Siliguri

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

A clear, gorgeous view of the Himalayas greeted us when woke up. We packed up (as we do everyday these days) and walked into town for breakfast. Most restaurants opened at 9:00, but one highly rated place called Baker's Cafe was open early. It was mostly American/European type options, so we opted for eggs on toast and honey French Toast. I also had an espresso. It was actually a real espresso. 

After breakfast, we headed back up the hill to the look out point. Unfortunately, the clouds had rolled back in so it was just as foggy as the day before. We also wanted to find a place called Golden Tips which sells tea and let's you try some. After searching down a few different streets, we eventually found it (actually, I was the one to find it for us, to be precise). 

We tried a few different teas. A white tea, oolong tea, first flush (the tea they harvest first), and second flush (a little stronger in taste). They were delicious.

Not wanting to drive down the scary, winding road in the dark again, we checked out of our hotel. Before the long drive, we ate lunch at a Tibetan place. It was highly rated and tasted good, but the food was greasy and I saw a couple bugs on the floor and wall. Not ideal. Then we walked over to grab a taxi— along with several other people. People were vying for the attention and rides of the few taxis that would pull up every few minutes, as more people would also arrive and try to get a ride. Walt was great. He caught the eye of a taxi who pulled up past the crowd, dropped off some people, and picked us up. We had only waited a couple of minutes. 

The jeep station was also pretty crowded— partly tourists and partly drivers trying to fill up their jeeps to full capacity. We prepaid for our own jeep (insisting on a jeep instead of a car because of the road) and started the five hour drive. 

This driver felt much safer. Along our drive, we did see several cars parked and people congregating near the steep drop-off on the side of the road. Our driver stopped as well, and we soon discovered that a truck with a tank had fallen off the road and was now down near the stream. We weren't sure of the driver survived. We weren't even sure how they were going to try and get him out. It was a sobering sight. Thankfully, the rest of the drive was uneventful. 

Our driver dropped us off near our hotel. For some reason, I had thought that our hotel was only going to be ok. It turned out to be one of the nicest. Once settled, we went back outside into the humid heat (which we were now becoming accustomed to) and walked about thirty minutes to a restaurant that had high reviews. 

Along the way, we passed several fruit stands, a tea bar, a lady ironing clothes in front of their laundry "store" (all of these were more like huts/shanties), and a few groups of men playing cards. People are always socializing with each other, cars are always honking, and vendors or taxis are constantly calling out to you. All of this happens while you try to navigate the streets— avoiding trash piles or dog/cow poop, avoiding dogs/cows, avoiding getting hit by the cars (they don't have sidewalks on many streets), and avoiding holes in the ground. Meanwhile, you are soaking in the various smells (some good and some bad) and vibrant colors and culture surrounding you. The streets of India are never dull. 

The food at the restaurant was a fusion of dishes and ethnicities. For example, our starter was tandoori momos. Delicious. From the moment we sat down to the moment we left the restaurant, we were fully attended to. The waiters and manager would make sure everything was good and stayed with us the entire meal. We had a good time talking to them— asking them questions and answering theirs. 

At the end of our meal, the manager gave us a tour of the bar below the restaurant and introduced us to the owner of the restaurant who happened to be eating there. He was extremely friendly and spoke the best English out of anyone we had encountered thus far. He was so friendly and interested in talking to us that he offered to make us a meal the following day. We had to catch a flight around noon, so even though his restaurant doesn't open in the mornings, he asked if we would like to come for breakfast. In fact, he had a meeting in the morning at our hotel and said he could even drive us over. It was such a generous offer and unique experience that we had to accept. It was almost too good to be true. 

After walking back, I was excited to have a nice hot shower in our nice hotel room. No such luck. Even Walt didn't have any luck.