Having escaped Calcutta, Meg and I found ourselves in what seemed like an entirely different country. At an elevation of 1400 meters, surrounded by tea plantations, was the town of Kurseong.

We spent one night here at a really cool old British home that had been converted into a hotel. We woke up early the next morning and hiked to a look out point,

Our hotel was perched along the ridge pictured above. When we got back we enjoyed some expertly brewed tea in the breakfast room that looked out over the nearby hills. It was a welcoming experience. The main reason for staying the night in the town was to catch the toy train that winds its way to the hill station of Darjeeling. Later in the day, with our bags on our backs, we hiked the 2km to the station in the center of town and bought a ticket on the afternoon train.

Around 3pm, we were surprised to see the train approach the station straight through the town on the main road. We knew we were in for a unique experience.