Day 77 Fri 17 November 2006, Darjeeling to Kalimpong, Sikkim,India

Visited the zoo to see the red pandas, snow leopards and the black Himalayan bear, the Himalayan Mountain Institute then to the Tibetan self help centre where refugees have established workshops for carving, carpet making and other handicrafts and to see a tea plantation. Then, farewelling the Elgin Hotel, probably the best value of the trip so far, we descend another treacherous road in the mist to the Teesta river before climbing up again to Kalimpong where we check into the Himalaya Hotel. An old stone house set in beautiful gardens famous for its association with early everest expeditions but unfortunately no views of the mountains due to the low cloud.
Weather 13.5C Coudy
Distance today: 53km
Distance from start: 14,866km