrated in such a way that maybe you won't forget them either.

Thank You