Darjeeling is sprawling town, complete with British colonial relics and jaw dropping views of the nearby Himalayas. Looming above everything is the mighty Kanchenjunga, the world’s third highest peak at 8598m. Unfortunately the valley was shrowded in thick haze, so for the first four days I didn’t see much at all. However this didn’t bother me too much, as I was quite happy to wander slowly between Glenary’s teahouse and Fiesta on Chowrasta square and eat some simple foods to let my stomach recover. It was during these small jaunts I made a great discovery, that of the vegetable momo, a Tibetan delicacy similar to a steamed dumpling, with a touch of ginger inside. For the equivalent of 70 cents, it was possible to get a plate of ten, and not only did they taste fantastic, but they were just what my stomach needed. I met a few girls on the train up from Calcutta, and we went for a few short walks around town taking in a number of sites. The highlight of these was the Padmaja Naidu Himalayan zoological park, reputed to be the highest zoo in the world. I’ve always felt a little sad laying eyes upon animals confined in enclosures (even after reading Life of Pi), however this was probably the only chance I’d get to see some of the worlds most magnificent and beautiful animals that dwell at high altitudes. Snow leopards, Tibetan wolves, Yaks, Himalayan black bears, Siberian tigers and my favourite, the Red Panda! The zoo was clean and the animals were all up and about, and I was glad to learn that it is the only place in the world where snow leopards and Tibetan wolves have been bred in captivity. Within the zoos confines was the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute, home to the Everest museum. Inside were a number of biographies and artifacts used by the extraordinary people who’ve scaled the worlds tallest peak. Nearby was a memorial and the cremation site of Tenzing Norgay, the Nepali sherpa who accompanied Hillary on that first recorded climb to Everest’s summit. He spent most of his life in Darjeeling. Darjeeling is also home to a large Tibetan community, who’ve fled the repressive Chinese occupation in their homeland. The Tibetan Refugee Help Centre provides a temporary home and job for many refugees, and I felt a really warm and welcoming response from the people here when I visited. As friendly as the Bangladeshis were, I must admit I missed those shy friendly Asian smiles, and I spent about an hour at the centre, watching some of the refugees weave carpets and wool. A twenty minute walk away was the Bhutia Busty Gompa, a colourful Tibetan monastery. A very friendy monk gave us a short tour, and proudly pointed out the fact that he was the caretaker for the original copy of the Tibetan book of the Dead. It looked every one of its 1500 years! Not only is Darjeeling well know for it’s tea, but also its railway. It was completed in 1881 starting from Siliguri (about 8km from New Jalpaiguri) and terminating at Darjeeling. The sign there proudly boasted that it was the highest train station in the world. This isn’t any ordinary railway though as the tracks are just two and half feet wide, and the tiny steam engine (known as the ’Toy Train’) slowly meanders its way up through the pine forests and next to the shops with blooming rhodedendruns and Himalayan peaks in the background. Not wanting the full Siliguri to Darjeeling experience, which takes 9 hours, I opted for 3 hour return ’joy ride’ to the town of Ghoom, 11km away. It was a great experience, looking down the valley on one side and the shops and houses on the other, so close that I could have put my arm out the window and grabbed a banana! Despite the huge amount of steam pouring out of the engine, and the fact the local people must see this every day, we were still met with hundreds of waves and smiling faces. Late afternoon on day four, unfortunately coinciding with the departure of Rajiv and Sujatha, the haze cleared and I had my first glimpse of the massive vast valley below. It was quite a site. The following morning I woke myself at 4am to get a jeep out to Tiger Hill, a lookout point some 2585m above sea level. It supposedly gave an incredible view of the Himalayan horizon for over 250km, and given the departure of the haxe I thought it may have been the right morning to head up there. Unfortunately, things hadn’t changed. It was still clear, however the sky was very overcast and it wasn’t possible to see any of the Himalayan peaks. It was also freezing, and despite the fact the I have spent a lot many years in Nepal I was with could only complain about the cloudy skies, cold weather and his inability to acclimatise, I loved the view over Darjeeling and the valley below. For the rest of the day Darjeeling was clouded over and it rained. And rained. Again this didn’t bother me, as I was happy to drink copious amounts of tea at Glenary’s and finish my book. Later in the afternoon the rain stopped and the clouds parted, and from the roof of my hotel I witnessed a really beautiful sunset. I had a strange feeling that it would be clear the following morning so I stayed on another night. I set my alarm for 6am, but at 5:39am I heard a little knock at my door and a voice saying ’’Will, get up you can see the mountain!’’. It was Mrs Mathilda, the lovely owner of Andy’s guesthouse who made the place a home away from home for me. I quickly dressed and went to the rooftop and was utterly amazed at what I saw. It was almost crystal clear, with blue skies, and you could see the entire range, stretching over Sikkim and east as far as Bhutan. Kanchenjunga was incredible, with the suns first rays giving the eastern face a pink colour. As the sun rose the snow turned from pink top orange to yellow to bright white, and at that point I knew I was totally hooked on the region. All up I spent six full days in Darjeeling. Tha makes it the town I’ve spent the most time in when I’ve been travelling, just eclipsing the five and a half I spent in Nepal. I was feeling much healthier, and ready to leave the foothills and go a little higher in Sikkim!