The only time I ever feel nervous when travelling is before a night journey – this time I get dropped off at a large, dirty and crowded Calcutta train station for the night train up past Bangladesh towards Nepal. The train rolls into the station at exactly 11pm and I begin the search for my carriage and bed for the night. Top bunk found, throw up my bags, climb up the ladder and squeeze myself into the space with around 1 metre headroom. Find the cleanest pair of sheets I’ve seen since arriving in India (the blanket as ever looks suspicious) and begin to ponder how I make my bed in such a small space when me and my bags are already taking up the whole bed…

The 11 hour journey passed quickly and on arrival I started to search for a shared jeep for the 4 hour journey north to Darjeeling… I need 9 people to share with…I see around 200 jeeps but they all appear to be empty… I am surrounded by Bengali jeep drivers and taxi drivers who see a white face and smell money and in my attempt to sort the situation out having just got off a 12 hour night train I step squarely in a massive cow pat… … in the middle of a car park outside a huge city train station… India!

The journey was worthwhile.. Darjeeling, at an altitude of 2200m, revealed itself it to be one of the most picturesque cities I have ever seen… the impressive Kanchenjunga (8586m) towering over the buildings which perch perilously on the side of a hill surrounded by tea plantations. I educate myself on tea (the pyramid tea bags aren’t a con after all people, keep paying the extra) and find the most impressive runs yet. I feel like I am in a different country up here – close to Tibet and Nepal – the people are warmer and friendlier and I am instantly addicted to Tibetan fried bread.. don’t ask but hey this is the reason I run!

On my second day I get up at 3am to again find some people on the streets to share a jeep with.. this time to see the sunrise at Tiger Hill – a local viewpoint 500m further up – one of those “must do” activities that I usually avoid like the plague. Note to self: always avoid all such must do activities like the plague. There’s a mass exodus of around 200 jeeps full of people at 4:30am… and i find myself careering up this hill in the middle front seat of the jeep… no there’s no such thing as a middle front seat hence why the Bengali taxi driver becomes increasingly familiar with my right thigh. The views are stunning but with 1000 people and the usual tinny music being played from local Indian’s mobile phones… I fail to appreciate it and I am itching to get back down again.

I return at 8am and go for a run which provides beautiful views and a far better experience.. 2 days later I run the 500m up Tiger hill myself – arriving at 9am after all the sunrise seekers have departed and there’s not one person there. Fantastic. I have my own personal view of the third highest mountain in the world.