My pictures with their little stories

Train to NJP from Darjeeling has a short halt at Ghum railway station Since we had barely made it to Darjeeling station in time to board this train to New Jalpaiguri , the brief halt at Ghum allowed us to pick up something to eat and have chai. ( Ghum, April 2017 ) See other pictures and blog posts related to Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

Shoving coal into the boiler of the steam locomotive The sight of the coal fired boiler of the steam locomotive with its door open is a rare sight. The loco staff opens it before the journey to top it up with coal. It is the moment when the lid of the boiler is opened, that the sight of the yellow orange dancing flames make you realise the power they hold and will soon unleash to make this loco pull the coaches of the narrow gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway . ( Darjeeling , 2017) 

Young monks at Rumtek monastery reading the notice board There must have been some important notice put up at this monastery which made these young monks spend significant time reading and discussing it. The youngest, who was too short to look at the notice board, was trying to find out from others as to what their discussion was all about.  ( Rumtek monastery near Gangtok , 2017)

Steam locomotive 805 at DHR loco shed, Darjeeling Looking at the steam locos at the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway loco shed was a fulfilling experience. The afternoon light ensured that the heavy metal of the locos stood out with the texture and shine of the surface making a huge statement. The red plate fitted on the blue coloured loco with 805 in copper colours created a distinct persona for this steam locomotive.( Darjeeling , 2017) Here is my blog post on Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

Little girl at Ghum railway station The momos and chai at Ghum railway station tea stall were delivered with an unexpected bonus. This little girl, who was the granddaughter of the lady running the show, turned out to be a very expressive kid. I really enjoyed my time at this tea stall playing with this little girl. (Ghum, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, April 2017) Here is my blog post on Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

Mountain roads in Sikkim As we were heading to Nathula from Gangtok , the views of the mountain roads in Sikkim were spectacular. Several army establishments dotted the landscape alongside the winding roads. Many of these roads are maintained by  Border Roads Organisation , known for their indomitable spirit.  (Sikkim, 2017)

Oxford Book Store, Darjeeling You cannot miss this beautiful structure of Oxford Book Store when you step into Chowrasta at Darjeeling . Not only this bookstore has a great facade and structure, it is quite impressive for its selection of books about the himalayan region.