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Published: November 2nd 2008
Leaving Party 1
Rose and Michelle... VERY happy.Incredibly, it’s been four weeks since last I wrote about the particularities of my world; definitely time for a catch up me thinks. I’m pleased to say that I’ve been too busy having fun… apart from a three-day wobble, but let’s not go there just now!
Where I left off last time was just before Puja, but it was also just before my leaving do. Rose and I had a joint leaving party and we were lucky enough to be joined by our very lovely VSO friends from Bhubaneshwar. On the Saturday night we ate out, went for some cheap drinks at a rather funky bar I know called Dolce Vita and then went and danced our socks off with all the beautiful people at Roxy’s. It was in fact a very special shake-your-groove-thing fest. We were all very ready for a good blow-out and danced our socks off, despite the decidedly questionable DJing. My mate Deb joined us too and even he had a good old groove - love it! The next day was decidedly more mellow, and amongst other things, we had another gorgeous homemade sushi session and then henna’d each other - well why not?
By
Leaving Party 2
I'm sure Geri will love me for including this one! planning my end of work date to be over a week before Puja, I thought I was cleverly allowing enough time to get all my admin jobs done before the mammoth holidays began - oh the foolishness! Has this past 7 months taught me nothing about India? My key jobs were to sort my visa out once and for all, get a Bangladesh visit and buy a ticket out of Kolkata. I soon found out that my visa was not anywhere near the point of being sorted, let alone once and for all. I thus needed an exit visit to allow me to leave the country and a tourist visa from Bangladesh to re-enter it. Nope… still no go. You can not get an exit visa until you have a valid ticket to travel out of India, you can not get a ticket out of India without a visa for the country you’re heading to and, yes, you’ve guessed it, you can not get a visa for any country without the Indian authorisation of an exit visa - remarkable! Actually, a swift, no you can’t leave the country until your Indian visa is sorted, would have been much appreciated and
Leaving Party 3
Marianna and lovely friend. would have saved two weeks of wrangling. So there we are, right now, I am not allowed out of the country to go anywhere except the EU. I guess there could be worse places to be trapped than India? Anyway, my Bangladesh trip is therefore postponed (I may get to go just before I return to the UK) and so instead I decided to delay the inevitable goodbyes and travel up to Darjeeling with Rose and Geri… but I’m getting ahead of myself.
Immediately after Puja, I got to have yet more lovely times as I took a trip to Ranchi for the weekend to visit Rachel, another close VSO friend. Ranchi is a small hill-station that, in 2003 was unsuspectingly thrust into big town league by becoming the capital of Jharkhand, one of three newly-formed states. Jharkhard is a very tribal area that was formerly part of Bihar, an already turbulent and poor state. Jharkhand remains poor and continues to suffer from Naxalite activity (Maoist Extremists). This is a desperate shame as it’s the state with the greatest mineral wealth in the whole of India and in terms of natural beauty, it is even wealthier still. Sadly much
Leaving Party 4
I finally got my mate Deb to dance - hurrah! of this is off-limits for locals and tourists alike, but I guess the joy of this situation, if that’s the right word, is the serendipitous environmental protection. Ranchi at least, is safe, it is also pretty uninspiring. Thankfully, I was going to visit Rachel and not to sightsee so all was rosy. As is the way on these occasions, much of our time was spent drinking tea and chatting, but that suited us both beautifully and a jolly good time was had.
Upon my return, it was time pack up my flat; thank goodness I gave myself a week to do so. It’s amazing the amount of stuff you can accumulate in seven months. The biggest problem of course was that rather than just moving my possessions, I had to get rid of most of them as I was going to be carrying the remainder around on my back for three months. The big pieces of furniture and some kitchen things were put into storage for the next Kolkata volunteer and so hopefully their welcome to the city will be slightly warmer than mine was, but that still left piles of other stuff. I spend days asking everyone I
Rose's Hand!
Geri's very impressive henna efforts. I went for an anklet of henna - a little more subtle. saw if they wanted anything, some went to the office, some to friends and others to colleagues, neighbours, other VSOs and so on. I also had a number of unsolicited visits from my obnoxious and phenomenally irritating landlady who knowing I was leaving had now decided to be my best friend in case she could get some freebees. I had to practically nail things down to prevent her from taking them! That woman is unbelievable. In the end I gave her some oil and dried beans as the beggers I was supplying had little use for them, but she was not satisfied (unsurprisingly). She literally stormed into my flat one morning and demanded I give her one of my pans as ‘a gift’! Thereafter ensued our latest row, this time it got nasty and I told her very clearly, and a little too loudly, what I thought of her demand. Only after asking another couple of times did she eventually give in. She spent the remainder of that week desperately trying to solicit some forgiveness from me; she knew she was out of order. Anyway, I digress. I decided that I couldn’t part with all the books I’d read since
being here so I sent two boxes of them home by sea mail. Finally, having given a few things to Rachel I was left with a final box worth of things that I couldn’t face parting with, bit really couldn’t face lugging round the country, so that too was shipped home. Stood in my empty capacious flat with its concrete floors, plaster-deficient walls and insect-riddled ceilings, it struck me just how at home I felt there. It also hit me just how nervous I was of leaving - again I was uprooting, again I would be errant and again I would be on my own. I guess it always feels easier to sit under the same old rain cloud than to go searching for the sun.
Having already said my goodbyes, leaving Kolkata was hardly tough in the end as Geri, Rose and I settled onto the overnight train to Darjeeling and made exciting holiday-esque plans. The train actually doesn’t go directly to Darjeeling. Due to the unhelpful topology of the area, it is only accessible by the famous, but very slow and expensive narrow-gauge Toy Train, or by shared jeep. As the jeep follows the train tracks all
the way, the views are equally breath-taking and so was always going to be the way forward. Arriving at the Queen of the Hills, as Darjeeling nicknames itself, was always going to be amazing as your elevated way up towards the cloud line for stunning views over the plains below and you get your first, and very memorable view of the phenomenal snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas. For us, arriving had an added dimension, not dramatic, but interesting nevertheless. We arrived on the 17th, the first day of the Hindu month and the first day of the intensification of Darjeeling’s call to become a separate state. Darjeeling town and all the other towns and villages that make up Darjeeling district were covered in “We Want Gorkhaland” flags; all signs, official and unofficial, had had “Gorkhaland” written or stuck over the words “West Bengal”; the people of Darjeeling all wore Gorkhaland dress, which many do every day apparently, but not to the same extent; and vehicles would only be allowed entrance to the region if they displayed a ‘GL’ number plate, thus ‘WB’ number plates had to have stickers placed over them. None of this was meant to change anything, it
Toy Train
The famous narrow-gauge steam train. However, the view is just as good if you walk, so paying the Rs5 to sit in a beautiful park and watch the train pass you with the Himalayas in the background was a far better option than the Rs240 train ride! was simply meant to make a very visual point, which it did extremely well. I’m sure I’ve already told you about the motivations behind Gorkhaland and so won’t repeat myself here. The centre of Darjeeling is hosting two hours of song and dance on the ‘We Want Gorkhaland’ stage every single day until the 17th Nov (end of the month). This is also the day that the separatists have promised to step up the campaign again and introduce direct action. You’ll remember that the last time I tried to go to Darjeeling, my trip was cancelled due to ‘separatist disturbances’. This time a declaration was made in the paper that tourists will not be affected, but the infrastructure of the area certainly will be and I for one am not planning to get stuck in a volatile hill-station. As it happens I leave for Delhi the week before that, so all is rosy on that score.
Anyway, I’ve not told about Darjeeling itself yet. The town is set very dramatically on the crest of a mountain. The main square is at the peak of the mountain and the streets fall away from it with varying degrees of alarm in
Gratuitous Arty Shot
This picture is of Happy Valley Tea Estate. Aparently THE exclusive producer of Harrod's Organic Darjeeling Tea - for what its worth. each direction. Living ‘at the bottom of town’ takes on a whole new meaning in Darjeeling; people may live as much as 50m higher than their neighbours - I guess everyone has good thighs! Certainly it’s exhausting wandering about, but very worth it, as it’s a cute little town. That is, as long as you stay well away from the main road. There’s only one vehicle access road in and out of town and so it is literally crawling with traffic throughout daylight hours. Heart-breakingly in such a stunning setting, pollution on and around that street is easily as thick as it is in central Kolkata. The town is, as you’d imagine, completely about tourists, but it is possible not feel too much part of that machine and instead find some interesting and quieter nooks. As for the tea, yes it’s lovely! Most of the estates are actually not in Darjeeling town but throughout Darjeeling district. We had a quick nosy at one on the edge of town which we’re told is the exclusive producer of Harrod’s Organic Darjeeling Tea, for what its worth. Darjeeling is a big destination for Tibetan refugees; indeed there is a specific refugee centre here
We Want Gorkhaland!
These beautiful Women are sporting the regional colours and traditional fabrics of Gorkhaland which literally half of all people in Darjeeling were wearing somewhere on their person during October 17th - quite a sight! which highlights their plight. One of the main reasons for this link is that Darjeeling, like Sikkim, remains a bastion of Tibetan Buddhism; the population are half Buddhist and half Hindu. Like so many places in the Himalayas then, Darjeeling is a Gompa-fest (Buddhist Monasteries), they are beautiful, and are wonderful places to find some peace, but already I’ve seen enough to last me a few years. There allow tourists to stay overnight for a small donation, but I’m yet to do so.
What most tourists come to Darjeeling for is the views, and the only way to really get that spectacular view you’re looking for is to go trekking higher into the mountains. So, of I went. At this point, Rose and Geri split and so it was that big goodbye moment that we’d been dreading. Rose and I have spent most days and a considerable chunk of our evenings together for 6 months now and so that goodbye felt like the cord was being cut; we’ll live. I chose to do a 4-night/5-day trek along Singalila Ridge which circumnavigates a national park of the same name. It literally runs along the border between West Bengal and Nepal
Tibetan Prayer Flags
Taken on top of Observatory Hill, the site of a monestery that gave Darjeeling its name. so that for half of our time we were in India and the other half in Nepal. After spending a whole day literally asking every White person under 50 that I came across in Darjeeling whether they wanted to join me on the trek, I finally found two lovely people and off we went; Suzanna is Slovene and Doron is Israeli. Our guide was an amazing bloke called Buddha. We were so lucky - he really looked after us and made the trek that much more comfortable than it would otherwise have been. The four of us had a lovely time together - definitely money well spent. Unsurprisingly, the first two days were uphill and really quite hard work, but the reward was to arrive at Phalut for the second sleep-stop. Phalut is an utter treat. A single hut on a mountain top that straddles Sikkim, West Bengal and Nepal. It is utterly freezing as its at high altitude and is whipped by the wind, but it has phenomenal views and gave me my first sighting of Everest. At night, it is also wrapped in a carpet of stars like no other. Zero light pollution and being above cloud level
The Trek Begins
This is our second night's accommodation at Phalut. gave my eyes the fullest depth of stars I’ve ever seen. The next day we treked along the mountain ridge all the way to the highest point of our trek at Sandakphu (3800m), it’s a small community that is well established and so a great stop over as we had good food, a heater, comfortable rooms and an opportunity to buy toilet roll. What more can a boy want? As for the views - jaw-dropping! Sandakphu is slightly further away than Phalut, but because of this you get a broader, more panoramic view over a spectacular 250km stretch of Himalayan saw-toothed horizon, including the big prize, which is very close up views of Khangchendzonga, the world’s third highest mountain. Like many mountains in these parts, Khangchendzonga is revered as a deity in its own right. It is credited with being the reason why Sikkimese people never go poor as it provides the regions with it’s five key natural resources. It is forbidden to climb the mountain, the only people who ever did were two wayward Germans who eventually decided to stop 4 metres short of the summit in order to show respect for the mountain’s cultural significance. On and off,
Singalila Ridge
... and this is the view from Phalut - the stunning Khangchendzonga range. for the remaining two days of descent, Khangchendzonga was our neighbour and guardian. The trek was often through scenery that was stunning in its own right and the silence up on those trails was as pure as silence gets; your brain echoing with its sounds - magical! I spent my last two days in Darjeeling relaxing in cafes and nursing my ailing body. The sun and wind had burnt my face off, I had another shocker cold raging and my leg muscles were screaming at me, but I was a happy man!
A couple of days ago, having found getting a permit surprisingly easy, I travelled to Sikkim, the next state north, which forms a border with China. After a very long day of jeep rides, I eventually found myself in Pelling, as the Lonely Planet eloquently describes it, ‘it’s not so much a town, but a 2km strip of tourist hotels’. In fact it’s even uglier than you’d imagine, there is nothing to endear me to Pelling apart from the reason I came here; the fact that it is situated in the heart of West Sikkim and is, as a result, an ideal spot from which to go
Everest
This is also from Phalut - my first sighting of Everest. It's one of the tiny peaks as its so far away - but hey, who's quibbling - its Everest nevertheless! off exploring this stunning state. That really has been my mission for the last couple of days, lots of ambling around in the beautiful hills, soaking up the sun and enjoying the most remarkable peace. It is a rare opportunity in India to walk around a place without having a compulsory guide in toe and it’s so refreshing. I’ve also met a few people in my hostel and have generally had a good old time. Last night was Diwali and so fireworks, bangers and sparklers abound. This afternoon, I’m moving on…
Unfortunately Rose’s time in Sikkim was dramatically cut short as she was again admitted to hospital with liver inflammation, yet more Hepatitis! I don’t think it’s recurring and so I’m not sure what’s going on, but she’s been flown back to Kolkata to get more informative tests done. Bless her! Actually, now is a good time to be out of Kolkata as they’re having unseasonally large amounts of rain which is giving the mosquitoes respite and so they’re causing all sorts of mayhem. The last couple of weeks I was in town were utterly mad for insects - I was scratching, spraying and swatting like never before; literally
Our view through all of day three!
Khangchendzonga range from Singalila Ridge. an infestation. In the newspaper this week, I read that many people in the city have died during October because of the Malaria, Dengue and Encephalitis that the little critters have been liberally gifting to unsuspecting locals - eek! Apart from the people, the other things that I do miss about being in Kolkata are the variety of foods, the cheap prices and the warmth, but hey, I can top up again on all three as I head over to the desert in a couple of weeks time.
So, I’ve now written well over 50,000 words in these blogs and some of you are still coming back for more - madness! Thank you. It feels like I’ve written myself a thesis - not a rigorous one, and not one with conclusions, but very definitely it’s been about learning. That’s it for this one. I hear its snowing in the UK, more madness! I’m in the Himalayas without a drop of the stuff and there you are lapping it up. Anyway, hope you’re enjoying it and generally everyone (in the UK or not) is loving their worlds. Big cheesy smiliness. Lots of love, Me. xXx.
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Paul and Andy
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Wow....Your pic of Mr Mount E are amazon (Brestel talk!). Look at all the fun your having, brillant! Paulo x