The initial placement of the Bishop is between the Knight and the King on one side and between the Knight and the Queen on the other side of the board. Be aware of the location of all the other pieces because this majestic chess piece has limited movements and can be taken out of the game easily.

The Bishop chess piece moves only diagonally as far as the end of the board or as far another chess piece. He has access to only half the squares of the board because of his diagonal moves. This means he has control over half the squares that the queen has which means he has only half the power of the Queen.

The Bishop is more powerful in endgame positions due to increased open lines and less pieces for the Bishop to maneuver around. Keep him hidden until the last moves of the chess game. He can be a very powerful influence at that time. Using two Bishops together can be a great team.

Unfortunately, the Bishop can lose a move while a Knight never can. Used as an advanced tactic, it is advantageous for the Bishop to avoid this tactic or use it to his advantage. Losing a move means using one unnecessary extra move which would prove to give the opponent an edge to win.

The Bishop can, along with the other long range pieces, pin or skewer (thrust) an opposing chess piece while a Knight never can. This advanced move is an attack against a major piece when that piece is in front of a lesser piece and the major piece has to move to prevent his capture. The lesser piece is captured instead.

The Bishops ability to attack is limited. At times he is inferior to the Knight because of the ability of the Knight to leap over other pieces. Opponent pieces can determine where a Bishop will go whereas a Knight is not hindered by other pieces as much. The advantage for the Bishop not being able to leap is that the Bishop is not put in precarious positions. In order to jump a piece the Knight has to be right next to that piece. There is a chance of capture. Using the Bishop in advanced moves is difficult, but easily practiced.

The more experienced chess player knows how to use the Bishop very effectively. The Bishop can be a strong defense because of its diagonal moves to defend his king in castling by making a more fortified area that the King can hide in.

The Bishops and Pawns can work together. Set up a Bishop and his Pawns so that they can hold the enemy Pawns for your Bishop to attack. If your Bishop is on the white squares, put your Pawns on the black squares where the Bishop cannot go. Then let the Bishops Pawns hold the enemy Pawns. Pawns cannot go back so they can be held easily. This is called fixing enemy pawns.

Do not underestimate the power of the Bishop as it has the ability to change the fate of the game. Using the Bishop is a great strategy when you understand it. Since this is something experienced chess players use, beginners need to be aware of this strategic piece early in their games.

The honey bee (Apis mellifera) lives in colonies of many thousand individuals which live in a hive (an artificially constructed ‘nest’). There are three types of honey bee: queens, drones and workers.

Queen. There is only one queen in a hive. She is the only bee that can lay eggs. She is fed by the workers. She is mated by one of the drones and stores his sperms in a special sac in her body. This supply of sperms lasts for her lifetime.

Drones are male bees. Their function is to fertilise the next queen when she hatches. They do not collect nectar or pollen but are fed by the workers. There are only a few hundred drones per hive. In winter they are expelled from the hive.

Workers are female bees but they are sterile, i.e. they cannot lay eggs. There may be 20,000 to 80,000 workers in a hive. Among other duties, the workers construct the honeycomb using wax secreted from glands on their abdomens. The combs consist of an array of hexagonal ‘cells’ into which eggs are laid or nectar and pollen stored.

Eggs laid by the queen in some of these cells develop into larvae which are fed by the workers until they become pupae. The workers then put a capping over the cells until the adult bees are ready to emerge.

Workers’ duties. The workers carry out a sequence of duties as they become older. At first they clean the hive by removing dead larval ‘skins’ and dead bees. Later they start to feed the larvae on nectar and pollen. After 10 to 12 days their wax glands become active and they build the cells of the honeycomb. In about three weeks, the workers leave the hive and go foraging for nectar and pollen from flowers. They take these products back to the hive and store them in the cells.

In today’s politically correct (PC) world, everything is under review for potential offensiveness. While I find such witch hunts of offensiveness offensive, I would like to offer a brief argument of why the game of chess may come under the scrutiny of the “PC police” and be banned.

First, let me give the disclaimer that I am myself an avid chess player, and have been for 50 years. It certainly helps develop strategy and mental skill. But upon reflection, and with tongue slightly in cheek, I must admit that the game entails some troubling subliminal messages, which the PC police need to carefully consider.

The most obvious problem is that chess is inherently racist. Black versus white is not something we should be encouraging in a racially tense culture. And, of course, white goes first, which is something I would think is disturbing to people of color. It’s like sitting on the back of the bus. It’s another form of white supremacy.

On the other hand, white going first suggests that whites are more aggressive than blacks. The board is set up with everyone’s pieces in line, with total peace on the playing field. And then the whites attack. Every time. The message is that being white makes you the aggressor.

And aggression is an important part of chess. I once tried playing chess with a computer and tried not being aggressive. It was impossible. Aggression is built into the game. It’s a game of war and conflict. It trains the player to look for ways of defeating the opponent, not ways of making peace.

As with all wars, there will be casualties, usually to pawns. Pawns are also the weakest pieces. You would think that a kingdom should protect its most vulnerable and weakest citizens, not send them to war to be sacrificed like, well, like pawns.

And it’s all to protect the king. You can have all your pieces, but if the king is taken all is lost. Everyone, including the queen, is sacrificed if needed to save the king. Of course, this unquestioning subservience to a monarch is very undemocratic, and even fascistic.

It’s also misogynistic to assume that the queen must die for the king. Shouldn’t the king protect his queen? What happened to chivalry?

Of course, the queen is more powerful than the king, since she can move in any direction any number of spaces. The king is only limited to one space at a time. He clearly has no superiority of form or function. There is no good reason why the queen should be sacrificed for the lesser king. This is pure paternalistic clap-trap, and perpetuates gender discrimination. I suppose the queen must also wear a bra and high-heels as she goes around the board saving her good-for-nothing husband.

And speaking of gender, what sex are the pawns? When they reach the other side of the board they can be exchanged for any piece, including a rook, bishop, knight or a queen. But usually they become a queen. Does this mean they are female pawns? Do they undergo gender reassignment when they reach the other end of the board? It seems pawns are gender neutral, or at least gender confused, until they decide what they want to become. Do we want children playing chess to wonder about their gender as they move down their board of life? Should we be telling boys that queens are better than kings? This kind of gender-confused message could cause pubescent children to get into a lather.

As for male role models, kings are really pathetic. All they know how to do is fight. They are unable to stop the war in which they are perpetually engaged. Two kings can’t even approach one another. No negotiated settlements are allowed. Each king is solely focused on himself, a royal narcissist who runs to his castle to hide behind some pawns at the first sight of a threat. He is ruthless, willing to send everyone to their deaths if need be. He is a selfish brute. Is this really the kind of leader we want boys to emulate when they grow up?

Chess also promotes Christianity over other religions. Notice that there are only bishops on a chess board. What’s up with that? What about using ayatollahs or rabbis instead? Maybe one side should have rabbis and the other ayatollahs. Or how about protestant ministers versus Catholic bishops? Of course, all this is objectionable to agnostics and atheists, who may prefer counselors instead of bishops. Maybe it should be astrologers versus scientists? Clearly, more diversity is needed here, and the Christian monopoly on the bishop piece is offensive and hateful to non-Christians. It probably promotes Islamophobia, as well.

And how about the impact of chess on stupid people? Winning at chess is considered by many as a sign of intelligence, and losing at chess suggests that your opponent is smarter than you are. This win-lose game reinforces insecurities in stupid kids, who get turned-off to chess because they lose all the time and instead decide to play video games. Many of these video games are violent, and teach these dumb kids how to be violent.

Chess is therefore a “gateway game” to violence. This means that stupid kids playing chess may someday be profiled as potential criminals. Stupid chess players are thus a threat to national security, while profiling them as potential criminals is a threat to our freedom. It’s sort of a stalemate.

Today’s world is different from the past world that spawned this game of chess. We now respect all religions as equal. We don’t think the world should be run by bloodthirsty, selfish kings, and think queens should be able to rule without a king. We insist on pawns having more say in what happens, since “Pawn Lives Matter”. We don’t want to refer to losers as losers, since that can hurt their feelings and reinforce their sense of being losers. And if a king decides to become a queen, that’s okay, too.

Clearly, chess just doesn’t cut it anymore in our new, PC world.

Ants are insects that live all over the world and are one of the groups of insects who live in organized colonies. Scientists estimate that ants have been living on the earth for more than 100 million years. Most ants are omnivores and eat fruit, seeds, other insects and honeydew. Ants have an average lifespan of 45-60 days but some worker and queen ants live longer. Ants are normally 2- 7mm long with 6 legs and each leg has 3 joints. Ants can lift as much as 20 times their own body weight.

The brain of the ant has about 250,000 brain cells, which is the largest among all the insects. As compared to humans with 10,000 million brain cells, a colony of 40,000 ants is same as a human. The combined weight of all the ants in the world is approximately the same or greater than the combined weight of all human beings.

Ant colonies consist of males, females and workers. Each colony has several million ants. When these colonies become too large, winged males and females fly to a new location and start a colony. The male and female ants mate in flight. The queen ant after laying eggs and starting the colony sheds her wings. The life span of a male ant is smaller than that of a female ant. A queen ant mates once and uses this sperm for years to produce thousands of offspring.

Ant colonies have elaborate social structures in which various activities are divided among different ants. Depending on the kind of work that these do, they appear in different shades of green, blue, purple and yellow. A yellow ant focuses on cleaning while the orange ant takes care of young ants and the new eggs produced by the queen ant. Ants keep their nest very clean and have special chambers for garbage and dead ants. The queen ant lives for many years and produces a chemical that workers lick from her body informing them that the queen is healthy.

1. Seasonal activities of the bees

Bees can make honey only during the warmer months when there are a lot more flowers blooming and there is plenty of pollen for them to feed on, but during the cold winter months there is less honey produced by the bees. Bees like humans can sense the changes in weather and environment.

2. The life of the bees as compared to humans

Bees have lives very much like that of the humans. They organize themselves and their work according to their designations and have a method in all that they do. The only difference between the queen bee and women is that the queen bee is permanently pregnant with her first nuptial flight and stays in her hive producing eggs until the sperm runs out. The queen bee mates with 2 or 3 drones and this impregnates her for the next two or three years. The queen bee lays around 2000 eggs per day and lives for around two years after her period of producing young is over. After this a new queen takes over the hive. Mating is seasonal and the pattern differs from one species of bees to another.

The queen bee, like the dignitaries among the humans, is protected by worker bees and drones who keep buzzing around her to protect her from any kind of harm. These worker bees and drones will give their lives to protect the queen bee. The queen bee’s buzz is very different to that of the other bees and is a high pitched buzz. The other bees recognize this sound and keep swarming around her constantly.

3. Close knit colonies of bees

The entire bee colony is working towards a single goal which is to protect their w queen, bring up the young and make honey. Their final deliverance from all the hard work is their death, which they sometimes bring on themselves by the never ending work that they do. The queen bee also lives only to continue the linage and lay eggs to multiply the numbers in their colony and their hive. Most of the bees in the bee colony are females, but only one will make it as the queen. Beekeepers still find the ways of the bees and their behaviour a mystery and never really fathom the life of a bee. Technology and science is trying to learn more about the colonies of bees and maybe learn a lesson or two from them in living together compatibly instead of working at cross purposes in the same family most of the time.

Origin of the three types of bee. The workers build three types of cell. Worker cells predominate. Drone cells are fewer and slightly larger. Queen cells are still larger and quite different in shape. They are made singly and often project from the base or surface of the comb.

The queen lays indiscriminately in all these cells but the eggs in the drone cells are unfertilised and develop into males. The eggs in the worker and queen cells are fertilised and develop into females. However, the queen is fed a diet different in quantity and quality from the workers diet and, as a result, develops into the only fertile female.

The queen produces hormone-like substances called pheromones or ‘queen substance’. These play a vital part in suppressing the egg-laying propensities of the workers. Wherever the queen goes, she is followed by a crowd of workers who feed her and ‘lick’ her body with their probosces and so absorb the pheromones.

Swarming. When the size of the colony reaches a certain stage, usually in Spring or Summer when the nectar flow is at its greatest, the queen and a great many workers leave the hive in a swarm. The swarm comes to rest in a great cluster on a tree branch or similar situation. Scout bees, who may have left the hive some days before, seek out a suitable situation for a new nest and return to the swarm and communicate this information, whereupon the whole swarm moves off to the new site. Meanwhile, in the old hive, one of the new queens hatches out, mates, and takes over the colony that is left.

“The one land that all men desire to see, and having seen once by even a glimpse would not give that glimpse for the shows of the rest of the world combined.”- Mark Twain (American Writer)

Darjeeling; the portrayal of this entire province is confined to not many figurative words. A blend of majestic mountains, tempting tea garden and tiny toy train, this is how we envision the mainstay of dazzling Darjeeling. Being one of the most explored hill stations in the state of West Bengal, the picturesque panorama of the Himalaya in Darjeeling woo number of visitors from all around the sphere. On a bright sunny day, you can catch a sheer glimpse of the Himalayan range and Tiger Hill, which further offers you a spectacular vista of the majestic Kanchenjunga. Based upon the magnificent sight that a bystander can experience from Darjeeling, the place has been crowned as the “Queen of the Himalayas.”

Before taking you on a ride to the land of scintillating Darjeeling, let’s take a look around the culture, people and custom associated with the place.

An Overview:

Literally, there are two words ‘dorje’ and ‘ling’ that compile the name of Darjeeling wherein, the word ‘dorje’ indicates ‘thunderbolt’ and the word ‘ling’ signifies a place. Thus, the word Darjeeling in particular denotes a place of thunderbolt. Nestled at an elevation of more than 2000 meters, the scenic environs of Darjeeling district is the prime means of tourism industry in the state of West Bengal.

If you plunge into the decades back history of Darjeeling, the place was taken over by the British in 1835. During that period of time, a deed was signed between the British and the Chogyal monarch of Sikkim. The then Darjeeling was merely a land full of thick bush and an abode to the tribal inhabitants. Moving ahead with time, the blend of soothing climate and serenity of this beautiful terrain was well-admired by the British. As a result of which Darjeeling was further transformed into a sanatorium and a settlement for the British troop. Further, post independence the district became a home land to various immigrants from the places like Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal and Tibet.

The original inhabitants of Darjeeling are the Lepchas, who are basically from the Mongolian source. They speak ‘Rong-Ring’ language. By religion the Lepchas are mostly Buddhists. In addition, you will also notice many other tribes here who have adopted Christianity and Hinduism. Thus, a rich variety of cultural and religious diversity can be observed in Darjeeling that harmonise the blend of Gorkhas, Tibetans, Christians and Hindus. Besides, the presence of multiple immigrants has added a mix of religious faiths, arts, crafts, traditional songs and dances in this undulating region. This is why you come to witness a variety of festivals that are celebrated here with equal gusto. Some of the popular festivals of Darjeeling include Buddha Jayanti, Dasain, Diwali and Loshar.

Akin to its various religions and traditional practices, different languages are also spoken here by the multiple immigrants. Hence, in Darjeeling you may find people speaking languages like Nepali, Bengali, English and Hindi.

Apart from the scenic grandeur of Darjeeling, this popular hill station of West Bengal also tempts visitors for its scrumptious ethnic foods. Due to diverse origins and cultural variations, you will get to taste here various lip-smacking Tibetan, Bengali and Nepali platters. Some of the local snacks and drinks that you can’t afford to skip in Darjeeling are Tongba, Churpee, Momos, Naga Platter, Sael Roti, Thukpa and Channg. And last but not the least, the famous Darjeeling tea without which your trip to Darjeeling will remain incomplete. So, make sure you don’t skip a sip of revitalizing Darjeeling tea.

Climate:

The terra firma of vibrant tea estate and relaxing climate make the presence of visitor here quite delightful. Summer hits the region in the month of April and it lasts here till June. During summers the weather condition in Darjeeling is not that hot and humid. The temperature that time climbs maximum up to 250C. After summer, Darjeeling is encircled with monsoon, which lasts here from July to August. During monsoon, intense rainfall here refrain the visitors from enjoying a blissful time. Hence, monsoon is not considered as a perfect time to pay a visit to Darjeeling. Moving ahead with seasonal climate, winter enters the region in the month of late September or early October and it continues here till March. During winter the overall ambience in Darjeeling turns absolutely freezing with the mercury drops down up to the level of -2 °C.

Best time to visit:

Unlike plains, the summer is not that scorching here. So tourists can spend a relaxing vacation in Darjeeling from March to May. Another appropriate time to visit here is from October to November when the weather is quite favourable for visitors with clear sky offering an enthralled vista of Kanchenjunga snow peaks.

Places to visit in Darjeeling:

Darjeeling is laid out with galore of opportunities for sightseeing along the captivating Himalayan ranges and dotted tea gardens. Breath-taking view over the soaring Kanchenjunga gives you an absolute getaway from city’s hustle-bustle. Besides its alluring nature, Darjeeling is equally a paradise for exciting trekking trails. Let’s explore the worth visiting places in Darjeeling:

Tiger Hill

Stand tall at an elevation of more than 2,500 meters and situated nearly 13 kms from the main city, Tiger Hill is unquestionably one of the major tourist pullers in Darjeeling. The site is famous for its pinnacle point i.e. Ghoom from where one can witness the spectacular panorama between Mount Everest and Kanchendzonga. Tiger Hill also offers you a charismatic sunrise view amidst the mountains. On a clean sunny morning, you can capture a mesmerising vista of some adjoining peaks like Kokhtang, Rathong and Kabru. One more appealing peak near the hill is Phalut, which offers an exciting trekking trail to the adventure lovers. Following this route you get to reach another stunning location, which is Singalila National Park. Thus, Tiger Hill is an awe-inspiring destination for experiencing the prettiness of nature as well as the thrill of trekking.

Ghoom Monastery

Situated nearly 8Kms from the Darjeeling city centre, Ghoom Monastery is another nearby attraction for tourists. There is a 15 ft high statue of ‘Maitreya Buddha’ at the entrance, which grab the attentions of visitors to a large extent. Ghoom Monastery is the largest amongst three other monasteries at Ghum area. This Monastery was built way back in 1875 by Lama Sherab Gyatso. In the monastery complex, you will also come to notice a blend of religious bells, drums and ornate thanka.

Batasia Loop

Located around 5 Kms from Darjeeling, Batasia Loop is an absolute paradise for nature lovers. This place is popular for a magnificent garden that encircles the narrow gauge track for Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, which is a UNESCO World Heritage rail network. The trains are operated here using the original steam engines. Your trip to Darjeeling remains incomplete unless you take a joyride from Darjeeling town to Ghoom. Kids enjoy the joyride here to the fullest.

Batasia Loop is delimited by various vibrant flora and lush environs. Spread with an area of around 50,000 square feet, the spherical track here allows the Toy Train to make a complete round loop. Apart from the circular loop, the site also boasts a blend of eco garden, eateries and Gorkha War Memorial. Visiting Batasia Loop on a bright sunny day may offer you an astounding panorama of the Kanchedzonga range.

Senchal Lake and Wildlife Sanctuary

To reach here, you need to cover nearly 11Kms distance from Darjeeling. Positioned near the Tiger Hill at an elevation of nearly 8512 feet above sea level, Senchal Lake offers you an amazing vista of soothing nature surrounded by a tranquil ambience all around.

Apart from the major Senchal Lake, this site is also popular for hosting one of the oldest wildlife sanctuaries in India. Established way back in 1915, Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary is the home to a rich verity of endangered flora and fauna. Some of the important species of animals that can be spotted here are Himalayan black bear, Assam macaque, barking deer, leopard, cat, flying squirrel, monkey and wild pig. Spread with an area of 40 square kilometres, Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary also boasts several species of birds. Senchal Lake and Wildlife Sanctuary is thus an offbeat destination in Darjeeling that can be rejoiced by the visitors of all age group.

Happy Valley Tea Garden

People who have grown up in Kolkata or any other places around the state of West Bengal must have tried a sip of famous Darjeeling Tea. Nestled around 3 Kms from the main city, Happy Valley Tea Garden is a worth exploring site in Darjeeling. Set up in 1854 with an expanse of 437 acres area, this oldest tea estate of Darjeeling offers you an interesting opportunity to witness the actual process of tea manufacturing. In order to grab this amazing opportunity, make sure to be there all days a week except Mondays. Nevertheless, the best time to reveal the plucking process of tea leaves here is from March to May. If you are a tea lover then Happy Valley Tea Garden is a must visit for you. Nothing could be as charming as witnessing the tea manufacturing process before you try a cup of refreshing Darjeeling Tea.

Observatory Hill

Darjeeling offers you several zenith of mountainous range. Observatory Hill is one such hilltop, which is one of the oldest sites in the entire district. On scaling the peaks of Observatory Hill, you will come to view the snow-clad Mount Kanchenjunga. This hill site is also known as Makal-Babu-Ko-Thaan where the Bhutia Busty monastery used to be situated once. Today, Observatory Hill is visited for catching a glimpse of Mahakal temple. This hill garbs the equal attention of both Hindu and Buddhist followers.

Mahakal Temple

Positioned atop the Observatory Hill, Mahakal Temple is one more exotic site in Darjeeling, which is visited by the people of all sections of society. This place showcases a harmonious blend of Hindu and Buddhist cultures. In the temple there lie three gold plated idols of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar. According to mythical tales, it is believed that way back in 1782 the trio have manifested themselves at this site. As a result of which, the site has been transformed to a popular religious centre for tourists and Hindu devotees. Every day, plenty of Hindu worshipers step into the shrine complex to offer their deep reverence to the idols of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwar. A blend of holy hymn, Buddhist scriptures, sound of bells and colourful flags takes the entire ambience of the holy shrine to a different level of serenity. While heading towards this temple, be watchful from the mischievous monkeys that roam around the temple complex.

Himalayan Mountaineering Institute

If you are an adventure lover and want to enrich your knowledge on mount climbing, Himalayan Mountaineering Institute could be the place for you. Established in 1954, this institute was built in the memory of Tenzing Norgay who has climbed the Everest just a year before this institute was set up. There is a boarding school here that provides training to the mountaineering students. In addition, you can also explore some other attractions here including a museum, souvenir shop and eatery. A climbing wall has also been constructed in the institute campus for training purpose. There is also an auditorium, which was setup here for exhibiting movies, lectures and workshops on mountaineering.

Love Road

Are you looking for a romantic site where you can go for a soft walk holding the hand of your partner? Love Road may be the right place that you are looking for. Popular as an absolute hideout for couples, Love Road takes you through a refreshing walkway encircling the Birch Hill. If you are in Darjeeling for honeymoon purpose or seeking a perfect date with your soul-mate, visit Love Road, which is one of the best romantic places that will gift you some adorable reminiscences that you can cherish forever. So if you are mingle and still looking for a perfect hideout amidst breath-taking nature, look no further.

Rock Garden and Ganga Maya Park

Just 10 Kms away from the main city and you find one more worth exploring site in Darjeeling. Rock Garden and Ganga Maya Park are two amazing tourist pullers amidst the hill station. Rock Garden is also popular as the Barbotey Garden, which offers you a scenic beauty of vibrant plants, carving benches from the rock and Chunnu Summer Falls. The actual splendour of Rock Garden can best be revealed during monsoon when most of the flowers start blooming with their arresting appearance. Moving 3 kms ahead of Rock Garden, you come to explore Ganga Maya Park, which is another stunning nature park dotted with vibrant species of flora, greeneries and lively lake.

Japanese Peace Pagoda

When in Darjeeling, you can expect lot many pagodas and spiritual monasteries. Established way back in 1972, Japanese Peace Pagoda is one such major pilgrimage in Darjeeling for Buddhists. The white architecture of the spiritual pagoda boasts a massive prayer room, which is designed to offer the visitors an ambience of tranquillity and peace. The Peace Pagoda was constructed under the guidance of Nichidatsu Fujii, who was a famous Japanese monk. Here, you can also witness the four avatars of Lord Buddha. The sound of prayers and drums inside the temple complex set a new height of divinity. This is one of the sought destinations that you can’t miss when in Darjeeling.

Well, the attractions in Darjeeling are not merely confined to the above cites locations. The beautiful hill station of Darjeeling has galore of nature parks, lakes, monasteries, pilgrimage centres, museum and cemetery. The diverse range of attractions in Darjeeling seems to be never ending. And unless you visit there individually, you run short of words to portray the actual exquisiteness of Darjeeling.

Hence, when in Darjeeling do count on some other attractions as well that include Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park, Rock Garden, Nightingale Park, Singalila National Park, Sandakphu Trek, Bengal Natural History Museum, Tibetan Refugee Self Help Center, Bhutia Busty Monastery, Dali Monastery, Samten Choling Monastery and Yiga Choeling Monastery, Dhirdham Temple, Aloobari Monastery, St. Andrew’s Church, DHR Ghoom Museum, Tenzing and Gombu Rock, Darjeeling Old Cemetery etc.

Things to do in Darjeeling:

After exploring the natural abundance around Darjeeling, it’s time now to get in to some outdoor activities. Apart from its scenic beauty, let’s see what else keep you attached to this enchanted hill station.

Trekking:

There are several rousing sites in Darjeeling that will offer you some amazing trekking opportunities. Some of the popular trekking trails for adventure lover in Darjeeling include Singalila range, Phalut, Singalila, Sandakphu, Goechala and Dzongri. So what are you waiting for? Take your trekking kit and emerge out your daring persona amidst the steep trails.

Ropeway

How about crossing the miles over a Cable Car along spectacular greeneries? It gives goosebumps right away, isn’t it? Darjeeling Ropeway adds more thrill to your trip by offering you an excellent opportunity to catch an elevated vista of dense forest, tea estate and blocks of tiny houses. The entire valley looks quite miniature from the ropeway. This is one of the fabulous experiences that you must try in Darjeeling.

Shopping

Voyage is always incomplete without bags full of shopping. There are several shops and stores at Nehru road and Chowk Bazaar that bring smile to the faces of every shopaholic. Some of the key objects that you must purchase from the stores in Darjeeling are handicrafts, Thankas paintings, home decor, clothes, travel books and authentic tea leaves. In addition, you can also try some mouth-watering local dishes here that will meet up your gastronomic needs to a great extent.

Getting there:

Darjeeling is one of the favourite hill stations for honeymooners, weekenders and adventure freaks. Hence, plenty of visitors flock here from all around the globe to witness its picturesque vista. If touring Darjeeling is in your next travel plan, here comes the convenient ways to get there with ease:

By Air: For air travellers, the nearest airport is Bagdogra, which is situated nearly 94Kms from the main city. Numbers of renowned carries like Go Air, Indigo and Spice Jet regularly ply to Bagdogra from the places like Guwahati, Delhi and Kolkata, which are also well-connected to other major destinations in India and abroad. From Bagdogra airport, hire a cab or get into a shared taxi to travel further. By road the distance between Bagdogra and Darjeeling can be travelled in 3 hours.

By Train: Travellers with train as their prime means of commutation can travel till New Jalpaiguri (NJP), which is situated around 62Kms from the main city. NJP station is well-connected to many other destinations like Guwahati, Bhubaneshwar, Delhi and Kolkata. From NJP, number of jeeps and taxis can be hired to reach Darjeeling in 3 hours. In addition, toy trains are also available at NJP or Siliguri that will reach you to your destination in approximately 7 hours.

By Road: The road connectivity to reach Darjeeling from Kolkata (around 634Kms) and Siliguri (around 70kms) is quite convenient for travellers. There are regular buses, shared taxis and jeeps that you can avail to reach your holiday destination from the proximate locations. Apart from Kolkata and Siliguri, Darjeeling is easily accessible from its adjoining places Kalimpong (around 50 Kms) and Kurseong (around 31Kms). From these locations you will find several Darjeeling bound private vehicles. People planning to reach Darjeeling by road from Gangtok can get into the bus, which runs regularly from Gangtok to Darjeeling. The picturesque panorama and mountainous roadways make the road journey more happening for travellers.

Places to stay in Darjeeling:

Tourism Industry is the mainstays of exploring the terrain of Darjeeling. Starting from majestic mountains to spiritual monasteries, visitors rush to this beautiful holiday destination frequently. Hence, finding a wide range of comfortable staying options in and around Darjeeling is not a fuss for visitors. Considering the frequent footfalls of tourists all round the calendar, most of the hotels and lodges are established here inclusive of basic amenities.

For a pleasant stay, some of the comfy hotels are listed here for you:

Pahari Soul

46 Hill Cart Road, Dali, Darjeeling, India 734101

Charges: INR 700 (approximately)

Sinclairs Darjeeling

18/1, Gandhi Road Darjeeling India 734101

Charges: INR 3500 (approximately)

Hotel Yuma

5, Laden La Road, Darjeeling India 734101

Charges: INR 2200 (approximately)

Hotel Hill Crown Retreat

11, J.N Mitra Road, Chowk Bazaar, Below Sree Mandir,

Darjeeling, West Bengal 734101

Charges: INR 1800 (approximately)

Hotel Mount Meridian

9 Robertson Road, Darjeeling, West Bengal 734101

Charges: INR 2000 (approximately)

Excited? You must be lured by the depicted peaks of the Himalayan range and the widen tea garden. Believe me, the best excitement can only be felt once you explore the destination in person. Look no further, plan your next natural escape to the land of dazzling Darjeeling and share your exciting travel tale with your buddies. The Queen of the Himalayas is just a plan away from you.

Happy travelling!

Wait a second, if I become a beekeeper how do I get started? I have a thousand questions and no one to answer them. We are going to look at just ONE of the topics that plague new beekeepers and that is what do I need a package or a nuc of bees.

When my friend and business partner, and I, started off in beekeeping we were, I believe, ill advised. It was recommended to get packages. Knowing what I know now, this was a mistake. Today, I would say spend the extra money and get a nuc.

Option one, a nuc. What is a nuc? A nuc is a nucleus of a hive. A small colony of bees reduced from a standard eight or ten frame hive, placed in a smaller five frame box, with foundation. The nuc contains the queen, nurse bees, guard bees, drones, and workers. A nuc has a laying queen. A laying queen means eggs, eggs must be present so that the workers can feed and raise a queen cell, if something tragic befalls the queen, such as an injury. In this event, the workers choose an egg to raise as the new queen. It’s quite an interesting process.

Option two the package. What is a package? In short, a box of bees that consists of a caged mated queen, and a few thousand worker bees. The caging of the queen isn’t a barbaric practice, it’s a way to keep the queen separate from the other bees who would try to kill her because they don’t know who she is. She was placed in the cage, and in the package just before the package was shipped. As far as that goes, none of the bees in the package probably knew each other before they were shaken into the package. The way the bees get from their hives in the field, into the box known as the package is they are shaken from frames in large hives in the bee yard, into a funnel like apparatus then into the screened box known as a package. Once the proper weight of bees is in the box a can of sugar syrup is placed in the top of the box with the queen in a cage dangling down into the package secured by a piece of strapping. When removing this you have to be very careful not to drop the queen in her cage down into the mass of bees, or someone has to reach down into the bees and get the queen cage out. Why? You will probably get stung a few times while retrieving the queen cage. The queen in her cage is fragile and needs to be handled with care.

Packages are harder to install. Nucs can just be picked up from the bee farmer and transported to their home where they will immediately start gathering food to feed the colony. Packages take longer to establish once in the hive, hopefully the queen will be fine and start a good brood laying pattern. In a nuc this problem is alleviated because the beekeeper has the bees settled into a good climate when you pick them up. The beekeepers job with a package is to get the package into a nuc or honey hive for the “settling in” process to begin. Hopefully, if all goes well they “settle in” before to long and start to work together. In a nuc they are already working together when you pick the nuc up. They are a colony.

In conclusion I believe the nuc, while slightly more expensive, is better for the new beekeeper in the long haul over the package. There is a learning curve and the nuc is easier for the beginning beekeeper, the nuc is established, while the package is not. There are a lot more chances for failure with a package than a nuc!

HIVE a nice day!

In American slang, one of the terms used for toilet is “the john.” Although the phrase “the john” was first used in the United States, the origin of the term can be traced back to its roots in England.

Sir John Harrington

Sir John Harrington was born in 1561 in Somerset, England. He was a member of Queen Elizabeth I’s court and was even identified as the Queen’s “saucy grandson.” He was also a writer and because of his literary works, his relationship with the Queen and her successor shifts in different directions.

His most famous literary work is “A New Discourse of a Stale Subject, called the Metamorphosis of Ajax.” And even though he has established himself as a writer, he is still most known for his invention of the first flushing toilet.

His Family Life

Sir John Harrington is the son of poet John Harrington and his second wife, Isabella Markham. Because his mother was a gentlewoman of the Queen’s privy chamber, he became one of the childless Queen’s 102 godchildren.

It has not been established if Sir John Harrington is related to John Harrington, the first Baron Harrington of Exton. It is assumed, though, that he also belong to the descendants of the Lord Harrington of Aldingham.

John became attracted to the life at the Queen’s court. With his free spirit and his writing talent, he was able to get Queen Elizabeth I’s attention.

His Works

His first popular work was his translation of “Orlando Furioso” by Ariosto. Because of the sharpness of his initial translation, the Queen asked him to leave and not to return until he finished his work. The Queen did not expect him to comply because it was a difficult work. However, in 1591, he came back and was praised for the full translation of the poem.

Before he wrote his most popular work, “A New Discourse upon a Stale Subject: The Metamorphosis of Ajax,” he invented the first flushing toilet in Britain. It was called “ajax” coming from the old English slang for toilet “a jakes.” When he wrote the book, “A New Discourse upon a Stale Subject: The Metamorphosis of Ajax,” he was referring to his invention. However, this work have political allusions which caused him to lose the favor of the Queen.

His Life as a Member of the Court

After the Queen’s death, he spent time in prison because of his cousins debts. Later, King James I appreciated his loyalty and brought him back to his court as a Knight of the Bath.

It is interesting to find out how the toilet got its name. By knowing the roots of a word, students learn to appreciate the value of the invention and the richness of the language.

What is the key to a happy marriage? This is the million dollar question and depending on who you ask you will get a ton of different answers. Some people think the key to a happy marriage is more money. They think if they had more money, their wife could shop all she wanted and they would never have to argue about it.

If they could just hit the lottery, all of their relationship problems would just go away. Let’s think about the more money less problems theory for a second. Would having more money help you out? Probably so, but would having more money solve your relationship issues?

Not likely.

Take a minute to think about the celebrity couples with the looks, the nice big house, fancy car and the perfect love story. These people usually have just as many marriage problems as the folks without nearly as much.

The only difference is between them and us is they are able to go buy some expensive gift to say “I’m sorry” and we cannot afford to do that. These type gestures are simply putting a band aid on a serious wound. The underlying problem still exists and it is usually just a matter of time before the relationship falls apart.

Make no mistake about it, everyone has relationship problems and having an unlimited source of money is not the key to a happy marriage. Put your lottery dreams aside for a second and let’s talk about a few simple steps that actually work to help your relationship.

While you may not be able to afford that five carat ring as an apology for hurting your spouse, you still have the ability to make her happy on a shoestring budget.

How?

At the end of the day, most women are not as materialistic as they may lead you to believe. I am not saying women do not like all the flashy things, but I am saying there are other ways to win her heart. What a woman really wants is to feel appreciated. She wants to feel like she is the Queen of your Universe. This is the key to a happy marriage.

There are a few simple steps you can take to make her feel this way and I will share them with you now.

Pay Attention to the Details

A lot of guys tend to listen to other guys that say don’t worry about the details dude. For example, it is her birthday so you go to the store and buy the first cake you see. It is a red cake with vanilla icing. However you know your wife’s favorite color is blue and she prefers chocolate cake.

You present the cake to her and she does not seem very excited. I wonder why? You missed all the details! Life is all about details. While you feel like you should get a check in the box for getting the cake in time for her birthday, you completely missed the mark by not showing her you cared enough to get her exactly what she likes.

Often the details are what gets overlooked, while you are busy looking for the big ticket items, you have overlooked 100 ways you could have showed her you love her by paying attention to the details.

Let’s move on to the key to a happy marriage tip number 2.

Give Her A Hello and Goodbye Kiss Every Day (No Excuses)

Our lives are extremely busy. We have work responsibilities, family obligations, pets, friends, extracurricular activities etc. It gets very easy to forget about the details at home when you have 100 different responsibilities to take care of. No matter how busy you are, you need to make sure you are taking the time to kiss your wife every time you see her and every time you leave her.

Is this the perfect answer for making her feel like the queen of your universe?

A lot of you may be saying no, this is not a good solution because you kiss your wife hello and good bye every day, but she doesn’t seem to care. When you kiss your wife in the morning before you go to work are you doing it the same way every day? The kiss you give her once you return home from work, is it the same kiss you have been giving her for years? Of course it does not work anymore.

Try picking her up in your arms and kissing her on the forehead next time, or how about giving her a good bye kiss on her neck instead of her lips? I bet you will get a different reaction.

A kiss is free and also sends a powerful message. Pucker up and give her a kiss she will think about until the next time your lips meet again.

Give Her A Night Off Each Week

Is your wife just as busy as you if not more? Is she a stay at home mom? Try getting off from work early one day and surprise her with a dinner or put on your chef hat and cook for her. It does not matter what the food tastes like, she will be blown away that you cared enough to try to cook for her.

Give her a night off from her daily routine at least once per week. Plan out the meal for the day, get the kids bathed and ready for bed. Run her a hot bath and clean up the kitchen while she is enjoying her bath.

She will feel like someone set her up on a mini vacation and it will show her just how much she means to you.

Send Her Funny Love Notes

I know this seems pretty lame to you and it may even require you to swallow some of your pride, but sending your spouse a silly love note is the fastest way to melt her heart. You will be surprised how many times she will read your note time and time again. She might even go as far as collecting them and reflecting on them when times get rough between you two.

Sending her funny love notes is another inexpensive way to back up the words, I love you.

Conclusion

You do not have to spend enormous amounts of money to prove to her she is the queen of your universe. Paying attention to details, giving her special kisses, surprising her with a break, and expressing your love on paper are all simple ways of showing her you care.

And that my friend is the key to a happy marriage.

If you are having trouble with your marriage, I encourage you to check out a review I wrote on the Save My Marriage Course. It has helped a lot of couples get their marriages back on track.