Darjeeling

Adam is super excited to sleep on the top bunk of the train

This last weekend we went to Darjeeling which is located in the foothills of the Himalayas. It is now officially my favorite place in India! Everything is so gorgeous and green there (just like home) and it was also nice and cold (it was 100 degrees Fahrenheit today in Kolkata). Darjeeling is also an interesting place because many of the people that live in the Northeastern regions of India near the mountains have what they refer to as Mongoloid features (they look more Southeast Asian).

Darjeeling!!!

We boarded the train to Darjeeling on Friday night and then settled down for our 10 hour train ride to Darjeeling. The compartments on the way there were not air conditioned so we slept in small bunks that folded into seats. Each wall has three beds so you cannot sit up in bed or you will hit your head on the person's bunk above yours. It was also interesting that night because some of us were sitting down in our compartment and a woman came by and started touching Indian people on their heads and they started paying her a couple rupees. The woman came up to Rachel (my roommate) because she looks Indian and when Rachel looked at her quizzically, one of the host parents told her something in Bangla and she moved on to the next compartment. We then asked Sharmila (a host parent) what the women wanted and she said that it wasn't a woman but a eunuch. Apparently eunuchs quite frequently go about on train cars asking for money and if you don't pay them then they might start shouting or take their clothes off, so most people just pay them. It was a weird experience that was repeated in the morning but it made me wonder how outcasts in Indian society make a living.

Now everyone knows why Darjeeling is my favorite place in India...BEAUTIFUL!

Sleeping on the train was also rather tedious. Due to the cramped quarters and the fact that it is quite common for people's valuables to be stolen on the train, I slept with my legs curled up (the bed wasn't long enough) and my arms securely around my backpack (I had to wake up about 15 times during the night to check to see that no one had stolen anything). Upon waking up we heard people playing flutes/drums in the aisles and shouting as they sold tea/coffee. In other words...it was a restless night for all.

After getting off of the train we were escorted to cars that we would be taking to get up the mountain. Oh, I should also mention that both the train stations were crowded with homeless people who were begging or just simply sleeping on the side of the road. When I had arrived at the train station in Kolkata, a random guy had mimed to me that he wanted to take a drink out of my water bottle to which I replied "nah!" (no) and waved him away. There were many types of people at the train station, lets just leave it at that.

The cars we drove to Darjeeling in

Anyway, we ascended into the mountains and let me just reiterate that Indians are the BEST drivers in the world! The road that goes up the mountain is full of twists and turns and you can barely fit two cars on it. Also, there are no barriers on the side of the road so if you fall off you plummet to your death. We went up the mountain and after a couple hours of driving we came to our hotel in Darjeeling. It was nice and cold in Darjeeling (probably about 30 degrees Fahrenheit) and we were all glad to get away from the sweltering heat of Kolkata. We unpacked our luggage and went to eat at a nearby restaurant called Glenary's. Glenary's had lots of American/European style food and I ordered baked mac n'cheese. After eating we perused the local shops and realized that there was tons to buy because Darjeeling is rather touristy (we saw lots of foreigners there). I can honestly say that I broke the bank in Darjeeling but I have most of my souvenirs bought now and it was hard to pass up some of the trinkets because in Darjeeling there is a mix of Indian, Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, and Nepalese. The people there seemed more Westernized and stylish than people in Kolkata and most of them had Mongoloid features which just accentuates the mix of cultures. Everywhere I turned I saw something interesting and new that made me want to know more!

A mix of cultures: A Japanese inscription outside of a Japanese Buddhist Temple