Darjeeling Journeys

The journey from Mumbai to Darjeeling is all about waiting. Mumbai to Delhi, Delhi to Bagdogra and then finally Bagdogra to Darjeeling. If the weather is poor, then there’s more waiting to be had; landslides, traffic jams, waiting for transport are all part of the experience.

Twelve hours after having left Mumbai we finally made it to Bagdogra, a small army cantonment town at the foothills of the Himalayas. We decided to take a shortcut via Pankhabari which turned out to be the scenic route. We immediately hit a traffic jam outside of the town, all thanks to the presence of a stray Elephant which the villagers were trying to scare away by firing blanks.

Further out, as dusk approached, we had to stop to appreciate the chorus of crickets which emanated from the trees around us. I’d have liked to have stayed out in the woods to record some more but the driver called us back as he feared there’d be cobras lurking about.

Bengal had just been hit by Cyclone Aila and the clouds were heading up the hills. Our first few days were mostly spent in the hotel room playing cards and reading magazines left behind by tourists, most of them not in English, accompanied by the sounds of rain (if you’re listening on laptop speakers then you’re not going to be able to hear any thunder).

After a few hellish rain-soaked days, i woke up in the middle of the night to emptiness. The rain had finally stopped. The silence that accompanies the aftermath of a storm is intriguing, almost sinster. The howls of dogs in the distance punctuated the havoc it caused. Houses had been brought down by the landslides, and monkeys had come down from the hills, fleeing the carnage.

On our way back, we rescheduled one flight, missed the next and finally made it on the third after spending the night in Bagdogra accompanied by incredibly large pegs of alcohol (the smallest they served) and a delicious Bengali fish curry. A wide road runs through the town and carries heavy traffic through the night, and the cricket song was accompanied by the moans and groans of trucks and other heavy vehicles. At the end of this recording, a little lizard or gecko called out; its only the second time i’ve managed to capture one.

Equipment: Zoom H2

You can also see some pics i’ve uploaded here

© Ayush Ahuja