Eastern Himalayas - a retreat

Recently attended a friend's wedding that was taking place in the Darjeeling Himalayan region of India ... managed to spend 3-4 days visiting various places and it was an absolute treat.

Recently bought the 17-55 f/2.8 to compliment my 7d, and along with my Tokina 11-16 and the 70-200 it was fantastic to be able to capture different perspectives ...

Sharing some pictures of the trip



Up @ 4 am to capture this sunrise at 5 - tiger hill is a vantage point from which 3 countries apart from India are visible - Nepal to the left, confluence of Bhutan and China (off right), while Bangladesh is on the backside of this picture.



The Kangchenjunga range visible a li'll after sunrise



Darjeeling - a hill station that symbolizes utter chaos!





Wild flowers thrive as the forests below are shrouded in mist



Picture perfect tea garden - nothing like sipping on some piping hot Darjeeling tea and snacking on some momos



the odd one out



Finally!! I have my own version of the "mystic forest" picture



Buddhist good will flags fluttering in the wind



The Darjeeling Himalayan Railways - completed in 1881 - a true engineering marvel. It spans over 80 kms and was used primarily to ferry goods to the Darjeeling Himalayas from the plains in West Bengal. It's now converted into a world heritage spot. The steam engines are over 70-80 yrs old!! ... Unbelievable

An early morning surprise at Kurseong - an ocean of cotton candy clouds. Kurseong boasts of some of the best tea estates in the Darjeeling region



A quaint village path



Fabulous rural roads hug the tea plantations and forests and scenes like these are just an absolute deslight ...



A village hut