We had thought all along that Darjeeling might be the most enjoyable destination of our mammoth tour and it did not disappoint one bit.  We were there for 4 days and 3 nights but thanks to delays on the trains we actually lost the first day entirely.  Darjeeling was indescribable and probably the most beautiful place we have visited to date.  The streets were clean, the people were genuinely friendly without trying to get something from you and the food available was so unbackward compared to the rest of India, we even had sausage rolls and custard slices, amazing!  The scenery around the area was breathtaking even from the roof of our hotel where you had Khangchendzonga (the worlds 3rd highest mountain) in all its glory.  We also went north into the small state of Sikkim which has to be the cleanest and most environmentally conscious state in all India, such a refreshing change from the needless filth that you witness everywhere else!

After sadly leaving Darjeeling (we'll be back), we hopped on our last overnight train to Kolkata (Calcutta) and were expecting this to be a hellhole, suprisingly enough it isn't, there are manicured gardens, decent pavements, non potholed roads and everything about the place appears to function correctly and efficiently which is more than can be said for Bangalore!  We only had one day and one night here so time was limiting but we did get to practise the slavery of a handpulled passenger cart which we should feel awful about but we tipped them well, these are soon to be outlawed in Calcutta which is the last remaining city in India to have them.