Things to do on mall road when in Darjeeling

Darjeeling is known for its tea and a fanstastic weather.Mall road is perhaps the place from where most tourists begin their journey of exploring the hill town.You can take leisure walk and enjoying the weather , charm and beauty of this hill station.

1 Enjoy Thupka at Shangri-La

thupka_in_darjeeling

Two things i would like you to taste in Darjeeling in particular are the momos and the Thupka.In the evening the momo stall just infront is keventers on the other side of the road is busling with people.Thukpa is basically soup with noodles in it.Thupka’s Nepalese avatar at contains chili powder, masala (usually garam masala), and noodles with gram and pea soup giving it a hot and spicy flavor.I have tried this recipe at Hotel Shangri-La at Mall Road and it was awesome ! The aroma of  masala’s and the taste of green vegetables in cold climate was mind blowing.

2 Take a Pony Ride of complete Mall Road

darjeeling_pony_ride

Mall road is not only about chowrasta but beyond that.Most visitors don’t bother to explore the areas around Chowrasta because it is always a difficult task to walk around the mall road behind Open theatre.The pony’s come to our rescue.You can buy a ride around the whole mall road covering Bhanu Bhawan , Governor House and Mahakal Market terminating on the right side of statue.

The Pony owners charge Rs 200 for a complete mall road ride which does not seems very expensive.Isn’t it ? In return you get to see wonderful views , unexplored areas around mall and thrill !

3 Sip a Real Coffee at Himalayan Java Coffee

himalayan_java_coffee_mallr

You get to have some nice smelling really strong coffe at Himalayan Java Coffee on the right side of the road towards Chowrasta.This coffee shop is located on the first floor and there is a cloth store below named Shree Collections.

In a noise free wooden ambience the place offers loads of coffee choices for the coffee lovers.It may seem to be a bit expensive for some but the quality of coffee is un-parallel.I tried cafe macchiato and it was really strong and aromatic !

4 Shop at Chowk Bazaar

shopping_in_darjeeling

Shopping on the mall road is a common activity among most of the travelers however it is an expensive market unlike the chowk bazaar where locals shop for stuffs.Chowk bazaar is on the reverse side of mall road towards chowrasta.Woolen items can be purchased at a reasonable prices from Chowk bazaar.

There are also shopping complexes in chowk bazaar named Mahakal Market and Dragon Market.The Bhutia’s near Mahakal Temple can also be tried for woolen stuffs but in my view it is expensive.

5 Trek to Mahakal Temple from Chowrasta’s right side road

mahakal_trek_from_mall_darj

Mahakal Temple is a Lord Shiva temple near Chowrasta and is situated over the Observatory hill.A trek to Mahakal may be a healthy excercise as well as a chance to visit a beautiful temple and snap some pics on the way to temple.