Day 75 Thurs 16 November 2006, Darjeeling, India

Up early but not early enough to beat the German group to all the hot water, then a pre-breakfast promenade around to the look out to see if the mountains are still there. They are, taller than ever. Everyone else seems to have got up at 4.30am to go to Tiger Hill where apparently you can see Everest but we’ve already seen it. Then back for breakfast and sitting in the sun on the veranda blogging.

After lunch, we set out to explore the botanical gardens; the maps of Darjeeling are hopeless but we eventually find it and wander around, looking in the orchid house and find a gingko biloba tree, then struggle back through a maze of squalid lanes to the hotel where we light the fire and manage to smoke out our bedroom. Its not cold but hey how many hotels have coal fires set in the bedrooms? Then its down to dinner with the sepoy turbaned waiters; curry, shepherds pie and rice pudding

Weather 15C Sunny
Distance today: 0km
Distance from start: 14,735km