Darjeeling is an actual place it's not just a kind of tea. In fact, there are several types of Darjeeling tea all grown and harvested in and around this hill town in the north east of India.
The locals have named their town "The Queen of the Hills." Its elevation is approximately 6,500 feet above sea level. When the air is clear you can see for miles over this hilly section of the country. When the fog settles in the views are still spectacular and remind you how small you are in the world.
Tea estates look like many farms except the crop is a shrub. Tea plants are large, but not tall. They hug the ground and reflect the light depending on where they are situated. In an open field or on rolling hills.
Every 10 or 20 miles in tea country you will come across a large processing plant like the one pictured below. Inside the space is big and wide open. From the outside the buildings look un-adorned and utilitarian.
The town of Darjeeling is centered around a square known as the Chowrasta. It is a working town and a tourist town at the same time. There a number tea shops of all varieties and sizes. But you will also see local residents living their lives the way people do in much of the rest of India. Buying and selling in open markets. Spending time in public parks. Maintaining the old way of doing things while managing their lives.
Darjeeling is close to the Nepal border and having visited Nepal the previous month I could see the slight difference in culture and the appearance of the people who live here. This region of India is more heavily influenced by Nepal than Delhi or Kolkata.
The way of life is more gentle and more polite than what I found in other parts of India.
Darjeeling is not the equivalent of wine country in other parts of the world, but there are opportunities to tour tea estates and factories and the town itself is peaceful and charming. The people are welcoming and curious about visitors and fair when it comes to making a purchase or hiring a taxi. It is worth a full two days if you are making several stops while in India. It is also worth a longer stay if you just want a charming place to call home for a few weeks.
Traveler's note: If you are traveling to Darjeeling chances are you are arriving at the Bagdogra airport about three hours away. I recommend using a service called Wizzride, because it allows you to leave and arrive directly at the airport rather than catching a shared taxi a few miles away from the airport. Wizzride allows you to book on-line similarly to Uber. It is still a shared taxi, but it feels more reliable and safer.
Credits:
© Dean Pagani 2019