Our first stop after our epic five-night trek was the hill town of Kalimpong. Kalimpong was once a busy Indo-Tibetan trade town. Today, its economy is more driven by tourism. Our homestay offered a sweeping view of the city, although haze often blurred out the details. We welcomed the lower altitude and slightly warmer weather, though we still found ourselves wearing base layers, down jackets, and toques in our rooms during the early mornings and evenings. At least we had hot water, even if it was bucket showers only. The best part was we had good pillows and soft beds.
After a week of being more or less removed from the conveniences of society, we had a few tasks to complete on our first day in Kalimpong. I had developed a lung infection on the hike. Our host recommended I visit his daughter’s doctor.
We managed to find the office around 10:30am but I couldn’t get pencilled in for an appointment until 5pm, leaving us with several hours to wander the town since we didn’t want to walk back up the hill.
Our next task was getting Indian SIM cards. eSIMs have generally made getting cell service abroad much easier, but India has banned them. We had read multiple articles about how challenging it was to get a SIM without already having an Indian phone number, so when we found a tiny Airtel office that consisted of nothing more than a desk, two young women, and their cell phones, we were not getting our hopes up. To our surprise, they had us completely covered and worked at record speed to get us set up. This was a game changer, as we could now order tuk tuks through ride-share apps, saving us from countless negotiations and rip-offs as we would work our way through India.
We wandered away from the centre of town to explore the Mangal Dham Temple, a serene Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Krishna. The inside of the temple was decorated in white and pink with stunning detailed dioramas depicting Lord Krishna.
After the temple we found a café serving dosas, Stephanie’s favourite Indian food and tried to find a few other things to do but google maps kept giving us directions down streets that didn’t exist. We attempted to grab a drink at a fancy foreigners cafe but after being handed the menus we somehow became invisible to the staff. We weren’t disappointed though since everything was overpriced and all we really wanted was a comfortable place to sit. It is normal to assume you have been forgotten in the chaos of India, but it is rare that you actually are. In this case we had actually been forgotten. The staff didn’t say a thing or even register what had happened when we got up and walked out an hour later. Finally it was time for my doctor’s appointment. I hoped the service would be better than the cafe.
I was first on the list to be seen. Being first in line isn’t the same in India as it is in Canada. Queues often become more lateral. When you get to the front, someone will step right up alongside you, as if you are not even there, and attempt to get the attention of the person helping you. By the time the doctor arrived for the 5pm shift, five other people were waiting. They all came into the office with me and crowded around as my blood pressure was taken. They then crowded around again as I stepped on the scale, as though my weight might somehow be critical to their own diagnosis. They continued to crowd around while the doctor asked me general questions about my health and prescribed six different medications. I said goodbye to everyone and left with my loot bag of meds.
On our second full day, we took a taxi to the top of Deolo Hill to explore a local park. A short walk away, we found the Deolo Science Centre, where we spent a few hours taking in a virtual reality experience and checked out all the interactive science exhibits. We then explored the grounds which displayed numerous dinosaur models. We aren’t sure why Indian cities and towns seem to be really into dinosaurs, but it seems to be a passion of theirs.
On our third day, we set out in search of the Macfarlane Memorial Church but somehow could not manage to locate it. The thick haze hanging over Kalimpong did not help. We eventually gave up on google’s poor directions and made our way to the Durpin Monastery.
Built in the early 1970s under the guidance of Dalai Lama traditions, the monastery is especially revered because it houses sacred relics brought from Tibet, including rare manuscripts and ritual objects. It is known for its great view, but the haze made it hard for us to tell for ourselves. On our way out, a monk caught our attention and insisted we step into the monastery’s museum. We were surprised to be brought into a large room with a well-laid-out display of Tibetan artifacts.
For lunch, we took a break from Indian food and treated ourselves to waffle ice cream sandwiches at the Belgian Waffle Co. in celebration of Jon’s 39th birthday. Fueled by a sugar overload we made our way to Tongsa Gumba, one of Kalimpong’s oldest Buddhist monasteries, founded in the late 17th century during Bhutanese rule. The interior murals were mesmerizing with vibrant colours and intricate details.
After a full day of meandering around town, we returned to the homestay for a few birthday drinks. Steph and Jon enjoyed theirs, while I opted for a shot of cough syrup, followed by a home-cooked dinner prepared by our hosts. The next morning, we walked our bags to the bus station and boarded a crowded bus to New Jalpaiguri to catch our overnight train to Kolkata. We managed to grab three of the last seats at the very back.
The ride was anything but uneventful. As the bus pulled out of the city, it clipped a curb, sending everyone lurching forward. A man sitting in the aisle on a plastic stool went headfirst into a metal pole and spent the entire journey with people tending to his head wound. We reached the train station a few hours early, hopeful that the overnight train would be a little smoother than the bus.
