TeaLand

The previous four months in India had left us a little frazzled so what better way to recuperate than heading for a great cuppa tea in the heart of India's tea-land - Darjeeling. And what a pleasure it was to escape to this relatively calm town set in the hills not far from the Nepali border, offering the most incredible Himalayan backdrop!

View from a Buddhist monastery

Tea was often on the agenda...

...and this tea tasting session at Nathmulls was just the ticket!

Now, while tea was definitely a priority, Darjeeling is stunning, and a fantastic place to trek from. But we'd arrived in January, and while fortunate enough to have avoided snow, cloud would descend from 1 o'clock in the afternoon and temperatures were sub-zero when the sun went down.

Oh, and there was no heating...

But the sight of the world's third highest peak wouldn't deter us and we opted for a beginners 2 day / 1 night trek along the India / Nepal border. We chose the two most beutiful days for it!

This was genuinely the only piece of flat track on the first day

Need I say more? ;-)

Day 1 - Manbanjang to Tumling

Presenting the world's third highest peak...Mt. Kangchendzonga! (there are a few more of those pics to come!)

Oh yes, there is always time for tea. Everywhere!

Loser!

That hazy effect is not poor camera work, the kitchen was just full of smoke...

But the real reason for the treks is sunrise and the morning views

And we weren't disappointed

-9 overnight. Good job we had our hot-water bottles...

Mt. Kangchendzonga takes centre stage

Heading back for breakfast

They call this section of the range the Sleeping Buddah - head on the left, protruding tummy in the middle and his feet to the right

I have another 250 pictures of the mountains if anyone's interested!

I had no problem making friends!

Stumbled across this stunning Buddhist monastery

And of course I couldn't leave without enjoying one last cuppa with a great view!