Sunday, July 1, 2012

Misty, and magical Kalimpong

Kalimpong, view from the Golf course

We went for a short trip to Kalimpong, it is in North Bengal. We took an overnight train, Darjeeling mail to NJP from Sealdah.It starts at around 10pm and we reached at 8am in the morning the next day.

We rented a car from NJP. It took us around 3 hours to reach Kalimpong. Since it was June (not the best time to visit the hills), rains had started. But the rain drenched beauty is something else!

The surroundings were so green and refreshing; with Kolkata burning, it was indeed nice to get away to a cooler place. The drive from NJP (New Jalpaiguri) to Kalimpong was lovely.
The misty hills, rains, and green forests were a balm to my senses.

We stayed in Holumba Haven, a home stay, which is more like a resort, with very beautifully done cottages, and lots and lots of green all around. We felt like we were in the lap of nature. There was stream very close to our cottage, the sound of the stream was so de-stressing and tranquil, that I wish I could stay there forever. We loved our stay there. This place is a bit away from the heart of Kalimpong, and is very quiet and peaceful. It made for an ideal getaway. The rooms did not have television; I could catch up on reading, and resting. It was just nice to be there; listening to the pitter patter raindrops, napping, eating, listening to music...

I am sharing some pictures from that trip.
In the next few posts I will share some more pictures from Kalimpong, the monastries and other beautiful and interesting stuff.

Holumba
Haven dining area (entrance)
The cottage in Holumba Haven


Inside Holumba Haven
Fusion of colours in Holumba


The St Teresa's church in Kalimpong dates back to 1929. What is interesting about it is the architecture. It looks like a pagoda, and the inside is equally interesting.

St Teresa's church, Kalimpong
Inside the church


beutifully crafted windows
The church door


Teesta river, on the way to Kalimpong

4 comments:

Sumeet Pareek said...

Wow. Here I am, cribbing about not having places to go to during a weekend near Kolkata and I find this.

I see that you are quite a traveller and duly post about the places you visit. Thanks a ton. Your posts would come in handy to me. I love to travel, away from cities, but have not done so for a while now.

Oh, btw, the 15th of this month is special, and I have been wishing to take my team out to a trip. I was thinking about Jaldapara at first, but discovered that it is highly discouraged during the monsoon. Given that monsoon will in full swing by 15th July, and that I have limited time (from Friday late night 13th to late night Sunday 15th) - do you have a recommendation?

Anu said...

Beautiful green mountains! And the cottage pictures are amazing - the walkway with flowers! Should definitely be such a destressing moment!

Ranjana Jha said...

@Sumeet. Thanks, yes I love traveling.

Since it is monsoons, and you don't have much time, I would recommend going towards the sea side.

Shankarpur is a quiet place, and the beach is nice. It takes around 4hrs to reach there by road. You can find some info here - http://www.shankarpur.co.in

Another option could be to go to Diamond Harbour road, almost 3 hrs by road. There is a hotel right next to the river- The name of the hotel is Poonyalakshi.And the url is - hotelpunyalakshmi.com. I have not been there but I believe it is a nice place. Absolutely next to the river so the view is going to be good.

Hope this helps.

Ranjana Jha said...

@Vaish, yes it was wonderfully tranquil and lovely.I felt rejuvenated after the trip.