Up bright and early to get the coach to Delhi Airport. The guy driving must be the most cautious road user in all India. Either that or he is going to get fined for arriving early. Inside the airport it is utter chaos as they try to rush us through check in because we are going to miss the plane. All the boarding cards are issued but there are none for the Watsons. Eventually they sort it out and we make best time to the furthest gate in the terminal while the tannoy is announcing Final Call for our flight. Onboard we are agreeably surprised to be sitting in Business Class. Most of the group are at the back. The flight was less than 2 hours and we emerged at Bagdogra into quite scorching heat - they told us 29C but it felt hotter. Our luggage was strapped onto the roof of our luxury coach and a short bus ride later we were at the Hotel Cindrella (only one e) which is scheduled to be our home for the next four nights. We are greeted with garlands and mango juice.

It turns out that some of the GCIRC train guys are here having lunch so D goes to buy them a beer and hear their war stories. They cannot hang about for long as they need to get up to Darjeeling before it starts getting dark.
The restaurant offers some South Indian specialities such as dhosa and uthapams so a good lunch is enjoyed by all.We then get the news that the plan has changed and that we are going to go up to Darjeeling on Monday, not Wednesday, in order to take advantage of the lack of strikes before it all kicks off again. So no point in unpacking.
After lunch all the men visit the loco shed at Siliguri while all the girls go to the bazaar and a Hindu temple. At the shed there are half a dozen of the legendary B class locos and 3 of the modern diesels. One of the B's is in steam and another is undergoing running repairs. It is wonderful to watch a true craftsman at work. We had a great wander round and also took the chance to walk across the main line ust like the locals.
On the other hand we ladies set off in search of retaill therapy with a visit to the market. Our bus driver and mate set us down on the main drag and we wandered off in the wrong direction. A nice man put us right and we crossed the road, avoiding the general melee into the shops and stalls. I did not find anything to buy as the quality of the merchandise was not great, I missed an opportunity in Jaipur! One of our number made a purchase, a metre of elastic to make a repair, 3 rupees. Off then to the Hari Krishna temple, all marble incense and Hindu deities.
Back at the hotel the day was rounded off with a buffet supper and a couple of Kingfishers - spot on!