Siliguri, India>, Sep 27, 2009
I reached the station of New Jalpaiguri in Siliguri around 9:30pm and it was during the festival of Hindu Godess Durga Puja. The town was decorated colorfully and idols of Goddess Durga placed at all cross roads, people moving around everywhere, in groups and it was like a local fair all over the city. Transportation was limited to the cycle-rickshaw (like a tuk-tuk but pulled manually.) Motors were restricted and had to take a longer route around the city. I had to reach the bus station from where I was to board the bus to the Bhutan border the next day.
The bus stand is located on Hill Carton Road (now renamed as Tenzin Norgay road), but locally its known as “junction”. A quick look around and found a cheap place to crash at, Siliguri Guest house. Rooms started at 100 Rupees for a single bed with shared bathroom. The place is nothing much to write about as just needed a room to crash after the long and tiring train journey. After a quick wash and freshening up, had my dinner and went to sleep. Mind was still thinking that I am on the train and was shaking as if on a moving train.
Woke up around 6am in the morning and was feeling refreshed after a good nights sleep. Out of the hotel and walked to the bus stand which is around 5-10 min walk from the hotel. There came to know that the bus stopped further down the road, reached the place and found the bus, people had started boarding the bus, keeping there luggage. Got chatting with a few Bhutan guys who were studying in Bangalore, India and were going back to Bhutan for the holidays. It turns out they were also in the same train as mine. Now there are direct buses from Kolkata and Siliguri to Bhutan, One can find all the details of this buses over the internet.