A Dream Fulfilled: Karn's Thrillophilia Trip Review of Darjeeling and Gangtok
During my childhood days, I had always noticed that my mother was always caught up with some responsibilities. Even as a child, I always dreamt of being in a place in life, where I could just take her for a vacation.
It was the day that I could finally do it. I had seen her watch travel documentaries about Darjeeling and Gangtok on TV, and that's exactly where I wanted to take her.
While checking out a couple of travel agencies online, I came across Thrillophilia. Since I had not heard of it before, I went through the customer reviews and found them to be outstanding. I was particularly impressed by how their team carefully catered to all of my queries related to the trip. They made sure that there were no exhausting activities or tours included, as I would be travelling with my mother.
In no time, we had our bags packed and it couldn't get any better. I watched my mother smile throughout our way to Darjeeling - what more could I have asked for?
Land of the Thunderbolt
As we entered Darjeeling, our driver told us that 'Darjeeling' meant 'Land of the Thunderbolt' - with ’ Dorje’ translating to thunderbolt and 'ling' meaning 'land' in Tibetan.
The trip had just begun and just by getting to know such insights, I had a feeling that it was going to be a memorable one. It's not every day that you get a driver who knows such historical facts about a place.
We spent our first day in Darjeeling at leisure and explored the nearby market area. While mom had a great time browsing through woolen scarves, and traditional jewelry, I was truly impressed by the Darjeeling Cham masks being sold by local vendors. She bought some beautiful scarves for herself and I got myself 2 masks and a thangka (traditional scroll painting).
The next day, we enjoyed visiting the most popular places in the city on a sightseeing tour. Early in the morning, our guide took us to the top of Tiger Hill, where we got a chance to admire a beautiful sunrise. I always found sunrise to be a very special time, but viewing it from the top of Mount Kanchenjunga was something that'll forever stay etched in my memory.
Later we headed out in the city with our guide to visit the Ghoom Monastery.
"Look at the statue of Maitreya Buddha...must be at least 15 feet high," my mom spoke in amazement. Another spiritual site that we visited that day was the Japanese Temple. I could even hear some of the Buddhist monks chanting 'Nam-Myoho-Renge-Kyo’. The peaceful ambience of the place was such that I could spend an entire day at a stretch.
Through Binoculars and Beyond
Gangtok - it was a place that my mother and I loved visiting the most during our trip. It wasn't just the places that we visited in the city, but also the ride that we took to reach that was stunning.
The first place that we visited on our Gangtok sightseeing tour was Tashi Viewpoint.
"The views are unreal...look at those pretty hills and valleys," my mother remarked, pointing at the scenery. I could even spot the majestic Mount Kanchenjunga and Siniolchu at a distance.
Looking at us in awe, our guide handed us a pair of binoculars. Through the binoculars, we could also take a look at Phodong and Labrang Monasteries, and also some of the exotic birds. Later, we visited a nearby cafe, where we enjoyed some delicious snacks with a hot cup of tea while taking in the views around us.
Next, we got to see some of the most popular waterfalls in the region including Ban Jhakri, and Lhasa. My mother had not seen a waterfall before, and it was pure bliss to watch her gaze at the beauty of the cascading waters.
"Sir, there's another place that I'm sure you'd go head over heels for!" our guide said in excitement, as he took us to the Flower Exhibition Center. We were truly stunned to see more than 4,000 varieties of blooming flowers including Orchids, Rhododendrons, and more.
"I've never seen so many flowers together before," my mother said while taking in the beauty of the flowers showcased in the greenhouse.
A Journey to Remember
It didn't take us long to understand the fact that Gangtok's beauty wasn't limited to the city itself.
Thrillophilia's experts knew this, and this is why they had included a day trip to places around the city in our itinerary.
Our day trip around Gangtok began with a visit to the Glaciated Lake called Tsomgo. "It isn't just a lake known for its natural beauty, but also for the spiritual significance that it holds among the locals," our guide informed us.
He also told us how the surface of the lake changes its hues with a change in seasons. Later, we also visited Baba Mandir, which was built in memory of Baba Harbhajan Singh, an Indian soldier, and offered prayers.
As our trip came to an end, I couldn't help but think about how happy I was to have experienced this trip with my mother. I also started getting a feeling that it wouldn't be long before the two of us would be exploring another destination again together...
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