Rainy Day Reads

I went to India in 2004 (I have another post about my visit to the Taj Mahal ) and this was my first brig trip away from home and on my own. I say on my own, but we were actually a group of 14 girls going, but I didn’t know any of them beforehand. We were going to the small village of Bijanbari in the West Bengal highlands to teach English in the village schools.   The view from Darjeeling We spent a few days sightseeing around Delhi, Jaipur and Agra before we headed up the mountains to the city of Darjeeling. We took the train from Delhi to Siliguri, which is a 24 hour overnight experience, but it is possible to fly to Bagdogra, located 90 km from Darjeeling, and drive for a few hours to Darjeeling from there.  Darjeeling was founded by the British in the mid-19th century, when they set up an sanatorium and a military depot here. Soon it became a popular spot for summering among the British, as it provided an escape from the heat of the plains. It i...