A package complete with dollops of romance,
food and the fun of discovering new nooks? the latest on offer
from the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway.
In the new ride that was introduced today,
tourists can savour the romance of a steam engine ride along
with treks in tea gardens? all in seven hours without having
to worry about lunch or how to reach hotels if the return
journey is late. The ride will be on the Darjeeling-Kurseong
route.
We have been allowed to attach a bogie to
the toy train which goes to Kurseong from Darjeeling every
morning. Passengers taking this ride will be provided with
lunch and tea. We will also take them for sight seeing in
and around Kurseong,? said Satyendra Lama, the president of
Joy Travels. The families of all seven promoters of the tour
firm had at one time or the other depended on the DHR for
livelihood.
Passengers in the additional bogie will
have to pay Rs 700 for the two-way journey from Darjeeling
to Kurseong and back. The normal fare is Rs 288. Once in Kurseong,
the passengers will be taken to Makaibari Tea Garden. Eagle's
Crag(a view point) and Netaji Museum at Giddepahar will also
feature in the tour, said Lama.
The site seeing will be on taxis hired by
the tour operator. And in this case, Kurseong not Darjeeling,
will be the focus of attention.
Kurseong has never emerged as a tourist
spot, but we are trying to promote it as one. The idea is
to merge the romance of a steam engine ride with the gardens,
which we think will work wonders, said Lama.
According to an agreement with DHR, Joy
Travels will have to pay for all 10 seats of the bogie on
all days irrespective of the number of passengers. Today we
had only six passengers on board but we will have to pay the
entire amount. The DHR will charge us Rs 288 per passenger,
said Lama.
Loh Sieu Hong, a tourist from Singapore,
inaugurated the bogie today. It was something new and we decided
to take the ride, the woman in her late forties said.
The train left Darjeeling station around
10.45am. We expect it to reach Kurseong by 1pm. The next two
hours will be for sight seeing. If we are late in reaching
Darjeeling, we plan to drop the tourists at their respective
hotels, said Lama.
Courtesy: Telegraph |
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