Darjeeling is the legendary British hill station perched in the foothills of the Himalayas. Located in the northern extreme of the Indian state of West Bengal, Darjeeling is just east of Nepal, just south of Sikkim, and a bit west and south of Bhutan. It is most famous for its once magnificent tea estates. Despite a steady and inexorable decline since independence, roughly a half century ago, these estates still produce a substantial portion of the world's tea. For rail enthusiasts, however, Darjeeling is better known for its "Toy Train." This famous narrow gauge steam railway plies its way from Siliguri in the plains below up to Ghoom and Darjeeling in the hills. (If you are interested in steam trains, be sure to visit my Trains Page for links to pictures of South African Steam.) I am a serious Land Rover enthusiast. (If you are interested in Land Rovers, be sure to visit my Land Rover Page which is dedicated to my Defender 110.) It was not long before I began to wonder what strange force was responsible for this super abundance of Land Rovers on the road to Darjeeling. At first glance most of these Land Rovers appeared to be an unfamiliar silver color. I quickly realized that this was because they were devoid of paint, having been stripped down to their naked aluminum. At Kurseong the road joined the railway line. From there it was roughly fifteen miles into Ghoom.With each passing mile we passed more and still more Land Rovers. My new friends from Derbyshire dropped me at Ghoom by the railway station which sits right in the middle of the road. Ghoom is the highest point on the railway line. When we reached the railway station in Darjeeling, I jumped out of the taxi. Everywhere I looked I saw Land Rovers. Perhaps every fifth car was a Land Rover. Fully half of the taxis must have been Land Rovers. I took this as a very favorable omen. Moreover, the air was cool and clear. After the stifling heat and oppressive air pollution of Delhi this was a most welcome relief. The couple from Derbyshire had recommended that I book myself into the Windamere Hotel. This famous institution had first opened its doors as a hotel back in 1939 during the final years of the British Raj. In the preceding half century it had done service as a residence for bachelor tea farmers. Luck was with me once again and even though I had no advance booking, I managed to secure myself a room for the duration of my six day stay. The hotel itself was a series of airy buildings situated on the top of Observatory Hill. The majestic snow capped Himalayas dominated the horizon. The view was quite stunning! During my stay at the Windamere I met many interesting travellers from throughout the English speaking world. Many were either beginning or ending treks through the Himalayas. Some, like me, had come to visit Darjeeling with less ambitious plans. In my many conversations, I encountered a few competing theories regarding the source of the many Land Rovers. The truth, it turns out, is that "virtually every tea garden in Assam, Dooars and Darjeeling used Land Rovers. As they became long in the tooth and were retired from service, they were picked up by taxi operators in Darjeeling for obvious reasons." (Thanks to one of my correspondents for this clarification of history.) And today, 40 or so years later, these machines are kept running by the ingenuity and pluck of their current owners plus, of course, a bit of that traditional Land Rover legacy for durability.