Darjeeling Express

I visited Darjeeling after over five years again... and nothing seems to have changed-- same old little town, crowded traffic, honking mahindra taxis, colourful small shops and same old favourite momo and thukpa stalls.

But things were different now... maybe we change. Maybe I have changed. 

I realized I would never come back again.... not with a planned trip. 

I love the popular leisure spot 'Chow Rasta' (Cross roads), the book stalls and coffee shops there... I love sitting there alone, sipping a steaming cup of coffee... all alone... it makes me feel 'whole'.... or maybe myself. 

Things were different then. Maybe I was a student, studying nearby. Today I have two jobs waiting for me back home... concerns about work and bosses bothered me... It wasn't a holiday... it as a contemplation-day and I wondered if I was happy with my life, my career and myself. 

As I blended amid the crowded noisy traffic, and amid the shadows of the structures around...I felt an urgent need to go back home. I felt lost in the strange town. 
The town has not changed. Perhaps, I have changed.