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Darjeeling is the legendary British hill station perched in the foothills of the Himalayas. Located in the northern extreme of the Indian state of West Bengal, Darjeeling is just east of Nepal, just south of Sikkim, and a bit west and south of Bhutan. It is most famous for its once magnificent tea estates. Despite a steady and inexorable decline since independence, roughly a half century ago, these estates still produce a substantial portion of the world's tea.  For rail enthusiasts, however, Darjeeling is better known for its "Toy Train." This famous narrow gauge steam railway plies its way from Siliguri in the plains below up to Ghoom and Darjeeling in the hills. (If you are interested in steam trains, be sure to visit my Trains Page for links to pictures of South African Steam.)During my travels in India in November 1995, I flew from Delhi to Bagdogra with the intention of spending ten or so hours on this arduous but spectacular rail journey. However, I met a couple from Derbyshire on the plane who were headed to a friend's timeshare in Ghoom, just five miles south of Darjeeling. They had a private car meeting them at the airport in Bagdogra to take them to Ghoom and they offered me a ride. After some deliberation, I decided to defer my original plan to arrive in Darjeeling via the Toy Train and I accepted their generous offer. It later turned out that this had been a lucky choice. I discovered, after I arrived in Darjeeling, that the railway track had been washed out somewhere between Siliguri and Kurseong and that train service between Siliguri and Darjeeling had been suspended indefinitely.  Even by car, it was a good two hour ride from Bagdogra to Ghoom. The road from Siliguri (which is only a few miles from the airport) switched back and forth as it slowly climbed to Kurseong. As we gained altitude, the air became progressively cooler. Tea plants carpeted the steep hillsides above and below the road.As we approached Kurseong, the traffic on the road began to increase. I started to notice something quite remarkable: more and more of the vehicles we passed were Land Rovers. Land Rovers are rare enough in most parts of the world but they are virtually unheard of in India. In fact, until recently, foreign cars of any make were almost never seen in India. That is changing some now as India becomes less isolationist in matters of international trade and foreign investment. However, these were not new Land Rovers. Quite the contrary, these were very old Land Rovers.  I am a serious Land Rover enthusiast. (If you are interested in Land Rovers, be sure to visit my Land Rover Page which is dedicated to my Defender 110.) It was not long before I began to wonder what strange force was responsible for this super abundance of Land Rovers on the road to Darjeeling. At first glance most of these Land Rovers appeared to be an unfamiliar silver color. I quickly realized that this was because they were devoid of paint, having been stripped down to their naked aluminum.At Kurseong the road joined the railway line. From there it was roughly fifteen miles into Ghoom. With each passing mile we passed more and still more Land Rovers. My new friends from Derbyshire dropped me at Ghoom by the railway station which sits right in the middle of the road. Ghoom is the highest point on the railway line. I went to find a taxi only to discover that the taxi that would carry me the short distance into Darjeeling was (surprise!) an ancient two door Land Rover. I was unable to determine the vehicle's age. However, the Land Rover emblem on the front of the vehicle indicated that it had been manufactured in Birmingham. I squeezed myself and my bag into the back with a dozen or so other passengers and off we went.  When we reached the railway station in Darjeeling, I jumped out of the taxi. Everywhere I looked I saw Land Rovers. Perhaps every fifth car was a Land Rover. Fully half of the taxis must have been Land Rovers. I took this as a very favorable omen. Moreover, the air was cool and clear. After the stifling heat and oppressive air pollution of Delhi this was a most welcome relief.The couple from Derbyshire had recommended that I book myself into the Windamere Hotel. This famous institution had first opened its doors as a hotel back in 1939 during the final years of the British Raj. In the preceding half century it had done service as a residence for bachelor tea farmers. Luck was with me once again and even though I had no advance booking, I managed to secure myself a room for the duration of my six day stay. The hotel itself was a series of airy buildings situated on the top of Observatory Hill. The majestic snow capped Himalayas dominated the horizon. The view was quite stunning!   During my stay at the Windamere I met many interesting travellers from throughout the English speaking world. Many were either beginning or ending treks through the Himalayas. Some, like me, had come to visit Darjeeling with less ambitious plans. In my many conversations, I encountered a few competing theories regarding the source of the many Land Rovers. The truth, it turns out, is that "virtually every tea garden in Assam, Dooars and Darjeeling used Land Rovers. As they became long in the tooth and were retired from service, they were picked up by taxi operators in Darjeeling for obvious reasons." (Thanks to one of my correspondents for this clarification of history.) And today, 40 or so years later, these machines are kept running by the ingenuity and pluck of their current owners plus, of course, a bit of that traditional Land Rover legacy for durability. Eating is always a chancy thing in India. I had already gotten quite sick at what is probably the second best hotel in Agra. So it was with some misgivings that I discovered that the Windamere was "American plan" only. The restuarant offered both Indian and English dishes at every meal. The Indian food was never hot (spicy) and the English food was invariably overcooked and quite heavy (which I am told is how it's supposed to be served). However the fresh vegetables were sterilised, the water was potable and the tea divine. One of the things I had already learned on this trip is that everything is relative; in India the Windamere was a treasure!
It turns out that I am not alone in this opinion. Ms. Mary Anne Morel of Alberta, Canada shared some similar stories of the Windamere with me and graciously passed along the accompanying photograph of Mrs. Tenduf-la at the Windamere in Darjeeling.Ken Pearce of the U.K. provided the following update in May 2001: " I was [in Darjeeling] last month, having made a return there after 50 years. I went to school in St Paul's which is on the hill towards Jalapahar overlooking Darjeeling. The Toy train is still running. It is now a World Heritage Site, so it's future looks assured. I stayed at the Windamere. It had not changed much since my youth! That was nice because I thought modern Darjeeling was appalling! My school was a welcome bit of continuity, too. You'll be pleased to know that Mrs Tendufla is still going strong, in her 96th year. She is at the hotel every morning where she oversees everything with a bright and critical eye. She is a remarkable lady." I do not usually travel with a camera. I find that a camera can often come between me and whatever place I am visiting. In general, I would rather trust to my memory to preserve the images of the places I visit. However, the Land Rovers of Darjeeling overcame my stubborn resistance to making a photographic record of my travels. On my second or third day in Darjeeling I went out and purchased a cheap camera to take some snaps of Darjeeling's Land Rovers for my Web site. What follows are some typical street scenes of Land Rovers in Darjeeling. I hope you enjoy some of these scenes are much as I do! For more information on Darjeeling, check out Zubin Medora's Darjeeling pages.         |
