ME WITH MY NIKON, IN DARJEELING

Sunday 30 September 2012

LUXURIOUS, ENIGMATIC and AROMATIC

Darjeeling Tea. As exotic and mysterious as the hills themselves. A tradition steeped in history and a mystique that is felt in every sip. Walk into the cloudy mountains and feel light hearted.

First planted in the early 1800s, the incomparable quality of Darjeeling Teas is the result of its locational climate, soil conditions, altitude and meticulous processing. About 10 million kilograms are grown every year, spread over 17,500 hectares of land. The tea has its own special aroma, that rare fragrance that fills the senses. Tea from Darjeeling has been savored by connoisseurs all over the world. Like all luxury brands Darjeeling Tea is aspired to, worldwide.

Celebrate existence, and with it the legends that make Darjeeling Tea the most coveted tea in the world. Let it overwhelm your senses.




DIVINE


 There is a rare charm in the taste of Darjeeling Tea which makes it irresistible. The fine wine of teas is ideally to be drunk from the finest porcelain. After all, these are the rarest and most prestigious of teas and are savoured worldwide. The delicate flavour of the tea can be savoured at its best sans milk and sugar. Tea is a work of art and needs a master hand to bring out its noblest qualities. Here are a few steadfast guidelines to follow in order to achieve the perfect cup.

Fill the kettle or teapot with freshly drawn cold water (it must contain oxygen in order to bring out the full flavour of the tea). We recommend using fresh water because the quality of your water will directly affect the taste of your tea. When the water is near boiling point, pour a little into the teapot, swirl around, and tip away. This leaves a hot, clean teapot.

Measure the tea carefully into the pot, allowing one rounded teaspoon or one teabag for each cup required. Many people prefer to use a tea ball or filter to keep the leaves from spreading throughout the teapot. Bring the water to a rolling boil. Do not allow it to boil too long, as it will boil away some of the flavour-releasing oxygen and result in a flat cup of tea.






EXPERT ADVISES :
Pour the water onto the leaves or tea bags. This saturates the tea allowing the flavor to release naturally. Do not pour the water and then add the tea, this will only result in a poor cup of tea.












Darjeeling Tea can be enjoyed not just for its taste but because it is truly good for you. Rich in anti-oxidants, this amazing tea strengthens your immune system. It courses through your veins and helps you unwind. Relaxing, mystical, magical.

Seasons are the dance of Darjeeling Tea. The dance begins in spring, waltzes through the summer and ends in autumn. That is the rhythm of the year on the gardens.




CHEERS !!

Friday 21 September 2012

TOUCHING THE SKY

THE TEA GARDENS 

 

The exquisite qualities of Darjeeling Tea manifest themselves distinctively during the growing season from March to November.
After a period of dormancy in the winter months, in March and April the bushes offer delicate new shoots, which provide a grey-green glazed leaf appearance, a light clear liquor, with fresh bright and lively character and a pleasant hint of mild astringency to the palate.
The infused leaf has a prominent lime greenish brightness and a floral scent. These are the ‘Spring’ teas.

Darjeeling tea cannot be grown or manufactured anywhere else in the world, similar to Champagne in that region of France.

A VIEW OF THE TEA GARDEN

Wednesday 12 September 2012

BARFI ALSO GOES DARJEELING !!     

Ranbir on the toy train

TOY TRAIN







 



 

 

 

 




 

 

 


Recently Anurag Basu shot for his upcoming flick Barfee starring Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra in Darjeeling. The locales include Tindharia, Bhotey Bustee, Hotel Windamere, Chowrasta and the Planters Club in Darjeeling.  A big budget film of this sort starring mega stars like Kapoor and Chopra will undoubtedly play an important role in boosting Darjeeling tourism.




For Kapoor, it appears that he fell in love with the place. “Darjeeling is an excellent place. I am loving it here” said Ranbir Kapoor in one of his interviews to a leading newspaper in India. The shooting in Darjeeling also gave the young heartthrob to gorge on Tibetan delicacies including Pork Momos, at a local restaurant “Kungas” in Darjeeling. (img source- reviews)
Well, Ranbir Kapoor isn’t the first one from the Kapoor khandaan to fall in love with ‘Queen of Hills’. Dadaji Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor  and dad Rishi Kapoor had shot in Darjeeling as well. Raj Kapoor’s Barsaat which portrayed the love stories of two couples – Raj- Nargis and Prem Nath- Nimmi was shot in the hills.

Tuesday 11 September 2012

TIGER HILL (The best sunrise experience)



WELCOME

TO    

DARJEELING !!








Darjeeling is in a small city in West Bengal,INDIA

TIGER HILL
Ideal to visit early morning when the first rays of the sun kiss the Mt Kanchenjunga and give it a golden color. To visit the hill, one needs to get up at 3AM in the morning. You can taste some excellent tea on your way to the hill, which will provide much needed warmth on cold Darjeeling mornings. When getting into a taxi at 4AM keep in mind that they are shared taxis and your driver might wait around in vain for others to join your taxi causing you to miss the sunrise! Those travelling alone or as a couple might want to squeeze into an already occupied jeep to insure full viewing pleasure. Though it has executive lounge (Rs.40/- per person) and special lounge (Rs.30/- per person), nothing beats having view from open area as you can have a full paranomic view from outside avoiding crowd in the lounge. The early you can reach, the best place you can find to stand inside or outside the observatory tower. If you are late, you may find standing behind many people and a lot obstructions to feel the sunrise and magic lighting on Mt. Kanchengunga. You may also need to walk a lot to reach there via a stiff ascendent road.




This small hill station is a dream place to visit and is a must to see before you say goodbye !
with temperature of a min of 8.9 and max of 14.9 deg Celsius.
the fauna found in Darjeeling includes several species of ducks, and gulls that pass Darjeeling while migrating to and from Tibet Small mammals found in the region include civets, mongooses and badgers.


THE CABLE CAR


For foreign tourists, the main attractions are the cultural diversity (many Tibetan refugees moved here after Tibet was annexed by China and they co-exist with the descendants of the many Nepali and Bihari laborers brought to work in the tea plantations), the beautiful views (including the wonderful vista view of Kanchenjunga), a variety of trekking options, and the opportunity to cool down after a stint in the plains. The town is also a jumping off point for travelers heading to Sikkim.




THE VAST TEA GARDENS


GET IN..

By plane 

The nearest airport is Bagdogra, near Siliguri, 96 km from Darjeeling. 




Toy Train of Darjeeling

By train

New Jalpaiguri near Siliguri is the nearest station on the main inter-city line. Direct trains to NJP run from Delhi (approx 27 hours) several times a day. If you are traveling from Kolkata (Sealdah Station) the best train for you will be Darjeeling Mail (circa 12 hours) running nightly at 10:05PM.


WANT TO NJOY!!