Darjeeling in a Day - Chasing the Himalayan Railway

Reflections on an extraordinary week

2009-11-14T13:25:00.001Z

Sitting here this morning, clean and having slept more than 4 hours in the night for the first time in a week, with my cup of special Darjeeling tea in hand, my main emotion is one of loss. Loss of the fun and enjoyment of waking up without my seven fellow adventurers and friends and experiencing the banter, the jokes, the aspirations, the reflections and the sheer excitement of it all. Why? Well it was definately one of those 'you had to be there' experiences, but I think the sheer intensity and range of what we did and achieved in 6 days is what makes the transition today so difficult. But here are a few reflections to try and shed some light on how I feel:

Most enjoyable moments:

Looking out the carriage window of the overnight train on the run in to NJP. I was just sitting chatting to Theresa and we were both taking in the sights in the soft, early morning light as the birds and animals started to stir with a few people getting up and about the fields and the canals, and the odd cycle on the paths. Glorious.

Just being with this extraordinary group of people who managed to achieve all of their own personal goals and at the same time help everyone else achieve theirs and definately made the whole much greater than the sum of the parts. It was joyous, intimate (try getting 8 people in a 6 person motorised tuk tuk and bump over the streets of Siliguri and not be intimate!!), together, fun, inspiring and uplifting.

The waves and shouts of hello/goodby from the people on the way up, particularly the children.

Funniest moments

On the bus when Patricia saw a monkey for the first time (think 5 yr old seeing the Dumbo rides in Disneyland for the first time......!)

Sharing a cup of tea with Paul on our break two thirds of the way up the climb. Gist of the conversation:

Paul: Happy birthday Martin, can I ask how old you are?
Martin: Thanks, I had actually forgotten. Yes I am 49.
Paul: Bloody hell 49, you are doing well....
Martin: Oh thanks Paul...
Paul: Well I mean there's not many people of your age who could do this...
Martin: Yes thanks really Paul, I'd stop digging if I were you...
Paul: No I meant that positively. I know a few veterans and ...
Martin: Paul, shall we just get the bill.....

Most satisfying moments

Reaching the top of the climb at Ghum after eight and a half hours of cycling and then down into Darjeeling to the finish. Quite the hardest physical thing I have ever done.

For those with statistical minds:

Time actually in saddle: 6hrs 45mins (elapsed time with stops about 8 hrs 30 mins)
Distance: 54 miles
Ascent: 7,400ft
Heart rate: Average 146bpm, max 164bpm
Calories burnt: 6,080kCal
Average speed: 7.5mph

Humbling moments

Seeing a little boy, probably about five, filthy, dressed in rags, wandering about Kolkata train station. He clearly lived there, one of the many railway children we were trying to do our little bit for.

Watching a young schoolgirl. about ten, emerge from a dilapidated corrugated iron shack in one of the shanty towns in her pristine white school uniform, including socks and pumps, ready to walk to school. For me it exemplified the pride and determination of the families.

The generosity of all those who sponsored us, the money continued to come in whilst we were in India. We think we have just about reached our target of £10,000.

Jaw dropping moments

Watching the sunrise from Tiger Hill (8,000ft) as the Himalayan peaks, including Kachenjunga, came into view, the sun glinting off their snow capped peaks and the detail emerging gradually as the sun rose into the pink and purple clouds scattered in the morning sky. Awesome.

Bum clenching moments

Skidding on soft sand at the side of the road into the edge of one of the parapets and realising the drop the other side was about 2,000ft....

Watching Philippa scramble up Tenzing Norgay rock and stand on the top. The rock was about 50ft high at the front, at the rear a vertiginous 2,000ft drop with no protection. I suffer vertigo, including vicarious vertigo, and did get onto the rock, but just sat out the rest!

Difficult moments

Few, but the final 4 miles up to Ghum on the ride was just a case of head down and not accepting defeat.

Trying with Nick to decipher the Indian train ticketing system at Kolkata station and make sure we all had berths. We didn't let on at the time, but for a while we only had berths for 5 of us.....

Unpleasant moments

Again, very few, but a dirty bed and the company of bed bugs at the Swiss Hotel was not my high point, neither was trying to dry myself in the morning on a cold, wet towel the most comfortable. But hardly high on the scale of travellers unpleasant moments..

Salivating moments

After the big day on the Tuesday, having had a bracing cold shower in the Swiss Hotel (the one with no heating and for a while no hot water...) we ventured out to find FOOD as we were seriously down on energy and sustenance, and for a beer. As well as a celebration of all making it to Darjeeling, it was my birthday that day, had been Paul's the week before, and was Philippa's on the coming Saturday. To our horror the waiter at the restaurant advised us that due to some political issues the whole area was now dry as of the 7th November (today was tthe 10th!!!). So we celebrated anyway with juice and water.

Imagine us in the Elgin hotel the following afternoon having our authentic colonial high tea experience. Well almost authentic - tea, scones, butter and jam, cakes and biscuits, and pakora with chilli sauce....(yes that's right, pakora with chilli sauce!). A waiter walked by with a bottle of Kingfisher lager, ice cold, on a silver tray. Six pairs of eyes were transfixed, mutual drooling commenced, and then the dawning realistion that we may yet get a celebratory beer!

Most Comfortable moment

Having spotted the beer in the Elgin we ventured up to the Windamere Hotel later that evening to find the bar. True colonial spendour, with a room like a posh granny's front room, replete with comfy sofas, antique furniture, pictures and a colourfully uniformed bar attendant. We sat and chatted, and drank, for a few marvellous hours as if we were long time friends. A lovely, comfortable moment.

Thought provoking moments

Coming down from the simplicity of the mountains and coming across the final build stages of a modern, western style shopping mall, with all the familiar brand names in evidence. Progress......?

The number of soldiers with machine guns and sandbagged emplacements, included a prominently sited jeep mounted gun, at Delhi airport. Weren't there last time I came, disturbing on more than an immediate level...

I could go on, but better not! I think you get the picture that I enjoyed myself hugely.

Just a few special thanks.

To Nick, whose idea to run the route of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway sparked the whole thing off.

To Mr Roy who accompanied us and made the local arrangements and without whom life would have been much more difficult.

To our drivers who were reliable and helpful, and tolerant of the repetitive up we go, down we come again, nature of the journeys.

To Sarah who helped out with the arrangements before we left and kept us in updates.

To the companies who sponsored us and all the individuals who have given money - its a great cause.

To the other seven - would not have been the same without you.

Now, what whall we plan for next year.........

Martin

For the Record

2009-11-14T11:49:00.001Z

Runners: Started at 05.45. Finished at 15.15.
Nick's solo journey: Started at 05.40 day 1, finished 15.15 day 2. Total running time 12hrs 25mins.
Cyclists: Started at 08.45. Finished at 18.00.
Train: Started at 09.52 (late by 22 mins) arrived 16.40.

Weather: Hot in Siliguri, misty and very cold in Darjeeling

Selected pictures

2009-11-13T16:26:00.000Z

Paul and Martin assembling the bikes

Paul on the train itself!

New Jalpaiguri

Richard warming up on the bus

Apparently somebody likes this team?

Darjeeling station - the final frontier

GOATS IN COATS!!

Turncoat monkeys

The twins

Martin on Tiger Hill

Final momos

Further update on our experiences

2009-11-13T15:54:00.000Z

The rest of Nick's trip added within the below post.

Some photos added

2009-11-12T16:56:00.000Z

Some photos added to the blog below - still more to come, plus more excitements from the trip.

We did it! All our experiences:

2009-11-12T02:49:00.007Z

The team, in Railway Children T-shirts at Darjeeling Station

Train maintenance shed

Theresa:

After a leisurely breakfast my driver arrived and I climbed into a stupendous vehicle only to be joined by 2 bicycles, Martin and Paul in the car – how inconvenient! They dropped me at New Jalpaiguri station (NJP) and carried on to their start point. I waited on the station platform. There were only 2 moments of interruption to my quiet contemplation of life - the first was an Indian family who decided it would be rather sweet to have a photo of myself and 2 of their lady travelers. The second occurred a while after this whilst I had achieved that almost zen like state of meditative 'calm' (slumber – not an unusual occurrence on Indian platforms so I was just 'blending in') by the arrival of 2 cyclists (Martin and Paul) who had already started their journey wanting action shots (photos) of them on their bicycles, actually cycling.

Their departure allowed me to start to focus properly on the task in hand – my journey. At 0930 when the train SHOULD have arrived and had not, all the other passengers on the station settled down to wait, clearly it was not unusual for the train not to quite run to time. Some 22 minutes later the train sedately pulled into the station. Having checked my booking and fought with the door, I boarded and settled down for approximately 7 hours of railway experience rarely paralleled anywhere.

I knew it would be a hard tasks to catch either the runners or the cyclists. The train rarely seemed to achieve above brisk walking pace. It's advantage was that it did this steadily other than for the scheduled (and unscheduled) stops all the way to Darjeeling. The trip was beautiful. The scenery breathtaking, with few moments of drama. Monkeys almost falling through the window; the vegetation encroaching on the train; the speed restrictions where sleepers were barely supported by anything and some interesting reversing to allow the Up train to NJP to pass the Down Darjeeling. The long slow pull up the mountain allowed a proper opportunity to appreciate the change in vegetation, the climate and more interestingly the changes in the villages and people.

Regular texts from the running team gave a real sense of progress, chase and race as the train relentlessly and steadily continued it's assault on Darjeeling. Silence from the cyclists was disturbing. It was difficult to know whether I was ahead or behind or when I should look out for them when we passed them. As we arrived at Tung, Pip texted to say they had reached Ghum – their race was nearly over. Nick was with them. They were starting their descent into Darjeeling, the final leg on their run. The train was still a long way behind. The only saving grace was the 2.5 hr head start that the runners had had, 30 minutes before the initial handicapped start time. It would have been a tight finish. Having experienced the heat of the plains, it was easy to understand and forgive why it was necessary for the runners to have to start so early. 30 degree heat by 0830 in the morning would have been horrid to run in.

It was a great, great day and being met on the platform by 5 runners all elated, although slightly cold was quiet wonderful. It was a moment to remember and a journey to recommend to anyone.

PS (in case you were worried, a while later the cyclists who had had a tough day made their way into Darjeeling to a dark and lonely station – but at least they had each other. And the knowledge of a hard day and challenge achieved.)

Tea growing landscape on the way up!

Paul:

What an amazing, tough, exhausting and surreal day!! We attracted a crowd at our start point of NJP station who were quick to inform us that our bikes were too heavy for India!! Ignoring this advice, Martin and I were off to a quick start and soon confidently darting through the traffic thanks to our reccy the day before. We had a quick stop at Siliguri Jcn Station to wake up Theresa (dozing in the warm morning sun) then pushed on towards on 1st scheduled stop at Sukna.

The first 10 miles flew by on smooth roads with beautiful scenery and a gentle gradient. Sadly, this proved to be a short-lived luxury as we had a quick pit-stop at Sukna. From here the road started to climb at a constant gradient with difficult raised crossings over the railway. The heat was starting to play its part as well causing us to take on a lot of fluids and layer on the suncream. I did feel strong at this stage though and felt pretty comfortable all the way until Gavabari at 25miles.

F*cked if I know what they're doing? At Darjeeling...

My first set-back kicked in here as Delhi-belly struck 3 days before I actually get to visit Delhi! Thankfully, our driver/guide/pitman was always one step ahead and always managed to direct me to the nearest toilet, even in the middle of nowhere. I struggled through the next 10 miles and was glad to see Kurseong at 35miles. A random toasted cheese sandwich and pot of tea at the tourist lodge seemed to do the trick and we were on our way again.

The sheer unrelenting nature of the climb was starting to dawn on us now as we had not experienced a single flat stretch, never mind a descent. To compound the difficulty, the road surface was starting to deteriorate rapidly slowing us down considerably. Despite the struggle, the beauty of the scenery was constantly uplifting and is difficult to describe or do justice to. The backdrop of tea plantations, forests, rivers and villages was stunning.

My second set-back was my decision to ignore Martins advice and stay in my T-shirt at Sonada (45miles) rather than put on another layer. I still felt fairly warm, but this was a cruel trick of my body. The next 6 miles to Ghoom were the toughest of the day as the temperature dropped, the mist rolled in and the climb still proved unrelenting. I don't think I've ever been happier to see anyone as I was to see our driver waiting with my jacket and a bottle of water.

After briefly savouring our achievement of reaching the summit – a 40mile continuous climb - darkness was closing in fast, so we pedalled as fast as visibility allowed down to the finish at Darjeeling. This proved to be a bit hairy as we relied on the headlights of our trusty driver behind us!!

Unfortunately, we couldn't complete the day with the runners as they had escaped the cold and darkness, but the feeling of achievement as we pulled into Darjeeling Station was unforgettable. We may not have beaten the train, but we had mastered the climb, seen some unforgettable sights and raised money for a fantastic cause.

Richard:

Drunk in control of camera - the driver that is!

I amaze myself at how much a smell when I run.

However the plus side is I am a machine and definitely carried that team. The lazy buggers.

(the above was written by my very good friend Philippa Murphy who will be 38 on Saturday and is not now getting her birthday present and she snores!)

In the morning mist heading to Siliguri Junction

What an amazing adventure. I'm writing now having had a couple of drinks – this whole region was deemed alcohol free 4 days ago but we've managed to find a hotel that has met our needs!

We started on the plains and finished in the mountains, the people and the country changed dramatically but we stuck together and every one of us finished what we started out to do. What a team, we looked after each other, we had a fantastic time and we made the finish line. For the record the runners made the finish line first but everybody finished. I think we would all agree this was much harder than we at first thought but inspiration came from the rest of the team and the country.

We were here to raise money for Railway Children and we saw some of the poor young children that some of this money we hope will help. It never seems to amaze me that these children always have a smile on their faces even though their circumstances are dire.

Finally I'd like to thank everyone who sponsored and donated money for our cause you really are donating to a worthwhile cause – your generosity will ensure that children who need help receive it.

What an adventure, I'll remember this experience for the rest of my life, thank you all and I look forward to our next experience.

Nick:

My particular challenge was to run the full 55 miles (88km) in two days from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling. I woke up at 2.40am on the big day, sat up in bed and said 'Oh S**t, what have I let myself in for.' I didn't get back to sleep, needless to say, with this temporary loss of confidence. I started at NJP at 5.40am, with Richard who kindly accompanied me to the Siliguri City limits. The first part of the run was along the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway itself. This was one of the highlights of the run; feeling fit, no aches and pains, weather cool and running along the railway, dodging trains and human faeces in equal measure. Needless to say the pace was fast, egged on by Richard, with me needing to show him who was boss – I was to pay later for this misplaced early machismo.

Nick after meeting the others at Ghum

Richard and I parted company at Darjeeling More and I carried on towards Sukna, leaving behind the dust and heat of Siliguri, which was replaced by beautiful tea plantations in the early morning light, the green of the tea plants contrasting with the dusty brown of Siliguri's streets. Sukna came and went and the fun started with the beginning of the incline which would continue up 7,000 feet all the way to Ghoom, some 40 miles away. Very quickly I found myself in dense forest with the views of valleys and the mountains becoming more and more beautiful as I climbed the mountain. This was it as far as I was concerned, and what I had had in mind for the ten years since I had the idea of running the Darjeeling Himalyan Railway. The road and the railway are inextricably bound together, crossing each other at numerous points up the mountain. As I continued, the day got progressively hotter with me drinking over three litres of my water/apple juice/salt concoction and bottles of water I bought along the way over a 4 hour period.

Eventually I reached Chunbhatti (21 miles out) after about 41/2 hours running. I looked such a sight that one of the residents asked me in all seriousness, 'Sir, are you in trouble?' The rest of the team arrived, kindly congratulated me on my progress and we then returned to The Cindrella Hotel for a major carb intake. I needed to make Mahanadi (about 31 miles out) by the end of the day. The minibus returned me to Chunbhatti in the early afternoon for me to resume running. On leaving Chunbhatti my troubles started with my left hip and hamstring starting to really hurt. The sun went in and from having been very hot, I started to feel cold with a real possibility of rain making my spirits drop. That said, the welcome from all the people along the route was really uplifting. Countless smiles and 'Namastes' from people in each village, and even the dogs – my big fear – being reasonably well behaved despite the peculiar sight of a foreigner running up their mountain.
By the time I was 3 miles from Mahanadi, I thought I would have to stop, with my leg hurting to the extent that I was dragging it more than using it to propel me forwards. My spirits lifted when our minibus came into sight and Raju, the driver's mate ran alongside me for company. I had a pretty significant encounter with my stomach in the bushes by the side of the road before reaching Mahanadi as dusk approached. The minibus then took me up the mountain to Kurseong where I was to stay the night at Cochrane Place hotel. Good banter with Raju and also with the taxi driver, arriving at the Cochrane at about 7pm, elated at still being in one piece and still in the game. Good food and then bed in my running clothes as I had no luggage with me, and then sleep, having broken the back of the run – 31 miles out of the 55 miles under my belt. Phewww!!!

The next day I had a lie in (for me), and got up at 6.45 – I was feeling pretty confident again and felt the last 24 miles would be a doddle, forgetting the pain of the day before and the fact that I still had just about a whole marathon to complete – uphill.... Matters started to go downhill, literally, when I went back down the mountain in a taxi from Kuersong back to Mahanadi which I had reached the night before. I had forgotten how far it was. The taxi went down and down and down, eventually reaching Mahanadi after about 45 minutes.

Wearily I started back up the mountain; while the views were beautiful my leg problems were back with a vengeance. On reaching Keursong for the second time, I went to a roadside pharmacy and swallowed 3 very large and flourescent pink looking pills which claimed to be Ibuprofen. I carried on, dodging dogs which seemed to become more vicious the higher up the mountain I went. That said, people became more and more friendly as I went further into Gurkaland. I reached Ghoom at about 2pm, and was taken to a tiny reastaurant by one of its older – 76 years – residents for lunch of dumplings, known as Momos. After we said goodbye I had to wait for the runners to reach Ghoom who were doing the journey in a relay over one day. Ghoom is the highest point on the route, some 7,400 feet above sea level. Consequently it's pretty cold up there, and as I did not have any change of clothes with me and my running clothes were wet from my running I started to get pretty cold. I took refuge for about an hour in the station toilet/waiting room for the others.

From Ghoom, it's an easy downhill to Darjeeling, just 3.5 miles on. The relay runners joined me in Ghoom and we flew down the mountain carried by the high of knowing that we had achieved something really quite remarkable.

So how do I feel now that I and the team have achieved our challenge? Well pretty proud to be honest. There were times when I wasn't sure I was going to make it, and I really had to dig deep to continue, probably the deepest as far as physical endurance is concerned. I was also essentially on my own during the two days, with the relay runners and the cyclists in their groups. That made responding mentally to the physical challenge harder, but ultimately more rewarding, as I was able to prove to myself that I could rise to the challenge unaided. But there were also some wonderful moments which will stay with me.

Nick beating the train into Darjeeling

I am also proud of the money we have raised for the Railway Children, which will go towards helping children like some of the children we encountered on this trip. I have not been in India for 13 years, and while the country is undoubtedly richer than when I was lived here, depressingly little of this new found wealth has found its way to the poor: the daily grind and precariousness of the existence of the rickshaw wallah, the small stallholder and workshop worker seem as real today as they did back then. That has made me sad, but has reinforced to me that we were right to raise money for people who suffer very real hardship. Maybe it's futile, a drop in the ocean, but even if it stops and makes us think, that's got to be a good thing.

Fran:

Wow, what a breathtaking day! With amazing team spirit on the 'Fun-Bus' I managed to run far more than I ever expected to (un-trained). The climb make me feel like an asthmatic without her inhaler after only 20 uphill steps, but a bit of self-bullying did the trick! “Deploy the Yetti!” became my cue to disembark the 'fun-bus' and get running, this phrase will ring in my ears for a while I reckon! I'm happy to report that my fear of dogs and children has been cured...but unfortunately replaced by a fear of wild, red-faced, camera pinching monkeys!! Bring on the next challenge!!! :)

Fran with the Monkey Stick - to beat nasty monkeys

I'd just like to add that although I have no straighteners, hairdryer, hot water or soft bed I am thoroughly enjoying myself and can't wait for the next challenge.

Martin:

The Hill Cart Road is a seductive proposition. Paul and I started at the station at New Jalgapuri and felt like film stars!! In our cycle gear and with our flashy bikes three interested locals turned into 15 , then a huge throng was around us examining our bikes, brakes, computers, helmets and gear. Whilst they were friendly we decide waiting another 20 minutes for the train to depart may be a bit daunting so off we went after a quick snapshot of the station sign of we were. Weaving our way through the chaotic rushour traffic was a colourful, noisy, dusty and fume filled 20 minutes. But in a way actually easier than London traffic as everyone just gets on with it.

Babcock at Darjeeling Station

Given our early start we popped in to see Theresa at Siliguri Junction so as not to be seen to have jumped the gun (Ha - see later!). Luckily for her we woke her up as she may have missed the train and the whole experience

Once clear of the throng the road opens out with the most glorious trees and tea plantation either side. Brilliant sunshine and loads of tree shade and a dead flat road with a great surface we were off at about 17mph. I actually began thinking this was a bit of a con for all the people we had told we were going on a harsh endurance event. Sweeping into Sukna station, a pretty little place we spotted our driver as pre arranged. A quick stop just to check all was ok we were off again, about ten miles already under our belts. The road kick up a little here, but dropping a couple of gears we still swept along at pace. But just then the road decided to give us a reminder of where we were. The first of 132 unmanned level crossings came into view, a barrier at least 3 inches high both sides and a rut in the middle. Our rhythm was broken for the first of many times during the day, having to stop and walk the bikes over the crossing, then get up to speed again. I had actually been feeling pretty rough at the start, finding by legs dead and my head muggy, so I though hmm what is the rest of the day going to be like as we knew this was the easy bit? For the next couple of miles the crossings came thick and fast, we dismounted at some and risked a bike crossing on the less fearsome looking ones. By now the road had begun to throw in a steep incline as well, I was now already in next to bottom gear and we were down to 8mph between crossings. But then the road opened up and we settled into a great rhythm – same gear, 8mph, heart rate steady at 155 and just glorious sunshine.

By 15 miles in we were settled again but Paul was felling rough, by now I had got through my early problems with the help of a protein bar. So I led out and Paul hung in. We pressed on to Kurseong, where the road decided the teasing was over. The road surface now deteriorated, washed out by the monsoon rains of October. A leg sapping combination of potholes, loose shale, level crossings and narrow roads meant bottom gear and 6mph, and stops for oncoming lorry traffic. And the relentless, unforgiving upwards push of the road had us overheating, and using energy at a worrying rate.

Paul had to stop as he had now developed a stomach complaint. The first of a couple of 'bog stops' thankfully it helped him feel better. The scenery was unbelievable, ravines and gorges and the overwhelming green of the lush forest. In the distance we could hear the sound of the train as it blew its horn, as it inexorably gained on us through the day. The easy miles of the trip to Sukna seemed a distant memory.

Paul and I pressed on and we started to realise the train was going to catch. And so it did at Kurseong, sweeping serenely past as we were just remounting our bikes after a cup of tea and cheese sandwich.

At 4 miles below Ghum I hit the wall. All of a sudden my legs stopped working and it had become a mist wreathed landscape, cold and cloying and very, very hard work. Down at 5mph in bottom gear I ground on praying for the summit. But the road is unforgiving. In 40 miles of ascent there is one 40m flat section and two 40m downhill sections. And when you think it must level off, it doesn't. A rejuvenated Paul had got cold and pressed on to the summit at 7,400ft at Ghum. At last I joined him and we then sped down into Darjeeling. Until we hit the next potholes that is!! By now our wrists, bums, legs, everything hurt. It was dark by now and we came upon the station unexpectedly. With horror we hammered on the brakes as the others were waiting and we had missed the 'fun bus' as we later found they had dubbed it. So in the pitch black Paul and I rode back up the mountain to find them. Nearly coming off several times in the darkness we failed to find them so turned again. Ast the car we found a text message to say they had waited, but after dark had to get to the hotel to recover (and the right thing too). So Paul and I freewheeled the last 100m to the platform, crossed our last level crossing and shook hands.

An unforgettable and awesome experience and quite the hardest thing I have ever done. But not a bad thing to achieve on your 49th birthday!!

Maybe we didn't best the train, but we beat everything the Hill Cart Road could throw at us and had a great time in the process..

Philippa:

Philippa on the track. We didn't run on it often, only when vehicles cut corners.

WOW!

WOW! – What an amazing day

WOW! - What a great team

WOW! - What stunning views

WOW! - What a huge amount of pain!

The day was phenomenal. Even I managed to wake up at 04:45 feeling great and really excited. It was still dark when Richard, Fran, Patricia and I packed up the fun bus with all our luggage and trucked off to New Jalpuri station. The day was breaking as we walked down the platform to our chosen start line; after a few photos, the loco over the tracks from us sounded it's horn and we were off! (Not sure the horn was actually for us but we like to think so!). Richard, Patricia and I trundled off down the side of the track – no protection required trackside here... The first 3 miles was along the tracks and then through town as the sun was rising and life in NJP. Siliguri was gathering pace to the full on frenetic industry that is and Indian town on a week day picking up pace. We saw some goats in coats and people going off to the market. A young man cycled alongside us asking us where we were off to, the conversation going something like this:

Him: Where are you going

Us: Darjeeling

Him: You do know there are trains going to Darjeeling?

Us: Yes thank you

Richard: Yes but this is more fun!

We left Richard at Siliguri Jn and he ran the next 5km through town. I jumped out the fun bus and did a wonderful 8km stint which started through the tea plantations tinted with the early morning sunrise up, passed the pink station at Sukna and to the start of the uphill. The start of MUCH uphill! Through the jungle. Running alone, with perfect blue skies, beautiful huge trees, birds singing and warm sunlight was a truly memorable experience. Sadly it came to an end but thankfully really as it started to get even more steep and hot! We were relaying it so I had a bit of a rest and then a massage from Fran (laying on the plastic carpet of the bus was not the most salubrious of massage areas but it felt like the best one of my life!) I then did 3 more legs – one lovely and up through the lower Himalayan colorful villages – but the down point being where an old lady pointed and laughed at me which was not such a motivating moment! However the people were lovely – very friendly and cheered us along. The last long leg was tough – 4 miles and my right hamstrings, glutes and Achilles were starting to cramp up. I had to bring the dreaded Ipod out for a bit of John Mayer motivation which worked a treat.. Then we kept on trucking and I did my final leg which was a 2 km run into Ghum.

It was cold and grey by the time we got there as it was 7000ft but as I ran into Ghum I saw Nick who had made it to the summit – it was so exciting having us all there at the summit of such a mammoth adventure. We all had a cup of chai and then run the WONDERFUL downhill leg which was a welcome relief! We came into Darjeeling town as the schools were turning out so we dodged the school run jeeps and the well turned out kids as we made it to the finish. We just beat the train in although this is in dispute for the handicap!

Either way an amazing day and such a wonderfully tough but great experience – a day I will remember for the rest of my life.

Patricia:

A fantastic day and I'm so pleased my left knee held up to this – a few twinges on the downhill from Ghum to Darjeeling but apart from that it was great. Bring on more uphill challenges I say!

Patricia - great fun!

The day couldn't have gone much better to be honest. Fran (affectionately aka the Yeti), Richard, Philippa and I alternated the running throughout the day – generally in the order of R, Ph and me and Fran in between every second person. I think I did over a half marathon but I'm not sure by what margin. We'd started the challenge thinking that we'd try and break it up into even groups of 10km, then we discussed 6 miles then 5 miles then 5kms, eventually we just went with it on the day, generally doing slots of around 5-6kms depending on the distance between stations. We really needed a GPS and managed to not have anything with a distance counter between all of us. The track markers were definitely not miles or even rail miles as we know them so we used the road markers more.

The morning start (leaving the hotel at 5am and starting at 5.40) was perfect. The mist was still around and the working day was starting to crank up for the majority of people. It was great to leave NJP station and run alongside the track for that first part and then gradually start running into more populated and busy parts. The highlight of that portion I have to say was the wee goats in coats – just so cute at about the size of small cats. I hope they're not destined to be someone's dinner or shoes one day. It felt a bit weird though to run around in full sports kit (Runners Need should set up an Indian store, there must be significant brand recognition already) and at most was an occasional laugh or a wry raised eyebrow but mostly just people saying hi and lots of children giggling and waving. After the first stage that we ran jointly, Richard led us out of town and then Philippa took over, taking us to the first part of the hill stage. It's great to do it in a relay actually – while other people are running, you're in the bus stretching and rolling The Stick, buying crisps and bananas, applying sunscreen and generally having a laugh with the others on the bus. It was great! The support from the others when you're out there running made all the difference. The bus would drive in lurches, generally waiting behind and then passing the runner to wait ahead. The shouts and whoops from the bus were motivating as were the bottles of water and lots of photography to capture the event.

My first proper leg started about a mile before Rangtong station and ended around Chumbhati station – pretty much leaving from where we'd met Nick after his first 4 hours the day before. It was good actually and I felt pretty great, breathing was fine and the constant uphill wasn't a problem. I was slightly worried about the monkeys though – whereas I've been so excited about them that I almost jumped out of the bus on previous days, it wasn't quite the same to turn the corner and see Extended Monkey Family having lunch on the road. They hissed and screamed at me so there was a Bolt-style 100 metre dash somewhere in that first leg! The views were stunning – just fantastic scenery and very lush. We got higher and higher but it didn't feel that bad running at all. The roads at the lower part of the whole trip were much better – generally smoother and wider so cars and 4x4s weren't a problem. It was only later in the trip we'd encounter the roadworks, narrow single car roads and was it my imagination or did cars seem to be going faster the nearer to the top we got?

The second leg from Gayabari to Mahanadi was HOT, HOT, HOT. Oh my God was it hot. Apparently I was dripping, I do recall sunscreen in my eyes (felt like about 30C but no idea what it was really). That part was very exposed and no trees for shade. The only westerners we'd seen were two French guys on those reclining cycles and they were going at the same pace as my running. Not very friendly though, I tried to say hello when I was running behind one of them but it wasn't met with anything similar.

The rest of the sections are a bit of a blur – we kept them shorter as the closer to Ghum we got, the harder it seemed. My breathing was absolutely fine, but my legs felt heavy, but as soon as you stopped and started again it was fine – no idea if it was altitude or just being tired. Those last few sections we broke into small bits of around 2kms which were much more manageable. Getting to Ghum was great and seeing Nick, looking fantastic and even better than he'd looked the day before (with the exception of a slightly rolling gait) was just amazing. I bow down to his ability and tenacity! He's since revealed he's hanging onto a toenail by a thread of skin, but it's a small price to pay for running 88km.

From Ghum, after a warming chai tea round, we ran into Darjeeling (arrival at 15.15), which was all downhill. Probably the busiest part of the trip, with the exception of Kurseong town – both had lots of traffic and people to contend with. Somewhere in the planning for the trip we'd talked about meeting up a mile out of the station and then making that last mile journey to the finish all together. It half happened! We runners waited patiently on a corner just before the sation for the train to arrive with Theresa on it and then dashed to the station to meet her on the platform when she finally got in at 16.40. Then was the deliberation regarding the cyclists. We hadn't heard from them, it was getting dark and we were VERY cold. After more chai tea in Darjeeling station we decided to head to the hotel and hope they were okay. Of course they were! They got to the hotel about 18.15, walking like seasoned horse riders but thrilled like the rest of us, that we'd actually and finally done it. Martin and Paul drew the short straw I think, when I was running there were times I was glad for little steps to get over the pot holes and rails.

Thoughts and memories? It seems wealthier the closer to Darjeeling you get, a real contrast from what we left in Siliguri and Delhi. People are dressed better, houses are more sturdy and better kept, cars get better, the dogs begin to look more pet-like rather than street dogs and there seems to be a big gardening culture up here. Everywhere there are pots of flowers (marigolds seem to be popular) and people seem to make much more effort to have a smart and tidy garden where possible.

I could stay in Darjeeling for another day, but unfortunately we leave tomorrow. Today we ate, ate, ate and wandered around the markets. The vegetable stalls are the highlight, so much fresh, fantastic and attractive produce that I just cringe at the thought of Sainsbury's or Budgens' selection when I return to normality next week. I also got blessed while walking through the market. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar was walking through with his followers and he touched me on the head.

BTW – the Swiss Hotel where we're staying!! NO heating (last night we were all almost dying of cold) and a dribble of a shower. Crushing after such a brilliant day. I'd also been thinking about how much I'd enjoy a red wine for most of my way up the mountain. However apparently as of the 7th of November, Darjeeling and some of the surrounding areas have gone dry as a result of some political issue with Bengal and the paying of taxes for alcohol. So, there was no chance of a toast for Martin's birthday, nor our combined achievement!

Hopefully we'll get a chance to toast the trip in Delhi tomorrow.

I'd definitely do this challenge again (Nick is up for doing the 88km in one day!) and I'd recommend this part of India to anyone. It's fantastic team building, the money raised is so worthwhile (thank you all) and it's an experience which so far tops the list of my running races.

Market goods!

The first part of Nick's journey!

2009-11-09T06:55:00.004Z

Nick did an amazing run from NJP - completing 21 miles, a large proportion was a steep uphill (from Sukna to Chunbhati where he finished) in 4 hours. It included 5 mins of extracting some chai from a roadside vendor, later on a can of coke, eating all his bananas and downing 3 litres of water without peeing. And wearing cotton clothing. Truly a feat!

We're now back at the hotel having lunch before Nick will return to Chunbhati where he finished in order to do another 10 miles this afternoon. Tomorrow he'll start in Mahanadi and finish with the rest of us in Darjeeling!

For the cyclists - Martin and Paul, they have uncovered some challenges in advance of tomorrow. The track gradient isn't representative of the road gradient, so some parts are steeper than expected and the frequent "level" crossing of the 2ft track will mean getting off the bikes and walking over - even the van struggled.

Having seen the amazing views, the tea plantations, very cute monkeys in the trees and such lush trees, Richard, Pip, Fran and me are really looking forward to the run tomorrow! It's just stunning. The weather is hot (Fran: getting hotter) but in the shade it's fine. We plan to probably run in bursts of 10km each, although we're going to start and finish together.

We saw two trains on their way up - both diesel and packed with people!

There'll be two support vans tomorrow - one for the cyclists and one for the runners. Lots of water on board and a few bunches of small bananas.

Patricia

Nick's early start (Monday)

2009-11-09T02:36:00.001Z

This morning Nick started his endeavour of his 54 mile solo quest for the summit. He is planning on doing just over half of the railway route today, with the remainder tomorrow while the rest of us trudge our way up.

Nick and Richard at NJP station

After a night of yet another curry, we set off at 5.00am to New Jailpaiguri station where the Toy Darjeeling train starts its own run to the summit. The sun was just rising through the mist/smog and in the half light parts of India that in the daylight look quite tawdry suddenly look quite charming.

It was the time of day when there are few people about, those who were were taking a few moments to commune with themselves and nature, on the edge of the road.

Richard accompanied Nick for the first 5 miles while the rest of us yawned in the bus. Locals took absolutely no notice, I guess not much is a surprise in India!

Nick and Richard about to be passed by a man with a stick out for his morning walk.

We're keeping track of Nick's progress today, after another fabulous breakfast of indian curries and chapati.

Pip has just woken up and made it to breakfast! Martin and Paul have just got back from a prelim cycle in advance of tomorrow.

Patricia and Theresa

Miscellanous entry

2009-11-09T02:20:00.000Z

The album cover. Philippa with backup: Paul, Patricia, Martin, Theresa

Well, I must say I was very impressed to find TWO universal plug sockets in my room, wayhey!! You'll be glad to know that i've got my note book and dictaphone and am taking notes of rediculous quotes of the week such as " We may have tickets for the train ,but it doesn't mean we're allowed on the train" and " Your curry looks like dog poo Martin".

Me, No Messin' on the track

Fran

Cows everywhere!

2009-11-08T13:01:00.002Z

Kingfisher Time!!

2009-11-08T12:59:00.000Z

After literally trains, planes and automobiles, we have finally made it to our hotel and completed Phase 1 of the trip. Whilst the train journey from Calcutta to NJP was fantastic, and a real experience of India, the simple luxury of a shower in the hotel was bliss!
A brief reccy at the start point of NJP station today was merely the prelude to more important matters - the first cold beer of the trip. A couple of Kingfishers later and the 2-day journey seems long ago already. A ricksaw ride back to the hotel tested the fitness of the locals and gave us a brief glimpse of about 1/2 mile of the 55 mile route we will be following.
Currently ensconsed in the hotel bar having a team meeting, supported by the readily available Kingfisher.
Preparation is everything!
Paul

Transport - Siliguri

2009-11-08T11:59:00.000Z

HOT HOT HOT!!

2009-11-08T06:03:00.000Z

Feeling like i have not packed the right running gear for Tuesday now as it is really quite hot here! Hoping that as we go up in altitude the temperature will drop a fair bit.

It's very exciting - the guys are putting their bikes together - hopefully there will not be an 'ikea' moment of not enough screws and bolts at the end....

I had my first night sleeping on the sleeper train - BRILLIANT! apart from the guy next door to us having a hacking cough - nice....

Next stop SIliguri town (cold beer seems to be in short supply which is a shame given my insatiable thirst for it!) for a bit of lunch them hopefully we'lll get everyone to go to a wildlife park nearby for some elephant and maybe tiger spotting.... or some nice exotic looking birds at least!

Pip

In the beginning

2009-11-08T05:33:00.000Z

Well, an adventurous start. The flights went without a hitch then with a major effort from Nick and Martin we boarded the overnight train to Siliguri. The highlight so far was Calcutta which is a mass of people, noise, colour and chaos. The markets around the station were something to behold, not many Europeans to be seen but an absolute eye opener. Managed to sleep for 8 hours overnight on the train and awoke just before getting off near Siliguri. We arrived at our very luxurious hotel and I had a shower for the first time since leaving on Friday. It's now 11am on Sunday and we've just had a team meeting to finalise our details at breakfast. A bit of sightseeing and having a look at the route for the rest of the day then a stretching session!!!!! Onwards and upwards.
Richard.

At Heathrow and ready to go!

2009-11-07T07:44:00.001Z

Richard, Paul, Martin, Philippa, Patricia, Fran and Theresa

DHR station map

2009-11-06T10:13:00.000Z

The main day

2009-11-06T09:52:00.001Z

The actual day that the main even is taking place is Tuesday 10 November!

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For a good idea of what we'll encounter

2009-11-05T19:43:00.001Z

This is quite a good YouTube video of where everyone is going: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmBA8puAGTg&NR=1

I don't see much road to run on!

PFG

Packing!!

2009-11-05T19:28:00.000Z

Who's idea was it to take a bike!!!!! too late now, packed up after an hour and a half of effort, lets hope it gets there in one piece..

Mind you it weighs a bloody ton! so hope it gets onboard.

Less than a week!!!

2009-10-31T17:28:00.000Z

Hard to believe that this time next week we will be cutting across Kolkata in 32deg heat to catch the overnight train to New Jalpaiguri. Have just finished my last training ride, hope to keep fit between now and a week's time!!!

Have the challenge of disassembling my bike and packing it into the travel bag tomorrow that should be fun.

Still at least the rest is done, third Hep B jab yesterday, Visa back, and all planes, trains, cars and hotels booked - just have to get there now!

M

More about the challenge

2009-10-05T13:22:00.002+01:00

Thanks for taking the time to visit our blog. The Railway Children charity works in India, the UK, East Africa, Russia and Latin America, and has been reaching out to street children around the world for more than a decade.

Their primary aim as an organisation is to change the lives of children living on the streets. They make a real difference to vulnerable children every day.

We are a bunch of like minded, and quite probably mad, individuals who are travelling all the way to West Bengal so we can chase a train almost 90km up a mountain!! Going to take us 2 days to get there!! Theresa is probably the most sane as she is travelling on the mountain railway, the hare so to speak. Nick, Philippa, Richard, Patricia and Frances are going to run in relay, and Paul and Martin are going to cycle all the way. Nick must be the maddest as after his lead leg he is going to carry on running and complete the whole distance over two days.

Your support means a lot to us and will help Railway Children to keep on their great work.

About the railway
The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) connects the plains of West Bengal at New Jalpaiguri with the hill station of Darjeeling. On the way, it passes the most breathtaking scenery and climbs to a height of 7400 feet at Ghum (the highest station in India and the second highest in the world), from where glimpses of the magnificent Mt. Kanchenjunga are visible on clear days. It runs for a total of 88km through the foothills of the Himalayas and climbs a total of 2,100m. But never mind engineering feats and how long it took to build, feats of endurance and how long it takes to get there is the matter - the chase is on!!! So we plan to chase the railway by foot and on cycles – to see if we can beat the 7hrs and 15 mins that the trusty steam locomotive takes to haul its narrow gauge carriages up the mountain.

The challenge
So the challenge is quite simple really – chase the train up the mountain! And see which really is the quickest way to the top. The plan is to arrange a handicap so the first runner will leave at about 07:00 from New Jalpaiguri on the first leg of the run. The run will be done in a series of legs. Meanwhile the train will depart on its scheduled journey to Darjeeling at 09:00. About 10:00 the cyclists will set off in chase of the train and the runners, they will do the whole route as one leg. So we now have the runners chased by the train, chased by the cyclists.
If we get the handicap right we should see a grandstand finish at Darjeeling station at around 16:15 with the runners, cyclists and train racing into the station.
Theresa will travel on the train for good measure.
And just getting there is a challenge! Overnight plane to Calcutta and then overnight train to New Jalgaipuri, arriving over 30 hours after we leave.....

Further information
There is some excellent information on the Darjeling Himalayan Railway and the Railway Children Charity, including videos, on the web. The Trainz computer simulation on youtube of part of the route is particularly interesting.

Suggested sites
http://www.dhrs.org/
mms://stream.unesco.org/culture/nhk/DARJEELING_HIMALAYAN_RAILWA.wmv
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darjeeling_Himalayan_Railway
http://www.railwaychildren.org.uk/