OVERVIEW :

The following day, we got up late, but it was still dark outside. An irritating faint knocking sound on the window did wake me. I reluctantly moved the curtains and what I saw outside made me rub my eyes. It’s snowing! The snowflakes were knocking against the glass panes. With uncontrollable excitement, we decided the venture to Chowrasta. Foggy weather conditions and low visibility forced most people to stay indoors, barring a few excited tourists like us from the plains who flocked the hills to witness the snowfall. The temperature was 3°C and, thankfully, was not windy. We did experience snowfall earlier, but it was a lifetime experience for kids – their first snowfall. I was awestruck to see that still there is a long queue out Kev’s for breakfast. Adverse weather did not allow us to stay out for long; we had to come back after spending a couple of hours. The rest of the day was lazing on the couch, watching online streaming and enjoying our favourite poison. We had Darjeeling offbeat locations travel plans the following days. But not sure about the feasibility in the present climatic conditions. The alarm goes off. What torture during holidays! The room is freezing outside the electric blanket. Saw the first glimpse of sunlight on the peak. An SMS flashing on the screen “Sir Ji, weather is clear. Be ready at 8.30”. I was about to ignore the alarm, then suddenly remembered our driver would honk in the next 90 minutes. Better wake up, make the kids ready and all set to a great day ahead. Around 9 am, after completing our banana pancake in breakfast, it is time we hit the road. Excited to think of the memories we are going to make today. Lepchajagat is 18 km from Darjeeling, at an altitude of 6959 feet. As the name suggests, the place was once predominantly a settlement by the Lepcha tribe. Today the tiny hamlet is significantly a reserve forest area filled with thick oak, firs and rhododendron trees. The offbeat forest is 45 minutes driving from Darjeeling.