Home stay (Tinchulhe)

 Tinchulhe, or Tinchuley is a small hamlet in Darjeeling district of West Bengal, about twenty-five kilometres away from Darjeeling town. This experience of spending some time at a home stay in Tinchulhe was a novel one and pretty enjoyable, even for a seasoned traveller like me.

We were practically “off the grid” during the twenty fours we spent there, with mobile connectivity being intermittent at best, and internet connection almost nil. The place had no TV either. They did have a Wi-Fi connection, but that was only slightly better than mobile connectivity. Had to spend time watching white clouds rolling over blue hills, listening to crickets and myriad other birds and insects, while the Kanchenjunga lay hidden behind dense clouds. Went back to my childhood days for a while. And then there were those Tibetan prayer flags fluttering in the gentle breeze, braving the dense fog that kept rolling in from time to time.

The business is run by a middle-aged lady, her son and daughter, both in their middle to late twenties. The charges included room rent, breakfast, lunch and dinner at very reasonable rates in these times. Food was good, to say the least, and given the layout of the village, not available anywhere else on the solitary street.

They also owned a small tea garden behind the building, and all tea served at the establishment comes from this garden – organically processed. Very fragrant, I must say.

Just behind the garden lay the forest, where they said, wild animals like deer, bears and cheetahs, live, but are rarely seen. The cheetahs apparently come down once in a while to prey on puppy dogs when they are born !!

It was amazing to hear their stories and how comfortable they were, co-existing with the wildlife. It was equally amazing to see how the three of them managed all of that work day in and day out – guests, food, tea garden, tea processing, and so many other activities that go into managing such an establishment.

When it was time to leave, they presented us with a small memento – a white silk scarf and prayers for our onward journey.

Amazing, simply amazing, in these times, when respect for traditions has taken flight for the society at large !!

 

 

Technologically challenged

 All of you who travel across India may have noticed the signboards citing numerous restrictions and defining certain fees, at all tourist spots controlled by the GOI or State Govts., or their agencies. The specific focus always is on charging a fee for these new-fangled technologies that emerge from time to time.

There was a time when there was a fee for carrying a camera (Rs.10/-) into one of those places. Then came the fee for a hand-cam (Rs. 50/-).  When the DSLRs were born, the camera fee shot up to Rs. 30/-, and they politely asked you not to take videos !!

With the passing years, as the mobile phone camera-cum-videorecorder became ubiquitous, these signboards vanished. Some places still do charge a nominal fee, but that’s it.

Nevertheless, while emerging disruptive technologies forced the world to discard old paradigms, they did not affect our sedate Govt. Babus, comfortably ensconced in their air-conditioned offices.

The Lamahatta Eco Park is a vast area atop a hill, full of pine trees and other flora, with an artificial pond at the top - visited only by the doomed or intrepid tourists. 

At the  gate, there was a new one : “Drones not allowed” !!! That’s it – no fees or fines, simply “not allowed” !!

Obviously, the Babu who ordered this, was sitting with a bleeding butt on the cutting edge of technology looking backwards with binoculars, and, one may deduce, blissfully unaware of the capabilities of this new class of devices !! 

 I had to laugh for quite a while.

***

Pic : A drone in use at Rishyap by fellow tourists trying to go over the clouds to see the Kanchenjunga.