Batasia loop
[Please do NOT use this photo anywhere else without my explicit written permission. Such use would constitute a violation of the law and prosecution will be pursued vigorously.]
I hate having to use ugly watermarks, but this photo has been stolen and put on too many other places without my permission!
Photo narrative:
There is a narrow gauge "toy train" that runs from the plains to the town of Darjeeling (yes, where the famous tea comes from) in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains, in the northen part of the state of West Bengal, in India.
In 1999, UNESCO declared the Toy Train and its tracks a "World Heritage Site." After a ride aboard the Toy Train in 1895, Mark Twain is said to have remarked, "The most enjoyable day I've spent on earth is of mixed ecstacy of deadly fright and unimaginable joy."
It's a 80 km (50 mile) ride through some of the prettiest landscapes in India -- a journey that takes about 7 hours, and climbs from the plains to an altitude 6,800 ft.
In one section of the journey, the train climbs almost a 1,000 feet in a matter of minutes at this "Batasia Loop," where the tracks spiral around over itself through a tunnel and over a hilltop.
Kanchenjungha, the mountain in the background, looks close. But, it is about 75 kms. (47 miles) away as the crow flies!
Currently (as of August 2006), this is the most interesting photo for each of the following tags: "India", "West Bengal", "Darjeeling", "Batasia", "Kanchenjunga", "Railway" and "Toy train".
As of September 2006, this is the most interesting photo for the tag: "India".
Batasia loop
[Please do NOT use this photo anywhere else without my explicit written permission. Such use would constitute a violation of the law and prosecution will be pursued vigorously.]
I hate having to use ugly watermarks, but this photo has been stolen and put on too many other places without my permission!
Photo narrative:
There is a narrow gauge "toy train" that runs from the plains to the town of Darjeeling (yes, where the famous tea comes from) in the foothills of the Himalayan mountains, in the northen part of the state of West Bengal, in India.
In 1999, UNESCO declared the Toy Train and its tracks a "World Heritage Site." After a ride aboard the Toy Train in 1895, Mark Twain is said to have remarked, "The most enjoyable day I've spent on earth is of mixed ecstacy of deadly fright and unimaginable joy."
It's a 80 km (50 mile) ride through some of the prettiest landscapes in India -- a journey that takes about 7 hours, and climbs from the plains to an altitude 6,800 ft.
In one section of the journey, the train climbs almost a 1,000 feet in a matter of minutes at this "Batasia Loop," where the tracks spiral around over itself through a tunnel and over a hilltop.
Kanchenjungha, the mountain in the background, looks close. But, it is about 75 kms. (47 miles) away as the crow flies!
Currently (as of August 2006), this is the most interesting photo for each of the following tags: "India", "West Bengal", "Darjeeling", "Batasia", "Kanchenjunga", "Railway" and "Toy train".
As of September 2006, this is the most interesting photo for the tag: "India".