October 7 & 8, 2010

Thursday October 7, we had a busy day today. We left Yamsung Farms at 9am to go some monasteries and some other places. We first went to a cheese factory, however there wasn't much to see since the factory wasn't making anything but some people still bought cheese. After that we went to one of the highest bridge in Asia. After taking some pictures we went to a beautiful waterfall. Finally we went to a Buddhist monastery. It was beautiful and peaceful. We even heard the monks chanting. After about two hours at the monastery, we were going to go to another monastery however since it was already 2:30 and the monastery was too far away. It took us two hours to get back the Yamsung Farms so we just went back there.

Friday October 8, we got up early and spent four hours in the car to go to West Bengal where our hotel was. It was called the Holumba Orchid Farm. There were a lot of chickens, dogs, and beautiful flowers. The owner took over when his parents were not able to work anymore. His wife and sister help out on the farm. After lunch we went shopping. The market is a long street with other streets branching off full of shops. I got a lot of gifts and had some Darjeeling Tea at a coffee shop. The town in called Kalimpong, however there are many signs for Gorkhaland. The name is given to the area around Darjeeling and the Duars in north West Bengal and for Nepali/Gorkhali-speaking Gorkha ethnic group in Darjeeling and its surrounding areas. There has been a demand for Gorkhaland since 1907.