Last summer vacation you went to Darjeeling on the famous toy train describe you journey
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Answer:
Riding the Toy Train of Darjeeling Himalayan Railways (DHR) has always remained a coveted experience to the tourists. Only few would let go such an opportunity. And there is a clear reason why so. After all this Toy Train has been accorded the UNESCO World Heritage Site status in December 1999. Operating on narrow gauge tracks since 1880s and providing an important transport link to various parts of Darjeeling hills and lower plains, the toy train is an icon of our heritage since the colonial days and an engineering marvel that was achieved during that period. It also offers a wonderful way of absorbing the picturesque Himalayan scenes as you traverse along the slopes of the hills.
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Tourism and the tea industry are the two most significant contributors to Darjeeling’s economy
More recently, when tired of the pressures of work and life, all I need is a few days of rest and wanderings in this peaceful town to recharge myself. More so; as Darjeeling means nostalgia. Though much has changed over the years, yet the nooks filled with memories still remain.
In all these years, this was my first trip to Darjeeling in the winter. Hence, a bright, sunny, yet bone-chillingly cold town greeted me. I had seen Darjeeling in the summers, in the monsoons, in autumn; each season has its own special characteristic in this place. But this trip I will remember forever as winter was extra special. In no other time of the year, are the mountain peaks so clearly visible and the hillside so colourful.
What completed my trip this year was a ride on the toy train after years from Darjeeling to Ghoom! The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, which is a narrow-gauge line, was laid to connect Siliguri to Darjeeling. But owing to frequent landslides, most of this route is unusable today.
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway is the second railway to have been accorded World Heritage Site status
However, there is a daily Kurseong-Darjeeling return service and regular tourist trains from Darjeeling to Ghoom. The Darjeeling “Toy” Himalayan Railway was declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1999. This railway is of historical importance for playing a vital role during World War II, by transporting military personnel and supplies to the numerous military camps around Ghoom and Darjeeling.
Ghoom is India’s highest railway station. The ride to Ghoom through the magnificent Batasia loop is one of the high points of any vacation to Darjeeling. This place provides a 360-degree vista of Darjeeling’s landscape including the hill town and the snow-covered peaks of the Eastern Himalayas with the majestic Kanchenjunga on one side. And all this from the middle of a lovely garden with flowers around which the toy train track is laid.
Trips to Darjeeling are like going back in time, to refresh and rejuvenate with the simple and childlike pleasures of life. The familiar lanes, shops, restaurants, hotels all promise a fun-filled stay. As I drive down from the summit to the foothills to board my train from New Jalpaiguri station, the sadness of leaving this dear place is tinged with warmth, as I know that this town will always give me a warm welcome whenever I visit.