Leaving Darjeeling

So today, I thought I would buy my train ticket for Kurseong, finalize my tea purchases, mail my last packages, and maybe take the train to Ghoom and walk back. I later found out this was a little too ambitious.

The day started out slow and didn't leave the guesthouse until 11. I stopped by Goodricke tea to make sure I wasn't getting ripped off at Nathmull's. I had now tried two teas at Goodricke, and either they don't know how to brew tea, are skimping on the amount of tea, or have really crappy water because I haven't liked either tea I tried there.

I resigned myself to the fact that Nathmull's is the place for me. I tried two more teas today. The Pussimbing autumn and Pussimbing spider. The spider was wintergreen tasting to me (my least favorite mint). The autumn was a little sweet and spicy. I had never tried an autumn flush before. When I finally purchased my teas, the owner gave me a 5% discount since I had been in there every day for about a week.

The next thing I needed to do was mail the rest of my packages. I walked to the post office but arrived at around 2:15, shortly after they had come back from lunch. There were 2 other people ahead of me in line plus the man wrapping the packages had two candle waxing jobs to finish. There was a woman from France that was first in line and then a woman from Finland.

The woman from Finland had 5 months off. She was nearing the end of her trip. I guess you get a sabbatical after you've been with a company for over 10 years in Finland. She was traveling all around India. We both had the same sort of feeling in that this country kind of changes you. She said she had been to two weddings and a funeral. Then just recently a ceremony for cutting a three year old boy's hair. There is a sense of community and family here. It's something that the western cultures have definitely lost.

I thought the post office closed at 4 but it was 3. Well, I at least got the wrapping portion done. Tomorrow, I can show up at 9 or 9:30 and pay to mail it. Just as he was finishing up my package, it started pouring rain with thunder and lightening. I would have to walk back to the guesthouse with the package and keep it dry. I had an umbrella and my rain jacket but it was really coming down. As I was waiting for the rain to slow, the power went out. Ok, I headed out.

By the time I got back, my pants from the knees down were completely drenched. The package and my bag stayed dry which was the most important. I'm thinking of going to Kalimpong tomorrow. We'll see if I can get a shared taxi early enough in the morning after I go to the post office.

I actually was hungry when I got back. I put on warm clothes and I headed out to eat. Frank Ross cafe keeps drawing me back. I had two orders of momo's and the masala dosa plus my masala tea. It seemed like the sky was clearing. I was looking for a place to watch the sunset and maybe get a pot of tea and hang out. Next thing you knew, I found myself at the Windamere Hotel. It was one of those British era places. There were two rooms to choose from either the bar area or sitting room with a fireplace. I choose the fireplace room. There was a woman in the room already. I think she was reading. We ended up chatting for about 1-2 hours. She had been in southern India doing photography for a group of at-risk children. She had quit her last job of 18 months. She didn't want to do it anymore and got this opportunity to do something she loved, photography. She is travelling through the end of May, sorting out her living situation, and then planning to do photography for a career. Why is everyone I meet here in some sort of transition?

I told her what I have been up to since I've been here. She wants to go to Sikkim and even has her permits, but can't decide which trekking group to go with. She said one guy she talked to tried to sexually harass her. She's like, you think I'm going with them? I gave her Pasang's contact info so she could contact him. She might be able to go with Allison's family in a few days if the timing works out.

We both talked about how easy it was to do nothing in Darjeeling. That also seems like a common thread amongst travelers. She said we should keep in touch and maybe meet up in the evening after our explorations tomorrow--she was going to Ghoom and I was going to Kalimpong. We exchanged emails.

Roadtrip to Kalimpong!

I actually woke up before 5 and saw a gorgeous sunrise. Then got out of bed for real at 7. It looked like it was going to be nice out today. I left just after 9 and got to the post office at 9:30. There was no line and I mailed the package and got my receipt. Next I walked to the shared taxi stand. Apparently for Kalimpong there is a slightly different set-up. Instead of paying the driver, you go to the booth, pay, and then get a receipt. You show that to the driver before getting on. My taxi was awaiting only one other person after I got on, so we left shortly after 10. This was the first time I had ever ridden in the last row of the vehicle. I thought it might be extra bumpy, but it wasn't. There was a woman with about a 6-9 month old baby next to me. Then I also noticed a couple that didn't want to be separated. They were probably in their late 40's or early 50's. They sat in front of me. We climbed up the hill quite a way. I noticed a sign at elevation of 6800 ft. Then we climbed down quite a way to Teesta. There were many tea plantations on the way down. We saw women in the fields picking two leaves and a bud. Teesta also boasts the river. It was really running fast. Apparently white water rafting on this river is popular. I saw several rapids and the water was a dull green color. The man in front of me that had his arm around his wife mentioned something to the driver. I assumed there would be a bathroom break. This was not the case. When we crossed over the Teesta River to the other side, the driver stopped in the middle of the bridge. Both the husband and wife got out. It looked like they were praying. The woman had a small bag with her. She threw whatever was in the bag into the river. The ceremony was short and they were back in the taxi. She was crying. I teared up as well. Her husband comforted her. All I can assume is that there were ashes in that bag. We continued on.

We arrived in Kalimpong. It was Wednesday and market day. The town's street was so narrow and all the people walking around made it slow going. I was hungry so I went to the Gompa Hotel and restaurant. I had a veggy chowmein. I walked around the town and again I felt too much stimulation. There was so much going on and a lot of traffic. I thought there would be a separate market area but it was all encompassing in the middle of the busy downtown area. There were some good views to be had, but I couldn't figure out where they would be. I walked back towards the downtown. I figured out where I was on the map. Then I went to the Silver Oak Hotel. This was a grand English manor house. It definitely took you back to the colonial era. The hotel staff even dressed the part. The lounging area had hard wood floors and beautiful carpets. There were lamps on tables and comfortable chairs all around. I asked if I could get a pot of tea and sit outside. They had a fabulous garden and the view was finally what I had been looking for. Had the skies been just a little clearer you would have been able to see Kachenjunga from here. I was glad to be away from the traffic and people. It was just over two hours drive to get to Kalimpong and I didn't want to hear horns beeping again for a awhile. When you order a pot of tea anywhere around India, you always get a couple of cookies. I like that.

I hung out for about 1 1/2 hours or maybe 2. The sun was out today and believe it or not, I had dressed too warm and had to take some layers off. I had read in Lonely Planet about a small paper factory near this hotel. I asked about it and they pointed me in the right direction.

It would never be easy to find this place unless I kept asking people. The young school girls kept laughing at me. Then they finally showed me the way. You had to walk down these very steep steps. Afterwards, you had to know which building because there was no sign. I walked in the door. They said come. I smelled this damp, wet paper smell. I don't even know how to describe it. There were all sorts of brightly colored papers drying, hanging from the ceiling. I was led to another room for retail sales. They had all sorts of hand made paper in different sizes, colors, and patterns. They also sold lanterns, diaries, stationery, envelopes, etc. I bought a lantern for my homestay family in Kurseong. Then I also bought 10 pieces of paper with hand made designs that were approximately 4 x 6 inches. The lantern came in this beautiful had made paper briefcase. Thank goodness for that since I still had a taxi ride today and a train ride tomorrow. Without the carrying case, it would have definitely broken in two.

Now that I spent a little time at the store, I was ready to get out of town. It was just after 4. I had been told that you really need to get out of town by 5 because after that you won't be able to find a shared taxi.

I asked around at a couple of places and they said I needed to go to the Darjeeling Syndicate. Like I was really supposed to know what that meant or where it was? Everyone just pointed down the hill. So I walked a little and asked again. I did that about 3 times. Finally someone actually said, it's in the building next to the hotel. So I asked for a shared taxi to Darjeeling and they had me follow them to the taxi. This one again was pretty full. After I got in, we waited for one other person and we were off.

The ride again was beautiful. I wanted to stop so many times to get out of the car and take pictures. We did stop about 1 hour into the two hour drive for about 10 minutes. I chatted with a man from Germany that was traveling around India with a couple from Hyderabad. They were staying in Darjeeling too and came to Kalimpong for the day. About 10 minutes after we started up again, we stopped. There was a woman selling carrots and beets on the side of the road. The driver got some. Then it seemed like everyone else in the car wanted some too.

Another interesting thing about these taxi cabs is that before you start the drive, the driver gets small envelopes, packages, and bags. He acts as a courier, and drops things off along the way.

Just like on the way back from Rimbick, we stopped at the same gas station before hitting Darjeeling. They dropped us off at the train station. I thought there might be a chance it was open and I could buy my train ticket to Kurseong for tomorrow, but it was closed. So I just walked up the hill. I'm getting good at walking the hill now and don't need to stop and catch my breathe. 7000 ft of elevation is nothing.

I got back at 7 and got an email from Katherine that she was planning dinner at the Park Restaurant. It sounded like she was there now. She had taken the train to Ghoom with a Romanian women she met. When I got to the restarant, there was also a guy I had chatted with at Frank Ross sitting with them. He was Quentin from New Zealand. They were all at various stages of dinner. I ordered Pad Thai as it was a Thai place. We ate and chatted. I was starving so I wolfed down my meal. Then the Romanian women left. We went to Joey's Pub but it was too crowded so we went to the Buzz.

There are always plenty of seats at the Buzz. We sat down and split two beers between the three of us. Katherine was buying. We heard about Katherine's excellent housing situation when she gets back. She will be leasing a furnished place one tube stop from Wimbledon. And the owners of the place will be gone for the entire time she is there. Sweet! Quentin will be traveling to the UK from India to visit his family that lives there. He was excited to see them as they had moved away from New Zealand several years ago.

We all talked about being westerners here in India and how it made us feel. I could constantly feel people adding up the costs of things I was spending my money on. I said it bothered me because many people's wages are low here. I was buying things that may have been several times their yearly wages. So I am glad I mailed the things I bought and don't have to carry it around with me. Also people sometimes are just so curious about what we are doing here and want you to come to their homes and are really generous. Others stare at you and want to be in pictures with you. Then there are others that want to take advantage and get as much as they can from you (mostly shopkeepers, taxi drivers). I don't blame them to be honest!

The other thing we talked about is the garbage issue. I said I couldn't figure out why people are constantly sweeping their homes, shops, businesses, yet they throw their garbage out the windows of vehicles, in the streets, in natural places out doors. I think they were trying to explain to me that in India personal space is very important to people and they want to keep it clean. Outside that personal space, they don't care as much. It's almost impossible to think of how the refuse would even be disposed of if the country had a concerted effort to try.

We hung out until 10:30, although I don't know why we didn't get kicked out sooner. Last call was at 9:30 and I thought the place closed at 10. When I got back to my guesthouse they said they were waiting for me and wondered where I was. I felt bad. I mean it's a small place of five rooms, but I didn't know I had a curfew.

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