Unexplored Destination: Mirik
Last December, my group of friends from college, decided to go on a trip to Darjeeling. Everything was fine till we realized we couldn’t get our train tickets to New Jalpai Guri confirmed. Since our hotel rooms had already been booked and we just desperately wanted to go for our holiday, we decided to leave for Siliguri by bus. But the question still remained where we’d be staying for the one night when we couldn’t go up to Darjeeling. Finally, a friend of mine suggested that we spend our extra day in Mirik.
To be quite honest, I hadn’t heard of Mirik till that time and I was barely expecting anything from the place. But once we got into the car from the Siliguri bus depot, the very road that led to Mirik, proved to be something out of a fairytale.
Had we not been so cramped up in the TATA Sumo, we could’ve managed to click quite a few pictures of the road that leads to Mirik. Once we’d arrived at our destination, we checked in the hotel Lohit Sagar. Honestly, we couldn’t have asked for a better place to stay for one night. The rooms were charged at a very reasonable price, and we were simply asked to take our food from the adjoining restaurant. Even today, the smell and taste of those amazing aloo parathas remain in my memory.
Once we were done eating, I thought we would be going back to our rooms to rest, for I genuinely believed there were no places to go sightseeing in Mirik. I couldn’t have been more wrong. We were taken for a sightseeing tour by the acquaintance of my friend. Since he’s lived there his life, he took us through the shortcuts….up the mountain, right opposite Lohit Sagar.
Climbing a mountain after traveling in a bus overnight and with a filled tummy is not a joke, but once we reached our destination, the helipad of Mirik, I couldn’t complain. On the way to the top, the sights very amazing and I’ve actually never seen such beauty in my life (until we went to Darjeeling and could see Kanchenjunga from close quarters).
Our next stop was the Swiss Cottages placed at the very top. Though I did envy those would come to stay there for their stay, I changed my mind when I realized it would mean dragging up our luggage as well!
The other beautiful place in Mirik was the Lake. The bridge over the lake made all of us stop and stare for awhile…reflecting quite philosophically. But mostly, we were taken in by the beauty of the place. I really couldn’t help but wonder how we didn’t know about the existence of such a lovely place and so close to our home?
What we did miss out on was the meadow, which we heard was a wonderful place. But unfortunately was also off the route we were following and there wasn’t another day to spare. So the next time we decide to go to Darjeeling, we definitely are going to make a stopover by Mirik. And the next time you’re looking for a quiet and relaxing holiday, in the lap of nature, do visit Mirik. I can guarantee you’ll come back home feeling happy and content. Happy traveling!
Discovered her love for writing at the age of six, and never gave up on the dream to become a writer. She is the author of The Secret Proposal, and is about to finish her Masters degree in Comparative Literature. She loves reading, writing (obviously) listening to songs, and has recently developed a love for blogging.
