EP - 2 Mirik to Darjeeling,l | Mirik Valley Tea |India - Nepal Pashupati Border | West Bengal
Namaskar friends! Welcome to Visa2explore! This is your host Harish Bali. We are starting our day in Mirik. You are familiar with our journey's progress. We travelled from Bagdogra to Sittong. After that, we went to Kurseong. Now, we have reached Mirik.
From here, we have to go to Darjeeling today. Darjeeling is about 50-55 KM from here. From this place, where I am standing right now. Well, right now, we are about 4 KM from the Mirik market. There you can see the homestay in which we spent yesterday night.
Its name is Rangbhang Homestay! I have asked them to prepare my breakfast while... ...I watch the morning scene outside before joining them in 5 minutes. This path takes you to the homestay. Homestay is the huts you can see in the distance.
Come, let's have breakfast! I am sure you will find it interesting to see what I am having for breakfast today. This is highly, highly local food! This is Tibetan bread. You will also get to eat this bread whenever you travel to McLeodganj, Ladakh or Spiti.
This bread is made by adding yeast to the flour and keeping it overnight, before frying it next morning. Next to it is the Sel Roti. Sel Roti pairs the best with Alu Dum (steam-cooked potatoes). People also prefer to eat radish salad with this combination. This is a dish I would be eating for the first time.
We often eat Iskush (or Chow Chow) vegetable. This dish is made with the root of that vegetable plant. This is the root. Since I had never seen this root, I asked them to show it to me.
There is Tapioca too. Whenever we visit Tamil Nadu region, we eat tapioca almost everyday. These are Buckwheat fritters. Looks like these are going to be amazing in taste. Dalle Khursani (Red Cherry Pepper Chilli). It is a super spicy chilli.
And there is chutney too! It has been made with Chhurpi (traditional hard cheese). It is called 'Kawri.' This has small balls made of whole-wheat dough. These balls are then boiled in water and cooked along with some vegetables.
Adding veggies to this dish has added to the richness of its taste. I mean I can tell you that... ...this soup tastes of mushrooms, Rai Saag as well as beans. This is one of the wheat balls I told you about, which are boiled for this dish.
It has amazing taste! This is where we spent last night. They have 3 or 4 rooms on this property. Our stay here was quite comfortable.
Right now... ...we are having breakfast in this lovely garden just outside the homestay. The homestay owner also lives nearby. Their home is next to the homestay. We slept quite late last night, therefore, we had to begin our day late today.
Otherwise, this place is ideal for a morning walk at 6 AM. The main thing is purity of air in this place. This is something I have experienced, not just here, but everywhere during this journey. When the air purity is good, you enjoy walking in the outdoors. I didn't walk today but that's a different topic. I had no time at all. All my time was taken up by copying the data.
Now, let's eat this Tibetan bread. With the Iskus root dish. In the past, whenever I have eaten Tibetan bread,...
...it has been more steamed than fried. It is also known as Tingmo! Its taste is quite different from Tingmo's. The taste difference could also be because it is fried and Tingmo is steamed. It is very well-cooked and...
...you know how puffed bhatura tastes so good... ...adding yeast has made a similar difference to this bread as well. I like eating it. Sel Roti and Tibetan bread, both have sugar in them. Very little sugar is added to both, to improve the taste.
Buckwheat fritters are delicious already and these have black pepper sprinkled over as well. Really delicious! Today, I am getting to taste one fantastic dish after another. This morning, my day has started with some really good breakfast! So good that it has made my day! After this, we've the whole day to do sightseeing. How is Chhurpi made? Once, when I was in Sikkim, I made a detailed video on ths process of Chhurpi-making. I will share the video link in this video's description. You can see that.
Let me try this tapioca with Chhurpi...I mean with the Chhurpi chutney. No, this combination doesn't make any sense. Rest, I have had Chhurpi after a very long time.
I will have it 3-4 times more so that I can develop a taste for it again. I had forgotten the taste of Chhurpi. Rest, I am enjoying my breakfast, without any doubt! After breakfast, I am going to put the luggage in the car.
Thereafter, I will pay the bill and then leave for sightseeing around Mirik. I've already told you that we will leave for Darjeeling during the second half of the day. Before we leave here, let me show you this "Tree Tomato." This tree tomato is right next to us.
Dipankar Bhai told me they eat the normal tomato variety as well as this one. Is there a difference in taste? This one is slightly more sour in taste. Alright! It has a little more tangy flavour. Okay! That's okay! Okay, hope to see you again. Thank you so much! So nice of you! Bye! As per my sightseeing itinerary, the first stop is this lake.
We've paid entry ticket at Rs 20 per person. In this huge lake, we can see some tourists enjoying a boat ride. It's nice! Usually, I've observed that... ...not all, but most of the hill stations have a lake like this... ...where you can go and sit by the lakeside. And enjoy your time! Let's do one thing, let's walk over the bridge.
Let's go over to that side now. What a difference it makes! You look at this lake from one angle first. It presents one view.
If you walk up to the centre and look from there, it is a totally different view! It has greenery on both sides and, on this side,... ...outside the garden, we can see hotels and other commercial establishments. There are lots of trees on my right hand side and several people are... ...doing horse-riding and it is an attraction of this place, especially for children. Kids particularly enjoy horse-riding.
For a long time, I've seen tourists doing a lot of boating in the lake. Let's go from here. Come! After half an hour of journey, we've reached the Bokar Ngedon Chokhor Ling Monastery.
This monastery was built in 1984. So, it hasn't been a long time. Tourists coming to Mirik make it a point to visit this monastery. The monastery is closed right now so we cannot go inside. The monastery building looks beautiful from the outside.
Usually I've seen that monasteries are... ...mostly located at a higher altitude. Kyabje Bokar Tulpu Rinpoche was the man who built this monastery. At that time, he had set out to build a retreat centre, not a monastery.
But when his disciples demanded, he built both a monastery as well as a retreat centre. Today, they also have a monastic college, which... ...trains disciples at present. Let me also show you the view of the lake that I visited a while ago. You can see it from here. From here, it is easier to understand the size of this lake, which is 1.15 KM in diameter
By the way, there is a walking track in the lake You can walk on it and a little ahead, there is also a temple there. We could've visited the temple too, but we missed it. See, down there, students of the monastic college are playing basketball. Come, let's go from here.
We've come 6 KM from the main market, towards the outskirts of the city. We started seeing tea estates from 2 KM back on the road. Now, we've stopped outside the Okayti Tea Estate. All these tea gardens belong to Okayti.
According to the information given here, in 1870,... ..they started growing tea plants here and the name, at that time, was Rangdoo Tea Estate. The tea was sent to London and the auctioneers there tasted it. They started calling this tea "Okayti." Since then, this tea became so popular that... ...the owner changed the company's name to Okayti! It is also written here that this factory is a heritage factory. It is obvious because it has been so many years now.
Great! We've come to the Okayti Tea Outlet! I met Ekta in this shop. Your name is Ekta, right? The tea grown in Darjeeling, or the one you grow in your factory,... ...is it CTC variant or Orthodox? This is all Orthodox! All the tea produced in Darjeeling is Orthodox! The Orthodox tea is completely different from the CTC tea. For instance, Darjeeling tea is famous for flavour.
That is why we should not add milk and sugar to the Darjeeling tea. Whereas the CTC tea is famous for its colour. Therefore, we add milk, sugar, etc to it.
But the Darjeeling tea is famous for its colour. Tell me one thing, in general, how many flushes occur per year? Four flushes! Flush takes place over a single season. So, the four flushes occur during spring, summer, monsoon, autumn.
The tea of each season will taste different. Leaves of the first flush are tender. It means the fourth flush will have a strong taste? No! Second flush will have a strong flavour. Leaves of the first flush will be milder with more flavour. The second flush leaves start maturing so it has a fresh taste.
Third is monsoon! Since it is the rainy season, the flavour is subdued. We blend it basically and then, we make some regular tea. You will again experience flavour in the last flush, which is the Autumn flush.
So, the first flush and autumn flush are somewhat similar. For strong flavour, you need to look at the second flush. So, how much is the price for 250 gm? Rs 465 for a 250 gm packet. Tell me one more thing. Can I taste this? Yes, yes Sir! You can taste! I want to taste this one, before buying. Then I will make this payment.
Okay! This price I know now. What is the higher price limit in the premium range of tea that you sell? In the premium range, if you look at the black tea... ...there is a variety called "First Flush Moonshine"... ...whose 100 gm pack costs Rs 2500. Okay! It means a kg of the tea would be for Rs 25000? And the other one is 'Moonlight.' Moonlight is another special tea Sir.
This one! First flush... Does it mean it was plucked under moonlight? This is Moonshine packet. The Moonlight packet, just a second... Isn't Moonlight the same thing? No Sir! Moonlight has a different story. It is plucked under moonlight on a full moon day. Full moon day! Its cost is Rs 1550 for 50 gms.
50 gms for Rs 1550 means Rs 3000 or 3100? For per kg. Yes! This is First Flush Black Tea! This is First Season. These are the leaves. Alright! We also have a White Tea, made only with the buds.
You can see it. What is its price range? 25 gms for Rs 510. I had tasted white tea once in the past. But I've never purchased it for home. There is a particular oxidation process. It lends flavour to black tea.
But at the same time, it also increases the caffeine content in the tea. We don't carry out the oxidation process in green and white teas. So, these teas have less amount of caffeine. True, true! Can we do one thing? I am going to purchase one tea from you, for sure.
Okay! Can you arrange for me to taste these two teas? Yeah, sure Sir! Alright! Or I will buy both. First Flush and, then, this regular Black Tea, okay! Here you go Sir! This is First Flush! Morning Glory and, then, this is Golden Orange. Colours are different! Colours are different! The right way to enjoy Darjeeling tea is to slurp it. With slurping, more oxygen floats into your palate. That enhances the flavour.
Slurping opens up your taste buds! This is why Darjeeling tea needs to be had with a slurping sound! Laughter! Yes Sir! It is a bad habit but that is how you drink this tea. You slurp it and you'll notice the difference! See, the least I can say is that after drinking it, it feels like having a herbal drink. I mean that is what I can immediately say.
How do you like it Sir? It is good! Nice! It's good! After that tea, this feels stronger. Yes, strong! Not that strong though, just in terms of the flavour! The first one is like a herbal drink but this one tastes more like tea. Yes! Nice! Its taste is more like that of tea. Yes, more! Good! One, you need to be habitual of consuming strong tea. Yes, it is a matter of habit.
That is why! Yes! It is over a period of time that you become habitual of having tea. Correct! Please make a bill of this for me. Okay! I will take this along. After travelling for 500 meters, I've reached the Gopal Dhara viewpoint. I can see 5-6 shops in front of me. See!
Suppose you don't want to visit a showroom to purchase tea. Here, along with visiting the viewpoint, you can purchase the tea as well as taste it. These are the cars whose passengers have gone to visit the viewpoint. This is the path. It would feel so good to walk through the tea estate to reach the viewpoint. To allow tourists to walk through the tea garden...
...they have built a lovely path. It is also a nice photography place. Today's our journey has been like this. We leave one viewpoint, travel 4 KM, and reach the next viewpoint. We've come just 1.5-2 KM from our last stop and we are in Hilley now. From here, we will see the Indo-Nepal border. Basically, we are standing on the border.
We will climb from here... ...and see the view available from there. We are standing on top of the mountain. As for the visibility, nothing is visible clearly.
There are clouds everywhere. And if you look at this point from down below... ...it looks cloudy from there too. We are in the middle of clouds, which are lighter here, but thicker on that side. You see this fence? Nepal is on the other side of this fence. You can see in the distance, it is written "I Love Nepal."
Since it is cloudy, you may not be able to see it properly, but it is written there. They have built a sunrise point above that. Our driver was telling us... ...that if today's weather hadn't been so cloudy... ...we would have been able to see Kurseong from here and Darjeeling, where we are going next,... ...a portion of the road to Darjeeling would also be visible. I mean this is a good viewpoint! Well, you can enjoy this place, both when it is cloudy and when it is not. Come, let's go back now.
We will now take our next halt 2-3 KM from here. After 3 KM, we have reached the Pashupati Fatak. There is a market on either side of the road.
And there is a Fatak (railway crossing) on this side. Nepal is on the other side of this Fatak. Tourists wanting to visit the Pashupatinath Market need to show their Aadhar Card. Thereafter, they can go to the market. If you want to go there in your vehicle...
...you can show your driving license, Aadhar Card, or your RC or Aadhar Card and visit the market. For that, you'll have to get a 'Bhansar' (permit). Last time when I visited Nepal from Madhubani side, I saw that... ...they give you a Bhansar for Rs 300 or so, which is valid for 24 hours. This is the information I wanted to share with you. Let me show you the Nepal view from the border itself. Since it is already dark, we are not going to the Pashupatinath Market. If we go 5-6 KM ahead on this road, we will reach a place called Simana.
That is also on the border with Nepal. In fact, since morning, we've been travelling along the border. We could literally put our one foot in India and the other foot in Nepal. We started our day later, otherwise...
...it would have been nice to reach Simana on time. No problem! For now, let's check out the view on that side and thereafter we'll proceed further. After crossing the Fatak, we are on the other side now. Technically, we are in Nepal now. It is written in front of me, "Welcome to Nepal.' I just asked someone for details.
If you want to come here in a car, you will have to purchase Bhansar for 600 Nepali rupees. I noticed something similar while crossing into Nepal from Madhubani. The vehicles travelling from here to there,... ...I mean from India to Nepal, they need to pay Bhansar, but... ...vehicles coming in from Nepal to India don't need to pay Bhansar. Bhansar means one kind of tax.
So, there is no tax on entering into India. They can come freely! Finish whatever work they have within a radius of 5-10 KM and then go back. You see all these tourists returning from the Pashupatinath Market. Though the time is 5.15 PM but the sun sets early in this region.
So, now we won't be stopping in Simana. We will go straight from here, I told you we haven't had lunch today. We will have an early dinner on our way to Darjeeling.
For an early dinner, we are at Lepcha Jagat village, 15 KM from Darjeeling. Do you see these buildings with extra lighting on them? All these are the local guest houses and hotels. These are on the main road.
This is a huge parking space too. It is full and we found a parking spot with great difficulty. The restaurant where we'll have our dinner is named "Pepper and Spice." Here, I have ordered Kinema with rice. It is prepared after fermenting soybeans. Gundruk is usually prepared with Rai Saag, and there are other means too, but what they've done...
...they have mixed together fermented radish leaves with onions, tomatoes, and fresh coriander. This is how they have prepared Gundruk. Alright! Let me place this outside my thali. This is... ...Rai Saag! For the last 2-3 days, I've seen this is a popular vegetable in this region. Squash, and on this side is chicken! Excellent! In the last 2-3 days...
...whenever I have had Rai Saag... ...I have enjoyed it very much! This saag is so juicy that it is fun to eat. Its main feature is its freshness! I am not talking just about the Saag I am eating here today. I am talking of my experience of past 3 days. Everywhere, they cook fresh Rai Saag. While travelling in this region, you will find Isskus everywhere.
Whoever you will ask to make it, he will make it in a jiffy. Now, I will taste Kinema. I told you it is made with fermented soybeans. The one we ate today has a peculiar smell. Those who eat it regularly like it If we continue eating it, we will start liking it too. The case with me is that I eat it just once or twice a year, and then forget about it.
I did the right thing by eating it with the rice. It has a strong smell. I wouldn't have been able to eat it separately.
Do you see the brown thing in this dish? These are fermented radish leaves. Its colour has changed completely. I try all these dishes because,...
...to broaden my palate. If I talk about my childhood, I didn't like Tori (ridge gourd) or lauki (bottle gourd) at wall. Not even karela (bitter gourd). There must be at least 10 such food items, which I didn't eat.
Gradually, I noticed that... ...whenever I was forced to eat a couple of bites, many times over, I started liking those vegetables. Now, if I am eating something new on tour, it isn't necessary to like it in the first instance. But when we eat it 5-7 times, we end up developing a taste for it. After all, the locals are also enjoying these tastes. The range of food experiences in our country is so wide... ...that you cannot cover it all in one go. Salad...
...tastes just like it would when eaten with rice but the main thing is that... ...the radish should be fermented well. Because of that, there is a certain sourness in the salad. And it also has lots of chillies! I liked this taste! However, this salad can do with little less green chillies. Let's do one thing. Let's finish today's episode here. After leaving here in another 15-20 minutes, we'll reach Darjeeling by 8.30 PM. For the next two days, we are in Darjeeling. Thereafter, we will go to Kalimpong via Tagda.
For now, it is bye-bye! Thanks for your time!
2024-12-18 17:15
