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Willkommen in Darjeeling

Article: Welcome to Darjeeling

Welcome to Darjeeling

When you think of India, you inevitably think of curry, holy cows, yoga, the Taj Mahal and colorful garments. But India is one of the most diverse countries in the world. It has almost every climate zone and topography imaginable. The country is home to 1.4 billion people who speak 22 different languages ​​and is considered the largest democracy in the world. Even as the seventh largest country in the world, India is a true giant. The dimensions are hard to imagine: the distance between North India and South India, for example, is comparable to the distance between Canada and Mexico.

On my many trips to this wonderful country, I have been able to explore many nooks and crannies and have experienced some of my most beautiful and craziest travel adventures there. Two years ago, a round trip took me to Darjeeling, in the north-east of India on the border with Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan.

The journey itself was breathtaking. After a rough landing at the small military airport near Bagdogra, we drove up the mountain on narrow winding roads. The three-hour drive took me past small, colorful villages and emerald-green tea gardens, over waterfalls and through dizzying gorges. Then a sign on a building with the words >>Welcome to Darjeeling<< announced my arrival. I couldn't have sat in this car a minute longer. It's hard to imagine how difficult the journey must have been hundreds of years ago. My accommodation was a little above the city, so I was able to enjoy the great view of the city and the unfortunately still somewhat cloudy mountain panorama. There is a very special atmosphere here, as the city is 2,185m above sea level and borders the plateau of the Himalayas. When the weather is clear, you have a clear view of Kangchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world at 8,586 meters.

Darjeeling is world-famous for tea cultivation and almost every resident has something to do with tea, directly or indirectly. As a passionate tea drinker, it was clear that I had to see a tea garden up close. After a potholed drive over muddy mountain roads, we reached the main building of the tea farm. There we were greeted with a stylish afternoon tea. With a cup of freshly brewed "Orange Pekoe first flush" in my hand, I experienced my perfect moment of the trip. A spectacular panorama of the rolling hills of the tea garden opened up before me. An intense green that stretches to the horizon, almost vibrant and yet so calming that it almost has a meditative depth. A moment for eternity.

It is trips like these where I can't imagine using any other bag than one of my DRAKENSBERG bags. On this trip I had a duffel bag and my travel wallet with me. I love the duffel bag because you can fit so much in it and it is so wonderfully uncomplicated. The travel wallet from DRAKENSBERG helps me to keep things organized on my trips, at least where it really counts. And at home I also keep my passport and frequent flyer cards in this practical bag. Unfortunately, I get wanderlust every time I pick up the wallet.

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