Blogs from West Bengal, India, Asia - page 69

Kolkata is submerged. Everywhere you look, huge swathes of pavement lie hidden under water that's neither brown nor green, turning parts of town into a no-go area for those of us too wimpish to stride through the stagnant mini pavement ponds. Journey from London reasonably uneventful. Surpisingly security light- I wasn't searched or anything, tho was aware of the occasional random check going on around me. We landed at about 5.15am this morning, and after a few hairy moments waiting for my little rucksack to make its debut performance on the carousel (actually, it was more than a few moments!) I left the airport to find it pissing down. Managed to locate the cab driver that the hotel had sent, and here I am. This morning, after a couple of hours kip, went and found the ... read more

Forgot it was Indepence Day here in India. Arrived in Kalimpong today 15th August, West Bengal after a few places in Sikkim, was searching for a hotel, but all fully booked. After 1 hour and a dozen hotels I settled for a nice double with onsuite for 2 pound fifty. Anyway spent a night in Darjeeling again cause I was told it was the only place I could get a permit for Sikkim. Atrrived at the Foreign District Registration Office for a permit on Friday at 4.02pm. Read a notice on the door that said open Mon - Fri 9am to 4pm. Damn, I'm gonna have to wait two days I thought, but then the a guy that was still in the office said, oh you can get one at the border. Oh, I've come 50 ... read more

Well we have now been in the wonderful India for 3 days, and thus far we are loving it! We are in Kolkata (Calcutta) staying at the finest hotel I have ever seen, rediculous actually. (dont worry Brady we are just it is very reasonable!). Anyways, the people are incredible. In comparison to China there seem to be many more people everywhere, which is amazing in itself since we thought China was a busy place! The food is so good that we can feel ourselves expanding but cant help but savour every bite. Nothing but good things to say so far. That is all for now... we are off to enjoy more scents and sweets (Kolkata is the sweet capital of the world, no wonder we are in heaven!). ... read more

Leaving Nepal I had one of the more surreal experiences of the trip : walking through the no-man's land of pastures that stretches as far as the eye can see, I spoke Spanish to a Nepali guy...... weird!! The Indian immigration were stereotypically frosty and and a bit slow. The bus ride from the border was stereotypically hot, cramped, and a little more than we'd expected. Nevertheless, we found ourselves a jeep and hauled our asses up the hill to Darjeeling. Situated in the West Bengal Hills, Darjeeling is a quaint little place that was once a summer retreat of the British. These days it is full of rich Indian Tourists all dressed up to the nines, despite the ridiculousness of elaborate saris in the rain. We got lost our first night, and most places were ... read more

Hi All, Sorry again for the long delay. But this one is a biggie. After spending a week laid up in Manali, hobbled by stomach pains, I was dying to get moving. My gut had made a fairly miraculous recovery after a bold self-diagnosis and subsequent self-medication. I had about two weeks left before I had to fly home to New York, and what had once seemed like an infinite span of time for my travels suddenly felt very crowded. I had one more place that I dreamed of seeing in India. You see, I have always been a lover of tea, and India, as you must know, has one of the best environments in the world to grow it. Of all the places in India that produce tea, perhaps the most distinguished and romantic is ... read more