Picto Diary - 22 January 2016 - Sari Motorcycle Footrest
Members of the Margaret Taylor Dance Troupe exit Glenburn Tea Plantation headed -three and one half hour drive to Bagdogra... and two hour flight west - to Delhi... the last stop on the Margaret Taylor Dance Troupe 2016 visit to India.
Above: Ascent from Glenburn Tea Estate to main road connecting Darjeeling with Siliguri, in the low lands. Darjelling, West Bengal, India. 22 January 2016.
The Darjeeling road is at 6000 feet and Glenburn is at 3000 feet. We have along climb on a four wheel road to get the main road. Part of the charm of Glenburn is its isolation.
Above: TIMDT and flower. Rest stop. Siliguri, West Bengal, India. 22 January 2016.
Above: As we leave Siliguri, we note that Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, is due in town today (see welcome gate). Siliguri, West Bengal, India. 22 January 2016.
There is always a worry that road shut down for visiting bureaucrats will stymie our exit. But, be got to the airport in Bagdogra sans incident. Our flight was an hour and a half late... but we made it back to the Oberoi Gurgaon hotel before dark.
The West Bengal chief minister's colors are blue and white. She mandates that many of the public works... road dividers, bridge railings etc. be painted blue and white.
Above: Tuk tuk. Siliguri, West Bengal, India. 22 January 2016.
Limit 10 passengers!
Note the blue and white bridge railings.
Above: Road Construction. Bagdogra, West Bengal, India. 22 January 2016.
Road construction is ubiquitous in growing, burgeoning India. Here the road is being widened from two lane to four lane.
Above: Footrest at left of rear wheel for sari wearer, who sits "side saddle." Royal Enfield motorcycle. Bagdogra, West Bengal, India. 22 January 2016.
Above: Himalya Range. Nepal. 22 January 2016.
Image taken from aircraft flying west from Bagdogra to Delhi.
Well.... some sighting is better than no sighting!
Actual mountains at the top, above the cloud level.
Above: Members of the Margaret Taylor Dance Troupe dine at 361, Oberoi Hotel, Gurgaon, NCR, India. 22 January 2016.
Addendum:
Steve,
Looks like another great trip to India!
Janet and I enjoy reading your updates every day.
In case you didn’t see the news-
A new ski mountain added to the Epic Pass. Vail Resorts just purchased Wilmot Mountain in Wisconsin, only 90 minutes from Chicago. You can now ski here on your next visit. Unfortunately the word Mountain is a little misleading. The elevation of the hill is all of 230 feet!
Hope to see you and Margaret soon.
Chicago Ducati,
Chicago, IL
Snow is good here this year. Look forward to seeing you. I had a pair of skis in the basement I didn't recognize so I gave them to charity... claiming a charitable deduction.
What is it about the conditions in that area of India that makes for growing great tea (soil, water, temps, elevation, etc. etc..)? Are there any places in the USA with similar conditions where tea could be grown? Can tea plants be grown in pots like many herbs? Thanks for all of the great travelogues from this trip.
Nathans,
Orlando, FL