In Inja's sunny clime where I used to spend my time...

Rudyard Kipling was obviously not thinking of Darjeeling in September when he wrote those immortal lines in his poem Gunga Din.

It's still raining in Darjeeling although we had a glimpse of the mountains this morning. We managed to do a half day tour and visited a numer of local attractions albeit they were still viewable in the rain and fog but the Himalayas still elude us.


We had to laugh at this sign at the Windemere Hotel where we sat and had a cup of Darjeeling tea in a hotel that was very exclusive during the days of the Raj. Ian and my presence considerably lowered the tone of the place!


Our hotel in Darjeeling. We are the 3rd floor left side, the best room in the hotel as it has views of the Himalayas... on a fine day of course!


A brief glimpse from our room at 6am this morning of the foothills of the Himalayas to the west of Darjeeling... perhaps 10 miles away and 10,000 feet high.


The Sunday bazaar in Darjeeling. People everywhere either looking at what's on sale or selling everything from baby powder to bananas ... at 6 cents a bunch!


The World Heritage listed Toy Train at the Batasia Loop at Ghoom. This small train chuggs its way beside the road from Darjeeling to Ghoom most days and the view of Kanchenjunga from here (on a clear day of course) is supposed to be spectacular.

It is dismal and gloomy again so maybe catch a few zzz's before dinner tonight at Glenary's. The altitude here makes your lungs work overtime and today's expedition up to the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute really worked us over. But (and this is for Liz and my cardiologist to note) I managed to walk to the top, about a 2 kilometre walk up steep roads, and also made it back down!


Beats the stress test on the walking machine and a better view but still bloody hard work. Ian is having a nap and is trying to avoid a cold and is popping pills like a valium housewife so I'll go and check on him and maybe have a nana nap myself.