Chowrasta and Darjeeling

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GUYS! NEXT BLOG POST WILL CONTAIN DARJEELING PART 2 VIDEO  AND    THE OTHER PLACES..LAST AND FINAL POST ON DARJEELING DO NOT MISS IT. NEXT DESTINATION IS GONNA BE BHUTAN AND KURSEONG.

CHOWRASTA:"THE PLACE" IN DARJEELING

CHOWRASTA= CHOW + RASTA = 4 ROADS (well that's my guess,but it sounds alike :) and there are 4 roads indeed)

Chowrasta is a very famous joint in Darjeeling.The Mall Road leads to Chowrasta.It's where the old meets young,the travelers meet tourists,city's most happening get together joint.In the morning and the evening there are horses with the gentlemen shouting "Ghursavari ghursavari" while I find it insane to just take a round on the horse in the crowded Chowrasta road.But for kids,its the best bet,specially when their parents do not want their kids to go far.Bache bhi khush bade bhi khush. :)

Chowrasta is surrounded by a horse stable,CCD, police station at one end,and Fiesta,Tea Museum,Liquor Shops,Antique shops at the other end.

WEATHER IN DARJEELING

The weather in Darjeeling in unpredictable.For all the days we stayed,it rained past afternoon almost everyday.Mornings were sunny(in fact its early morning in Darjeeling and late evenings),lunch time was moderate and cloudy,post lunch it would rain,and the night used to be cold.

Note: The three most important thing you will need in Darjeeling is the Umbrella,Shoes and a handy jacket.

Towards the end of Chowrasta is the tourist must visit places list.

TRAVEL AGENTS IN DARJEELING

The travel agents in Darjeeling offer different packages and they are commonly named as 3-point sightseeing,5-point sightseeing,7-point sightseeing etc etc.A 3-point sightseeing (Tiger Hill,Batasia loop and Ghum Monastry) would approximately cost around Rs 700/800  on a reserved vehicle booked a day or two in advance.If you reserve it at the spot the prices might go as high as Rs 1500.Since these places were way too far to be covered by foot,we opted for a shared vehicle(Rs 150/person for 3-point sightseeing).

DARJEELING START OF THE JOURNEY

NOTE: Except Mahakal Temple,Shruberry Park,CR Museum,Gym And The Church,all other places are either an uphill or downhill walk of 10-11kms.If you are with your friends,prefer walking the city as it is absolulety doable.But for elders,complete the destination in 2-3 days as the walk is scenic but quite exhaustive.And in few sectors,there are no vehicles plying without reservation,just in case you get tired and want to return back.

Though the people of Darjeeling are sweet,you can take a lift, in fact one gentlemen driver gave us a lift when he saw us walking at 3 am to the Tiger Hill Taxi Stand.

PLACES TO SEE IN CHOWRASTA VICINITY

1)Mahakal Temple: 8/10

Right at the corner of Chowrasta,just a little walk away is the Mahakal Temple situated at the hillock.You have to climb a few stairs to reach the temple.The temple is small,peaceful and in a way marvelous,we liked it because of the colorful flags in the temple premises.Worth a visit!

2)Church : 07/10

Right in the front of church is the map of Darjeeling.If you are interested in knowing where you are at the moment along with the places in Darjeeling,the map would be helpful.The church was beautiful but was closed on our day of visit and the subsequent days.The locals told us "Sunday ko khulta hai" ..

3)Shruberry Park : 6/10

Well,frankly the place is visiting in the morning wee hours,as the entry from 6-9 is free.The park is very well maintained and cool place for morning walks and jogs.

4)CR Museum: 5/10

Step Aside is the house where the great patriot and freedom fighter from Bengal Chittaranjan Das lived the last one month of his life. Also popularly known as Deshbandhu Museum.

5)Gymkhana

We didnt visit the place,but its very close to Chowrasta just in case.The guard told us "itti dur se ae ho,gym jaoge,vaese kuch haini ander" :P.You guessed it right,we skipped it.

This is quite an interesting site which contains information on Darjeeling with MAPS and description,just in case...

http://www.darjeeling-tourism.com/darj_000024.htm