Darjeeling: Day 2!!

When the first day happens to be quite an amazing one, the expectations for a better next day are quite high! We all secretly wished that the next day turns out to be a great one but kept telling each other not to get the hopes up high, cause we didn’t want anyone to be disheartened. That’s what families are about, isn’t it?😍

Peace Pagoda

The first thing on the second day was Peace Pagoda. Just like you, even I wondered was a pagoda meant. Thanks to my smart phone, I could google it and find out. This is just one of the advantages of owning a smartphone! Don’t worry, the blog isnt about the perks of smartphones, this was just directed towards my parents so that they buy themselves one! Hehe. 😜😂 Anyway back to the place, basically, a Peace Pagoda is a Buddhist stupa; a monument to inspire peace, designed to provide a focus for people of all races and creeds, and to help unite them in their search for world peace. it was built under the guidance of Nichidatsu Fujii (1885–1985), a Buddhist monk from Japan and founder of the Nipponzan- Buddhist Order. The pagoda was designed by M. Ohka, and it took 36 months for constructing it. The height of the pagoda is 28.5 metres (94 ft) and diameter is 23 metres (75 ft). It was a very peaceful place with statues of Buddha constructed in the circular fashion covering the outer walls of the stupa. The view of the place was spectacular, the coniferous trees, clouds everywhere just uplifted our spirits. There is a japanese temple just walking distance from Peace pagoda, where you can sit and silently pray. I really like sitting in temples and praying cause that way I feel cleansed.😇

Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park was the next destination, which was at par with all the other places we had seen. Flora and fauna of varied species was a treat to the eye, and for someone who enjoys visiting zoos, this place should be on the itinerary. They were yaks, snow leopards, tigers to name a few. Personally, my brother and I aren’t fond of zoos cause we feel that animals and birds are meant to be free and not held captive. Though a pair of cute little red pandas resting on a tree outside the zoo made us smile!:)💜

Me trying to photobomb my bro’s selfie!!

We headed to Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, Darjeeling next. It was established on November 4, 1954 to encourage mountaineering as an organized sport in India. The first ascent of Mount Everest in 1953 by Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary sparked a keen interest in establishing mountaineering as a well-respected endeavour for people in the region which led to Jawaharlal Nehru establishing HMI in Darjeeling. Tenzing Norgay was the first director of field training for HMI. The place basically has a boasts of a huge museum wherein you can see who all have ascended Everest, K2 and Kachenjunga successfully, how they trained hard, what all they used at those heights, the newspaper cuttings, the letters written by them, their gear and what not. I was quite fascinated by how lack of technology back in the day didn’t deter them and the mountaineers worked with whatever they could manage. Unfortunately photography wasn’t allowed so I don’t have pictures to post here.:?

The last time when I went on a ropeway was 6 years ago, so the thought that we would be hopping on one made me quite excited. The ropeway in Darjeeling is spread over a distance of 3 kms. The journey on the ropeway offered beautiful views of the hills and the valleys around Darjeeling. The impeccable tea gardens, clouds, the hilly roads, I truly can’t put the experience into words as to how stunning it was. One has to be present there to enjoy the beauty of the place. By the time we were back, I could feel elephants pounding in my stomach and hogged on two plates of momos.🍲

Tenzing rock was the last place on the itinerary, it is a gigantic natural rock in Darjeeling is named after Tenzing Norgay, the man who created history by climbing the Everest first time along with Edmund Hillary in 1953. The right face is gentle and surface is easier for climbing whereas the left face of Tenzing rock will make shivers run down the spine. The steep and almost vertical rock comes up from far below and rises high above the road level. Tenzing Norgay himself used to practice climbing on this rock. Being the daredevil that I am, I held the rope and starting climbing but before I could climb up high, I was shot down by a native who said it is dangerous and shouldn’t be attempted without professional help.😈 Just like my dad, I’m all up for adventures, and that’s what worries him a little cause he knows I don’t get scared that easy!💁💪

I know I know Tenzing rock was the last on the list but can a girl’s trip be over without indulging in shopping! Hehe👗👜👚👢👠. In the middle of buying some souvenirs, it began to pour, my dad has something against shopping so the rain made it easier for him to discourage my mom and I but like I said, I’m always up for adventures, so here I was completely drenched alongwith my mom to bargain for some bells which, no points for guessing, got on my dad’s nerves. Hehe. What a day what an experience!😛

So this is how our second day ended, now we had to head to Gangtok the next day which I shall talk about in next blog!

New place and new adventures!!

Love,

Aakanksha😘