DAY 170 - KURSELA

170) WEDNESDAY, 14 DECEMBER 1977 : 217KMS. - KURSELA

 

At approximately  10:00 p.m. last night,  a police officer came to knock at our campervan  and advised us to be careful of robbery as we parked in unsuitable remote dark area, if something happened  nobody would  be able to help.  Anyway,  since we had problem to start our campervan,  we insisted to park overnight  at the same place as we  were  not  afraid of robbery  because there were  cars passing  all night and  the tea plant was  just  across the road.

In the morning,  we were  invited to visit the tea factory, not a modern one and not so clean.  There were  piles of leaves on the ground  that might have been  trampled. There were many female workers on duty  selecting  tea leaves (picking up stems  out of tea leaves). 

Picking tea leaves - Photo : kalimpongnews.com / Bing images search

It was explained that tea  leaves that we saw were the top  leaves (Orange Peakoe). It is the top grade and tiny size of tea leaves which render the most tea flavor.  Secondary grade tea  and lower grade have larger leaves.  Tea leaves are  picked from only the top 1–2 inches (about 3 leaves)  of the mature plant. The smaller the leaf, the more expensive the tea.

Top tea leaves - Photo :  hopearoundindia.com / Google images search

   

Collected tea leaves are graded by the machine (a metal plate with holes the size of tea leaves, according to their needs) by letting them pass through grading holes down  to the large tray after curing. 

Tea grading - Photo : hojotea.com / Bing images search

After our visit to tea manufacture, we headed down to the south via KISHANGANJ, PURNIA, KURSELA. We saw tea plantations everywhere  along  the way (more than other vegetation).  There were  mango orchards that reminded me of  my auntie’s  orchard and her  Mango  candy.  There were also pineapple and cassava plantations.  We saw a stall selling teals (tied up together – alive), we asked to buy some to set  them  free but we could not communicate  to understand  and finally we did not buy one as we did not see a suitable location nearby to  leave them to survive.  I felt a bit guilty !

 

Tea hill  -  Photo : hojotea.com / Bing images search

Sadly ... on the way,  an unlucky  bird (bittern or egret) ran across the road in front of our campervan. I heard the loud thud, but we did not see any blood traces or a bird in nearby area.  So if this bird was not dead, it might be  badly  injured.

 

DAY 169 - SHILIGURI

169) TUESDAY, 13 DECEMBER 1977 : 72KMS. - SHILIGURI

 

It was about  05.30 a.m.,  I heard sound of  cars driving to the parking  area at the observatory as well as voices of people talking. I thought  the sky began to clear up.  So we got up and put on some warm clothes because the weather outside should be rather cold.  As soon as we  looked  to the west (correctly) I thought I was in a dream.

http://munichtomadras1977.blogspot.com

 
Because what we saw was totally different from yesterday. It turned out to be a golden mountain floating in the foreground, high up in the sky so beautiful that I could hardly explain how the  nature presented all the beauties.   Somehow, though it was not much light on the sky.  I could see clearly the white snow on the top of  MT. KANCHENJUNGA (8,586 m.) in SIKKIM and the Himalayas, visible on the horizon in contrast  with pale pink color and the blue of the sky  as well as fluffy clouds floating low in the valley below and  mountain ridges behind the foggy mass. It was very beautiful that  I could not find proper words to perfectly describe  such beauty. 

The Perfect Light Show - Photo : touristofdarjeeling.blogspot.com / Bing images search

 

Cold wind was blowing through periodically, I saw thick frost on the ground and grasses.  The temperature should  be as low as 0* C (it was measured only in 5* C in our campervan). As I looked to the east,  the sky gradually became red  and  we could see that  the remote villages had become more apparent. The sun emerged, floating from the red clouds  and projected the sunlight to the mountain ranges to become red-orange color,  especially the summit and then gently splashed to others in descending  areas. And gradually change from red to golden yellow with a shadow of the ridge extends to cover the glacier near the summit.   They were gradually changed from red to golden color and yellow while the shadow of high mountain ranges covered the glacier in the nearby area and finally turned  to very bright white as the sun was rising high. Certainly, it was the most perfect light show on Earth! Perfectly  wonderful  !

MT. KANCHENJUNKA - Photo : wikipedia.org / Google images search

 



I was so relished and hypnotized by the beauty unfolded before my eyes that I almost forgot to take  photos.  I turned to look to the left of the MT. KANCHENJUNGA,  I saw MT. EVEREST  emerging only a little bit far away  behind the mountains in the foreground, almost invisible.
 
The natural light show ended up  when everything looks bright and clearly visible because of the sunlight. The fog in the valley, rising high gradually, turned into clouds.  It was time to get back into our campervan  to quickly boil water and  eggs and make  hot coffee as well as to warm up our campervan interior. Because it was  so cold outside  that I felt  my toes  were nearly  frozen  but  I was overwhelmed with a  spectacular light show  made me completely indifferent. 



 

DARJEELING Tea Farm - defence.pk / Bing images search

After breakfast, we drove from TIGER HILL through GHUM on the road to KALIMG, SIVOK along the mountain through the forest (lots of Teak), passing tea plantations and the river Tista (we stopped to clean ourselves).  We arrived SHIKIGURI and stopped. to overnight in front of the tea plantation.





 

DAY 168 - TIGER HILL

168) MONDAY, 12 DECEMBER 1977 : 10KMS. - TIGER HILL

 

We faced the problem to get our camper van started in the morning  although we let the van roll down the slope of the mountain.  We needed to seek  help of the military vehicle to tow it until Tilo could start the engine.  

 

Photo : tripwow.tripadviser.com / Google images search

We left DARJEELING  via GHUM to visit the Tiger Hill in order to view Mt. Kanchenjunga of the Himalayan and  Mt. Everest but the fog  was so thick that we could not see it as being in the high level of 2,660 m. and the air was cold.  Finally, we  agreed to park overnight  here  waiting for the sunrise  at dawn tomorrow.. Hopefully the sky will open and without thick clouds.

 

 

X. BACK TO INDIA: SUBCONTINENT OF DIVERSITY - FOLLOW HOLY TRACES OF THE LORD BUDDHA.

DAY 167 - DARJEELING

 
167) SUNDAY, 11 DECEMBER 1977 : 142KMS. - DARJEELING

 

We crossed the border town of NEPAL to reenter in INDIA without any complication for customs and our passports check.  I was afraid of facing the similar problem with fussy officers  like the first time when we passed through the country at the check point in AMRITSAR.  It turned out to be opposite, it was very convenient and took us less than half an hour.

http://munichtomadras1977.blogspot.com

 

We drove through  the area of endless tea plantations on both sides,  planted in the shade of large trees (I think that tea plantation does not require much direct sunlight).   After SHILIGURI , we arrived in Mahanadi Wildlife Sanctuary, which is the name of the river that flows through this national preserves. There are many varieties of flower  and tree looking lush and verdant.  I saw Yellow Cosmos–like flowers blooming all around.  

 

DARJEELING railway - Photo :  travel.futurebox.co.in /Google images search

There is a railroad track along the road we drove until we reached DARJEELING, I saw  tea plantation along hillsides  as well as tea production plants at intervals. 


 

Temple in DARJEELING - Photo : tripwow,tripadviser.com / Bing images search

DARJEELING in Tibetan language means "THE PLACE OF THE THUNDERBOLTS"  located at 2,130 m from sea level.  The temperature is  rather cold like countries in Europe as being  near the Himalayas in the surrounding of high mountains and peaks covered ceaselessly with snow. It is known worldwide for the finest tea leaves. Most of the people living here are Tibetan refugees, Nepalis  and Gurkhas,  There are also many Tibetan temples in the area.