Claire and Morten Travel Blog in India 2012: 22/03/2012

Movement upstairs started just after 5:00 and predictably I woke up again after a few hours of sleep. It was one person alternating and shuffling between the living room, the bedroom and the bathroom in shoes - eventually the rest of them woke up and started moving around too after 6:00. It was really infuriating and I didn't get much sleep after - even Claire woke up and wondered what was going on.
Finally at 7:30 I gave up and got up and showered - and so did Claire. Just after 8:00 the owners knocked on the door and served us breakfast. I brought up the noise and asked them if we could please have the Deluxe room we had originally booked in the hotel because, as I had read, it was on the top floor (attic). They promised to check but soon returned and told me that all was booked out and that they couldn't even move me to a top floor in the resort because it was all booked out too - but they said that the Japanese people upstairs had been asked to keep it quiet (through their guide as they spoke no English) and would stay only for 3 nights after which the resort would switch us upstairs. I was not happy, but what could we do, short of going on the hunt for another hotel.
We ate breakfast and got out the door just before 10:00 and then went exploring. We first went to Chowrasta and walked around Observatory Hill and saw the monestary on top of the hill too. We had lunch in the Develekas, where we had Tibetan bread, Tibetan Butter tea, steamed Momos with soup and Dumplings with chicken soup - very hearty meal and we were ready for the off afterwards again.
Then we walked across town and saw the Dali monestary by the main road of Darjeeling going towards Ghoom. Then we walked down to the Burpek Palace where we had a quick couple of pictures before walking back into town (up-up-up - very hilly around here!). While nearing the Palace I was actually stopped by a youth who asked me if I wanted to sell weed - I thought I misheard him and asked "Sorry, what?" - "Would you like some Marijuana?" - "Erhm, NO thank you!" ;-)
In town we found a Coffee Day and had an Irish Coffee (non-alcoholic) and a Frappucino. Then we walked back up Chowrasta where we had a quick look at a market and St. Andrew's Church before heading back to Kunga for dinner. This time we had 2 huge big spring rolls and a Chicken Curry with rice - again, big enough to feed a small army. Just after we had ordered the place literally filled up in 5 minutes and two girls from New Zealand and Canada, respectively, came in. As there were no seats available we offered them two cramp together on the bench so that they could sit on chairs on the other side of the table with us. We were speaking with them as we were eating and found out that they were in their mid-twenties, had arrived in Delhi, then just flown to Darjeeling where they would stay for 3 nights before heading off again - ultimately going to a wedding in Mumbai for a friend of theirs from Mumbai who had worked with them on cruise ships.
After the meal we headed back to the resort and into our room. While listening to the goings-on with shuffling feet and shoes upstairs, we had a visit from our male host who arranged for a cab for us to go and see the sunrise on Tiger Hill in the morning - turns out that the Japanese are going too so it's probably a good idea that we sync with them given the noise (we would have been woken up by 4:00) as we will need to depart in the morning at 4:30 to experience the sunrise.
Later he also came around with more firewood for our fire, which was nice - we think they are trying to make amends over the room issue, which is nice of them really.
Then we sat back and relaxed in front of the television before heading off to bed.