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Published: April 13th 2007
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Mount Kangchenjunga
The highest mountain in India...also the first time i've seen snow in over a year :) I've been robbed. Right in front of my face - my bag was unzipped and my wallet pulled out and quickly handed off to another woman.
The guidebooks are right when they say to really watch your valuables on the trains...especially in Kolkata.
Helga (another volunteer) and i had been in the women's car for less than 5 minutes and the woman with her back to me "adjusted her sari" (aka: was opening my bag) and stole my wallet.
As this happened i felt two things: 1. Why didn't i react when i
knew what she was doing?
and
2. She's good.
Really. I almost feel like she deserved the money (i only lost about $20) because she did this cool Saturday-Night-Fever thingy with her arm and then it was gone.
SO fast...and i watched it happen! The worst part about it was that at the same time, her
other hand was in Helga's bag and, unfortunately, the woman made off with her visa as well! I have never been so careless...i think...
Anyways, we all got off at the next station and she continued to yell in Bengali at me and proceeded to
take OFF her Sari - showing me that she didn't have my things, and at the same time, gave me a detailed anatomy lesson. A reeeaaaaal thorough one. Kind of educational, actually...
OK. I had a plan.
This was it: a) ask politely for the money and card back
eg: "may i have my wallet please? It's wrong to steal" Nope...too 'after-school-special'...
b) take her to train police
Woman: 200lbs Me: not 200lbs Woman: long, sharp nails (and probably teeth) Me: scared of woman shit...
c) slap her and run
play soccer...experienced in running (and slapping) d)...
Train pulls out with woman hanging off the side laughing in manner of The Joker, circa Batman 1 So much for making a game plan.
There went my money (not important), house key (slightly more important) and lip balm (essential).
This was my lesson. And i am glad it happened.
It's true that when you become comfortable in your surroundings, you let your guard down (as a friend once told me) - and this is exactly what happened.
I used to always wear my money belt or at least keep my hand
over the zipper on my bag and hold it tightly...but i didn't that time and it literally happened before my very eyes.
I know better and now i will do better.
Speaking of better, the next day Phil, Julia and I went off to Gangtok - the capital of Sikkim - an area in the extreme north East of India (languages: Nepali, Hindi, Lepcha, English).
This was a great escape for us since the weather continues to get hotter in Kolkata and it was about time we went somewhere totally different.
Gangtok is a large city that spreads over the mountains at the foot of the Himalayan range. It was only 50km to the Chinese border and also quite close to that of Nepal.
As a city, it was quiet - but still had many great restaurants and places to hang out in. Above all, however, it was a fanastic place to wander through, taking pictures and enjoying the CLEAN air.
Something i was really set on doing in Sikkim was a hike in the mountains, but unfortunately, the shortest one was seven days and all we had this time was 4. But we definitely made the
best of it nonetheless!
Our second day there we hired a car and took a tour all around some of the major sights. We were lucky to see the tip of the tallest mountain in India (mount Kangchengdoza) since it's a very cloudy season and most people aren't able to see much.
We also visited yet a few more temples and a Tibetan monestary. It was such a relaxing day for me - and one which, for the first time in literally 9 months, I felt a little homesick. I guess cause the climate and surroundings (well...trees) were alot like home - it was really diferent and unlike anything i thought India could be. For the first time since December, i had to wear pants and a jacket and even a hat at times. It was sooooo nice. I totally forgot what that kind of weather felt like....my body was in shock.
One thing i really loved about Sikkim were its people. Once again, the look, manorisms and composure were so much different from the locals in this part.
There was a strong Chinese-Tibetan-Nepali influence in their characteristics, and they were definitely some of the best looking people
I've ever seen! Just beautiful.
The other main thing i noticed was the complete lack of the homeless. I didn't see ONE. It took me a while to figure out what was 'missing' - and that was it. Compared to Kolkata, it was such a contrast. Seemed like the people as a whole were pretty wealthy and lived quite comfortable lives.
When it came time to go home, we were tired. It had been alot of excercise exploring Gangtok (more than i usually get) and we were really looking forward to getting into our sleeper train, making our beds and resting the trip away over a good book.
But....this is INDIA.
What
really happened -
We got to the train station and waited in line to get our return tickets - approximately 1 hour (which is actually really fast in train-waiting-line time).
When i finally elbowed three men and pushed one more out of the way, i was able to get to the counter only to discover that the train was full. There was no way we could get even ONE seat.
What happens in this sort of situation is, you can buy what is called
a 'general ticket' - basically you get to STAND with over 100 other lucky people in a cattle car for the ENTIRE 10 hour journey. Basically, it's like a local train (you know, the ones that are notorious for being overcrowded and suffocating?!) but overnight. Yeah, scary...
We took one look at the car and, without crying, miraculously, turned away and found a nice square of floor space next to the bathroom in a sleeper car - along with a holy man (already sleeping...and taking up ALOT of room with his Winnie the Pooh luggage) and three others who also had no seats.
So - at this point one could allow the situation to bother them, but i prefer to keep my sanity and also enjoy the adventure, so instead, just made the best of it. And it
was fun.
The couple that we sat with were really nice and fun to talk with. We also made friends with a group of teenaged boys who swore Phil and I were "the handsommest boy and girl from North America".
They were funny -
Constantly shaking hands and calling me sister. Goodtimes. It kept everything exciting and very entertaining to say
the least. We even had a little visit from a
Hera (transvestite who entertains for Rupees) who gave Phil a big sloppy kiss on the head at our new friends' request.
So funny and so very random.
The things you see on an Indian train at night.
It was almost worth the constant smell of urine, throbbing back-ache and oodles of cockroaches (I think i counted 30 before i decided it wasn't good for my mental health to fixate on them).
At the end of it i felt the same as i did when Jake and i took the 2 day slow boat through Laos - it was fun, we met excellent friends...but i wouldn't do it again for at least a few months ; )
OK. That's it for now. Sunday will be my last day here in Kolkata (and volunteering with CRAWL) so it's a bittersweet time for me. I will definitely write again before i move on - to Varanasi!!
Hope all is well.
R
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Steve Orsini
non-member comment
I was also robbed
Hi Rebecca, Fascinating story. I really enjoy reading your journals and viewing the photos. They help me live vicariously through your travels. I feel like I’m traveling the world -- for free! Your story about being robbed reminded me of my experience back in the early 80s when Pat (my sister) and I traveled through northern Europe together. We were in Brussels at an amusement park playing games for prizes. The one game that got my interest was an archery game where you can win bottles of wine. Since I took archery at summer camp, I set up shop at one of the archery booths in hopes of winning that evening’s beverages. While traveling through Europe, Pat and I were always worried about being robbed so I decided to keep a décor wallet in by back pocket (with no ID, cash or credit cards) and a money belt with all my ID, cash and credit cards hidden under my pants. That evening, however, I decided the décor wallet was easier to access to hold a few small bills. After winning several bottles of wine and being totally focused on my next target, someone bumped into me ever so slightly. I didn’t pay much attention as there were people all over. Unfortunately, about an hour later, I noticed my wallet was gone including the few small bills. Important lesson for me -- convenience can cost. Thanks again for sharing your memoirs. They are exciting reading. Enjoy and be safe. Steve