Nestled in the Himalayan foothills between Nepal, Bhutan, and China, the former British tea plantation town of Darjeeling is a perfect getaway from the chaos of India. The locals are mixed with Nepalis and Tibetans, and in general are very friendly and relaxed. For the most part, though, Darjeeling is about the faces, as you'll see soon enough...
 The back side of the ridge upon which Darjeeling is spread. At center left is a Tibetan refugee center. |
 Getting to Darjeeling takes 6 or 7 hours on the narrow rail train from the valley town. Or just three hours by shared jeep. |
 The steam engine for the train. The historic rail line in on the UNESCO list of world heritage sites, and is one of the few still running in the mountains. |
 Appropriately foggy, this is a crematorium on Tiger Hill outside of Darjeeling. |
 Running water is scarce and washing is sometimes done at a community spigot. |
 It's too narrow for cars on the back streets, so goods have to be hauled manually. |
 Poverty is less severe here than in other parts of India. Still, a vagabond and dogs vie over a trash heap. |
 Mak Drong, one of several Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in the area. |
 The interior of the big monastery at Ghoom. |
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 Colorful Tibetan prayer flags, found flying in many parts of the Darjeeling area.
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 Monks at the Ghoom Monestery towards the conclusion of a ceremony, in which the item on the pedestal is burned. |
 It's hard to not like Buddhist philosophy. Unless you are a real jerk. |
 Not far from the Ghoom Temple, Hindus celebrate the birthday of Shiva. Tourists are invited to participate. Not so in some other parts of India, but in Darjeeling, everyone more or less gets along. |
 The full tikka. This is a Hindu religious mark for men and women, not to be confused with the bindi, which is the red dot that some women wear. |
 Brothers skipping school. |
 Friends walking home from school. |
 Residents are very helpful towards tourists without expecting anything in return. This woman did not mind that I was on her balcony trying to get a nice shot of the mountainside. Her doggy was not so thrilled, of course. |
 A family at a chai shop, with their remarkably precocious child. |
 Children of all ethic stripes seem to play together well with their peers. |
 Having a camera sets the usual smile parade in motion. |
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 The face parade is just getting started.
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 I still can't look at these without smiling. |
 Just when you think they can not get any more charming. A mother sifts rice behind her children. |
 A mother embraces her children and some of the other local ruffians as well. |
 More faces of Darjeeling. |
 The nose does not trump the smile. |
 Another diverse face in the parade. |
 Time to get serious. Tibetan barley beer in process at the refugee center. |
 Hitchhiking down the mountain from Darjeeling, back to the dismal reality of the real India. |
