The Tibetan Self Help Refuge Centre
Trip Start
Mar 20, 2006
1
50
77
Trip End
Ongoing
Darjeeling, India
Friday, May 12, 2006
We went and visited a Buddhist monastery down the road from Tiger Hill. When we arrived a monk was busily scurrying up to the gate to open up. He looked like he'd just got up- poor guy-must have been running late. The monastery was lovely. Inside was so colourful with fabrics and a HUGE Buddha sitting peacefully in the middle. There were pictures of the Dalai Lama everywhere. A young Buddhist monk had the job of "TSSSSKKK" ing people if they spoke.
Then we went back to our lodge and crashed out for a couple of hours. When we woke we decided to find some guides for a trek.
Darjeeling is a series of winding streets that all intertwine on a steep mountain/hill. We wandered around these streets until we ended up at Samsara Travel Agency. It was everything the DGHC Travel Agency wasn't- flexible, friendly, value for money and not pushy. The guy that helped us reminded us of Mr Miyage from the Karate Kid. We were so lucky to find this place. We booked with them for a trek lasting 4 days. It cost £12.50 each including food, accommodation and guide. Not bad really!
So we headed off and explored the shops and streets of Darjeeling. We felt much better than yesterday- we had felt woozy from the high altitude and exhausted from the travelling. We had coffees/ lunch and booked ourselves on a joy-ride on the Darjeeling Toy Train which runs on the Himalayan railway tracks. The toy train is a world heritage sight in itself. It started in 1881 and winds itself through the Himalayas with stunning views. We travelled to Ghoom and back- about 3 hours. It was a good experience but the weather hadn't fully cleared so our views were limited. You can take the Toy train right down to the flats of Siliguri- about 7-8 hours but you have to book up at least a month in advance.
Then, we headed off to the Tibetan Self Help Refuge Centre. It was quite a walk. There are many Tibetans in Darjeeling and this was one of our fond memories of Darjeeling.
It was established in 1959 and provides a home for the aged, a school, orphanage, clinic, gompa and craft workshops. They make rugs, shawls, wooden toys etc. A gompa is a Buddhist monastery. All the money raised on-site goes straight back into the hands of the Tibetan community. It's a lovely place.
First, we went into where they were making Tibetan rugs. It was over 2 levels. One level was spinning the wool and the other was weaving to create the rug. The people were SO friendly and nice. They smiled the whole time and liked it when you took their photo. Kids were playing inside and were SO happy. They didn't have a lot but were very happy with what they had. The photos are much better than writing about it. Take a look at the pics.
It was starting to get dark, so we left. We had walked down some winding roads right down into the valley so it was all uphill now! As we were walking up we thought that it would be good practise for our trek the next day-that was NOTHING compared to what our trek was going to be like- nothing!
