I had a terrific weekend touring Darjeeling with Kiran Rai as guide and Dipu Lepcha as driver. We packed a lot of sights into a short period of time but they managed things smoothly so it never felt rushed. Kiran was extremely knowledgeable about everything and gave me a lot to learn and think about throughout the weekend, as we discussed the background of the Tibetan monastery, Buddhism, the tea industry, the politics of the hill country within the state of West Bengal, as well as history of the region from the British Raj to independence to the present day. Dipu did an amazing job driving amidst difficult traffic in Bagdogra and the mountain road to Darjeeling.