Dajeeling, Day 2

Old school way to press tea

Day 2 and still no view from our window except a white shroud of clouds. Tomorrow, says the woman at the desk. It will be clear tomorrow. In the morning we walk to the zoo and then to the Himalayan mountain center. At least it is good exercise. The plan is to find the Happy valley Tea company to get a tour and a tasting. We have to ask five or six times for directions and wind up having to trek down a long dirt road to the factory. It is still too early in the season so we are given a tour and explanation of an empty factory.it is not even a proper tasting. Instead five or six small bowls of tea are placed in front of us and we are invited to dip spoons into each to taste the difference between the first and second flush (harvests) of black and green tea, as well as the precious and expensive white tea. To top things off, a downpour erupts just as we finish. The fact that we have forgotten our umbrella hardly seems to matter since there is no way are going to climb up this muddy path in this downpour. So we call the hotel and order a taxi.  By the time we get back to the hotel it as almost two and we are starving, but we have to wait almost another hour since it seems every one at the hotel has ordered lunch at the same time. When the chow mien and egg fried rice finally arrive, we devour it in 5 minutes.