Travel in India

A few days after arriving in Agartala at the beginning of 1958 we left by the DC3 again for Gauhati on our way to Darjeeling. Gauhati was a mission station of the Aussie missionaries, so we stayed with them, and then caught the express train from the northern bank of the Brahmaputra River and travelled west overnight around the northern border of East Pakistan to the junction at Siliguri.  From there the narrow-gauge railway ran and still runs up the Himalayan foothills to Darjeeling, which is at 6000 feet. 

Later we would travel by the train, but this time we got tickets on a jeep (World War  II surplus) and arrived only a couple of days late for the beginning of the Bengali Language School run by the Bengal Christian Council. 

We returned to the Language School again the next year, and during the mid-term break six students joined a trek up to a point on the border of India and Nepal at 12,000 feet, where you could sometimes see Mt Everest. 



Sketch map of the region

We tramped through the villages of the south-eastern corner of what was then the independent state of Sikkim. We had porters to carry our heavy luggage, so it was not too strenuous. Accommodation was in what are known as “dak” bungalows, which are government operated hostels for civil servants on work journeys. 

Our route followed a river, along the hillside for a couple of days, until it was time to change direction and start uphill. We started very early and climbed through terraced paddy-fields on the hillside which were watered by irrigation systems made of half bamboos. 

Slowly we reached rain forest. After lunch we climbed through rhododendron forests in flower; red and orange, making the hillside a mist of colour. After the rhododendron we came to pine forests, and by late afternoon we were walking through tussock country. Eventually we walked through the dark along tracks in rocky ground with no large plants at all. This day we climbed 8000 feet in around 18 hours. 



Rough sketch map of the district around Darjeeling

Because of the heavy climbing day, the next day was a rest day.  We woke early and covered the few steps to the border post in a few minutes. But the sky was foggy and there was no hope of seeing the mountains. 

Sunrise on Everest

The following morning the sky was clear, and as the sun rose we saw it hit the distant (120k) peaks of Everest and its neighbours. Much more spectacular however was the huge bulk of Kanchenjunga which was much closer to us, and every detail crystal clear. After an hour of photo-taking, the mists rose from the valleys and blotted out our views.

 

We reluctantly went back to the bungalow for breakfast and packed up our belongings to begin the trek home again. 

At the end of the Language School, we went for a fortnight’s holiday to Kalimpong, the nearest town in Sikkim to the Indian border. At that time, Sikkim was a separate country; now it is a state of India.  Kalimpong is about 1000 feet lower than Darjeeling, so there are green fields around it. We enjoyed wandering around the town and especially the market.