Well, we were last in northern India at the end of our marvellous Singhalia ridge trek. The trek wasn't the end of our holiday though and we spent a great few days exploring Darjeeling and the he historic kingdom of Sikkim.
As we need to move on to more recent adventures, we'll just give you some of the highlights of our second week.
In Darjeeling we enjoyed pre dinner pink gins at the Windermere Hotel, a real relic from colonial times. We were served by a waiter in the most amazing Indian costume which must have been quite an embarrassment to wear today.
Not being the most sophisticated bears, we didn't realise that a pink gin didn't include any tonic! We cracked after a couple of sips of the neat stuff and had to order some tonic.
In Darjeeling we also had an exciting visit to Himalayan Zoological Park and the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute; both share the same site.
Take our word for it, Yorkie and I are climbing on this rock face (Everest?) inspired by the words just above us - May you climb from Peak to Peak. Close by was the site where Tenzing Norgay was cremated and where his ashes remain.
The highlight of the zoo visit was seeing those red panda which had been so elusive on our trek.
There were quite a few of them and they weren't in hiding. They were truly beautiful and we were so pleased to see them at last.
In Sikkim we stayed in some marvellous hotels. Our favourite was this beautifully decorated family run hotel the Netuk House Hotel in Gangtok. Our male minder is in the doorway of our upper room with balcony.
We were welcomed with glasses of Sikkim cherry brandy (delicious) and also got to try the local millet beer which was served hot and drunk through a straw (not so delicious). We were also served a traditional Sikkimese meal which had some, interesting, elements.
We did a fair amount of temple visiting. Here Gio admires the artwork at the famous Rumtek monastery, founded in the !6th Century.
We also attended a full Buddhist service with lots of chanting, gongs, horns and cymbals. Sadly photos don't convey what a sensory experience was; we really needed a recording for you.
After a whistle-stop tour of Sikkim, we had the authentic experience of an Indian sleeper train journey. Much to our surprise we slept quite well and arrived in Calcutta in time for breakfast.
In the afternoon we had a guided tour of Calcutta and what a gem it is. It is a beautiful city with some lovely architecture, historic buildings and lots to see and do.
Go particularly enjoyed seeing the Victoria memorial. It was just down the road from the Calcutta cricket ground and race track. Sadly there was no racing on the day we were there.
We much preferred Calcutta to Delhi and would recommend a visit to anyone. We will be waxing lyrical in the relevant chapter of the Friendly Planet Guide. The only downside was that we it made for a long journey home to England as we had to fly to Delhi first before boarding our flight back to London.
We do like India and we're sure we'll be back.
Love George, Yorkie and Gio xxx
