Past the clock tower and along this road you'll come to the far end of town. Here you'll find small restaurants and a tiny antique shop next to the Penang Restaurant where we bought a brass meditation bowl and a small silver goddess statuette. Farther along, you'll find Jain Bhojnalaya, our favorite restaurant (maybe too big a word) and, finally, the Toy Train Station at the edge of town. The train leaves early in the morning and there's only one departure, so plan on an early breakfast. You'll know if you're late because you can hear the whistle throughout Darjeeling just before it leaves.

	In Darjeeling, it's always 10:55 -- at least until you walk around to the other side for a second opinion. Time may have stopped here, but life keeps on going. When you pass the clock, you're down at the far end of town.
Just around the bend in the picture on the top of this page, you'll pass the Penang Restaurant. Of course if you're from Penang, like Leela, you may be asked to sit down for a photo. the reason you don't get a restaurant review here is that Leela's a vegetarian and the menu was a bit meaty.
	Just down from the restaurant, however, is this great little teahouse with glossy green walls, brightly ribboned religious posters, perfect pyramids of Indian sweets in the glass cabinet and the best tea in Darjeeling. We became regulars.
Here we are, speaking in the third person, and enjoying another perfect glass of tea. To make good tea, you bring the water to a boil in a pot, thrown in loose tea leaves, let them simmer for awhile and then strain the tea into a glass with just a bit too much sugar. Having found someplace we liked, we never went inside the place next-door; it would been unfaithful. If you go to Darjeeling, go to this restaurant, order a tea and tell them Don sent you. They won't have a clue, but they're friendly enough that they'll smile as though you're making sense.
	Sometimes whims pay off. I'm usually reluctant to stick the camera where it would intrude, but I asked if I could take a picture of the kitchen. Lit by a bare bulb and a small cooking fire, it turned into a photo whose grain -- enhanced by 400-speed film -- added to the rough texture and feel of the interior.
Early morning in Darjeeling. I turned a corner and looked up to this second-story window. It was five degrees the night before and the window was missing a pane. As the family retired, I can picture Teddy being plucked from the warmth of his bed and put to work as a window plug. With its textures, colors, plants, the white bag and the blanket airing in the broken window frame, this window has a painted canvas quality to it and has changed the way I look at all windows. This was one of life's serendipitous encounters. An hour later when I walked by it was gone.

     
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