Darjeeling to Dooars.

It's very early in the morning on our last night in India. Very early.  In an hour, at 0515,  we will set out in jeeps for the forest reserve to, hopefully, see the one horned rhino and maybe even an elephant.  Let's hope that we have better luck than with the tigers. 





We're actually not too far from Siliguri, in the Dooars region, but we got here by driving up and over a mountain and having a lovely sojourn in Darjeeling at the Windamere hotel. Coal fires in our rooms, white gloved waiters, afternoon tea and, a hot water bottle to make our beds toasty.  Heaven.




Some of us got up very early (there's a pattern here) to walk the short way to see the sunrise over the high Himalya and were rewarded by the snowy ridge of Kanchenjunga peeping out at us.  A few people did some yoga moves - including me, whilst local people were chanting their mantras.  


The driving has been magnificent and the old cars are causing a sensation wherever they go.




So today: rhinos, maybe an elephant, and then we will go through the Bhutanese arch and enter the magical, mystical Kingdom of Bhutan. 

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