Another cosy breakfast before walking to Happy Valley tea estate. We’d heard some mixed reports about it from the other hotel guests but it’s the only plantation within walking distance so we thought we’d give it a try. It’s low season at the moment so there aren’t many tourists around and it’s also not the tea picking season (which starts in March) so the plantation and processing factory were very quiet. After a steep walk through some tea fields we met a friendly guide at the factory gates who offered to take us around and talk us through the stages of tea processing. We learnt about the different types of tea and how they are sorted for different grades for leaf tea or teabags. the guide took us to his house in one of the villages on the plantation and we got to try some of the tea. Interesting that the loose tea is actually a better grade of tea than the stuff they use for teabags. The tea at Happy Valley is basically only sold in Harrods – none of it is sold in India – so not really likely we’ll buy any when we get back!
After getting lost in the backstreets we made our way back to the hotel and shared some cake with the other guests. More dhosas for lunch (at the Frank Ross cafe which seems to be the best of the cafes around here) and then we visited the market and book store. Books are so cheap here and the bookstores are amazingly well stocked – I bought “The White Tiger” in preparation for our 2 marathon train journeys next week.
We spent the rest of the afternoon back at the lodge, eating cake and watching the thunderstorms develop over the valley and avoiding the rain and wind. Power is very sporadic but everywhere is geared up with generators. We had to brave the outside once to make a dash to Frank Ross for dinner but otherwise stayed in all evening. There was also a large “Free Tibet” rally in the street (there is a large Tibetan population here). Hoping the weather will clear up for our Jeep trip to Gangtok tomorrow.
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