Adieu Kathmandu…

Hi there, friends!

I’ve been remiss in my blogging efforts; there’s just too much to do in Nepal and too little time. I returned to Kathmandu yesterday after a whirwind trip to Chitwan Nat’l Park, Lumbini (the birthplace of Buddha) and Pokhara, in northwest Nepal, where I set off on a 5-day trek in the Annapurna region. The 10 days were amazing, filled with lots of cool experiences and great people. I took a bath on the back of an elephant in the Rapti river in Chitwan, saw rhinos, crocodiles and other creatures on an elephant safari, spent a day biking around Lumbini and visiting temples with a 26 yr. old lama, and hiked for five days while gazing at some of the world’s tallest mountains. Not too bad for a week and a half.

I have loads of pictures to post and lots more to write about but it will have to wait ’til I’m back in the States. While I’m certainly sad that my trip is coming to an end, I can’t wait for Christmas festivities and a week or two of relaxing at home.  To paraphrase Anna, a Welsh girl I met on the trek - travel is not quite the same as a vacation!

Kathmandu!

I arrived in Kathmandu yesterday, after a breathtaking flight from SE Nepal (breathtaking both for the views of Everest’s summit peaking through the clouds – awe-inspiring! - and the turbulence which caused our “puddle-jumper” to turn into a cloud-jumper and my heart to relocate to my throat!).

I was fortunate to meet Tapi, an Indian from Arunachal Pradesh - one of the northeast states – in the Chandragadhi airport (the smallest airport I’ve experienced).  We chatted while waiting for our (very late) plane and I learned that he was headed to Kathmandu to apply for a permit for an Everest expedition, to be sponsored by the gov’t of Arunachal Pradesh. He’s an accomplished mountaineer and hopes to be the first citizen of Arunachal Pradesh to summit Mt. Everest (around 32 Indian citizens have summited to date). Anyhow, aside from interesting conversation, he helped me navigate Kathmandu upon arrival and even suggested that I try the guesthouse where he stays in Kathmandu (which I did – it’s cheap and comfy, with hot water). He insisted on paying for the taxi and, when I suggested we meet for dinner, wouldn’t let me pay for that, either.

After settling in at the guesthouse, the attendant at the front desk suggested I talk to the trekking agency that the guesthouse works with. NG, the agency’s manager, is my age, and has been working with tourists and trekkers since he was a teenager – as a trek porter, guide and now manager. He was a wealth of helpful information and helped me plan my two weeks in Nepal, despite the fact that I only arranged a small part of my trip through the agency – a package trip to Royal Chitwan Park in Nepal’s south, where I’ll be swimming with elephants in two days! We met up for breakfast this morning at one of Kathamndu’s sunny rooftop cafes, and he told me tale after interesting tale of trekking with foreigners (ranging from wild parties to deaths).

Today, I’ll head to Kathmandu’s Swayanbunath temple (the “monkey temple”) and then perhaps to Durbar Square, former home to the royal palace and current home to one of Nepal’s many “kumaris” or living goddesses. I’ll report on that next time!

‘Til then, thanks for reading!

Nepal-bound

It’s my last night in India! After six weeks of travel through this vast, ever-surprising country, I’m headed on to Nepal. I had a great last day in Darjeeling, taking a ride on the toy train (its tracks are only 2 ft. wide!) with my roommate, Jen. We got off about 7k from Darjeeling, walking back and visiting two monasteries on the way. Upon returning to Darjeeling, I did several last minute errands and picked up a few souvenirs and Christmas gifts.

I had a neat experience when I went to change rupees to U.S. dollars, which I need to buy my Nepali visa at the border. I went into a sari and pashmina shop that also exchanges currency.  The shopowner, Mr. Poddar, guessed that I needed it for the visa and went on to tell me that he’d lived in Nepal for 45 years and still has a business in Kathmandu. He then proceeded to give me detailed instructions on exactly how to get to the border and beyond, when to be where, at which hotel to stay once I’d crossed the border and gave me his card to show to the hotel owner (a friend of his) at the border town where I’ll spend the night before heading to Kathmandu. While providing these descrptions, he also drew detailed maps of my destinations and a timetable of how long the various parts of trip would take. He even gave me his cell phone number since he’s headed to Nepal as well and said to call him if I needed anything. Karma in action. The random kindness I continue to encounter is astounding.

Unfortunately, my memory card reader is acting up, so I can’t post pictures at the moment. I’ll do my best once I’m in Kathmandu. ‘Til then…

Thanks for reading!

Upheaval

Hi, folks. First off, as is clear from my recent posts, I’m nowhere near Mumbai and am safe, sound and reasonably warm. I’m in Darjeeling and have probably received less news about the Mumbai situation than most of you, though it’s clearly flooded the media here. The headline of yesterday’s Telegraph was “FEAR” in giant letters. It’s hard to get a read on what people are feeling. I’ve seen shopowners with their eyes glued to the news reportage and heard some locals suggesting conspiracy theories (like an alphabetical list of targets: Assam, Bombay, etc.) but haven’t observed much more than that.

I’ve been in Darjeeling for two days and will stay for two more. My plan had been to take the train to Calcutta and fly to Bangkok on Tuesday but, as the Bangkok airport is currently occupied by PAD forces, that’s clearly not going to happen. I’ve canceled my train and plane tickets and have decided to head to Nepal for the remaining three weeks of my trip. I’ll leave Tuesday, crossing the eastern border to head toward Kathmandu. Happily, I’ve met lots of people in my travels who’ve recently come from Nepal and so have profited from lots of good experience and advice. I was even given a Nepal guidebook from an Israeli I met here yesterday who had just arrived from Nepal. After having breakfast with my temporary roommate (a fellow American from CO!) this morning, I ran into him and he asked about my travel plans. When I told him that I was heading Nepal and on my way to the bookstore to buy a guidebook, he offered to give me his!

Though it’s extremely disappointing that I won’t make it to Thailand and Cambodia, such is life. As Heraclitus put it “nothing endures but change.” If life as a Peace Corps volunteer taught me anything, it’s to expect the unexpected, remain flexible and adapt. I’m excited for this new opportunity to explore Nepal, especially as everyone who has been there can’t say enough about it.

So that’s the news. My thoughts are with the Mumbai victims and their families and my hope is for justice on their behalf and, above all, peace in India and everywhere. I’ll try to get on again soon and report on the last few days I spent in Sikkim – my revisit to Namchi and the inimitable, ever-hospitable Dungmali family.

Namaste.

Sikkim Map

Sikkim: Gangtok

Hello from North India! I’m in the NE state of Sikkim, bordered by Nepal, Tibet and Bhutan. It’s as NE as you get before the actual Northeast states, which are attached to the bulk of India by just a thin panhandle. Sikkim is wonderful; it consists entirely of Himalayan foothills and, thus, a maze of winding switchback roads, hills and valleys, aquamarine rivers, and lush vegetation including an incredible variety of trees, bamboo, ferns and an abundance of beautifully colored flowers (it’s the rhododendron and orchid capital of the world). It that weren’t enough, the Sikkimese people are the kindest I’ve encountered so far, their culture an interesting blend of Indian, Tibetan and Nepali traditions, with a notable Buddhist influence. Prayer flags adorn houses and buildings and decorate roadsides throughout the state.

I’ve been so fortunate to have met a host of wonderful people since I arrived in Sikkim – locals and fellow travelers alike. I haven’t had internet access in a while, so I’ve posted lots of pictures (below) and will offer as brief a summary of my adventures as possible.

Today I took a trip to Lake Tsomgo, an alpine lake at 12,400 ft, about 35k from Gangtok. I was lucky to join a motley group of fellow travelers (all women) from Taiwan, Catalonia, and England. We drove up and spent a few hours walking around the lake. Alex (the Brit) and I opted to travel by yak, which was great. Yaks are quite comfy. It was neat talking to Wendy and Judy about Taiwan and the Catalan girls about Catalonia. Alex also gave me some great tips for SE Asia as she spent several months there (she’s been traveling since February!). Tonight we’ll all meet up for dinner. The community of travelers here is really neat. As soon as I disembarked upon arriving in Gangtok, I was greated by a familiar face who said, “Aren’t you the American who was traveling with the Kiwis?” which, in fact, I was. He (another Brit) offered some advice and pointed me to the area with the budget hotels.

I’ll stay in Gangtok another day before heading to Namchi to stay with the Dungmalis again (see three posts down) and then continuing to Darjeeling for several days, then on to Calcutta where I’ll get my flight to Bangkok!

Lake Tsomgo.

This area, near the Tibet/China border, is populated with Tibetan refugees.

Stupa.

“Raju,” my yak.

Nice yak.

Our group; nationalities include: Taiwanese, Spanish (Catalan), British, and me!

With some fellow tourists who asked for a photo with us.

We were higher than the clouds; 12,400 ft.

Dinner with the Tsomgo Lake crew.

Having chai with Mordent, a Gangtok native who I’d met when we travel in the same shared jeep a week and a half ago and ran into on the street in Gangtok!

Sikkim: Pelling to Kecheolpalri Lake to Yuksom

When we last left off, Lou, Penn and I were about to hike from Pelling to sacred Kecheopalri Lake and Yuksom.

Hike we did; I’ve got the bruised feet to prove it. We set off on Day 1 to Kecheopalri Lake, making the steep, scenic 20k descent and climb in 4 hours, 2 hours less than we’d been told it would take. After checking out the lake (which Buddhists hold as sacred), we ascended a VERY steep path to a monastery and basic guest accomodations at the top of the ridge. The twin brother of the manager of the hotel we’d stayed at in Pelling runs the guest cabins and was expecting us. Upon arrival, we were surprised to see no less than a dozen other travelers hanging out on the ridge. We got our rooms, then sat and enjoyed a cup of steaming hot chai before retreating to add a few layers (it was COLD!). We were joined for a family-style dinner by some of the other guests including a Czech/American couple, another Czech, a Hungarian, and a Scotsman. We sat around until it was late enough to justify calling it a night, chatting about travels, trekking, politics (mostly American) and so on. At one point, we all realized how stunningly clear the sky was and spent a good twenty minutes trying to identify constellations (so many stars were visible that it was really hard!).

Despite a chilly night on a very hard bed, I woke up at 5 to see the sunrise which was well worth it (I then went back to bed). After a hearty breakfast, Lou, Penn and I bid adieu to our new friends and set off for Yuksom. My feet were less than happy and the descent was a bit painful so our progress was slower than the day before, but we arrived in Yuksom (another 20k) after four and a half hours. Yuksom is a sleepy little village with a handful of hotels and some great roadside restaurants. It doesn’t boast Himalayan views, but it’s pastoral charm more than makes up for it. We opted for one of the better hotel options (with hot water and comfier beds) and ended up spending two nights instead of one. I hadn’t brought a book in the interest of traveling light but was happy to discover a copy of “Angels & Demons” at the hotel, which was better than I’d expected. We met more interesting fellow travelers (German, American, British, Polish, etc.) and were happy to see Will and Helena, the Czech/American couple, again on Day 2 in Yuksom.

We caught an early morning jeep back to Pelling where we ended up staying another three nights (it was that delightful!). After returning, I headed up to Sanga Choling monastery and spent the afternoon checking out the monastery and hanging out on a big rock jutting out from the ridge, chatting with Ugen and Passang, two lamas in their early twenties. Lou and Penn had come up previously and promised the lamas they’d return to do the 20k hike to Ravi Dunga, a sacred rock up the ridge from the monastery They’d asked me to tell the lamas that they’d come the next day. The lamas said that the next day was a special puja ceremony that takes place once a moon cycle and invited us to come and watch and then continue on the hike to Ravi Dunga.

The next morning we got up and enjoyed banana porridge and coffee at the hotel before setting off. We were joined by Joe, a 67-yr. old Scotsman who Penn and Lou had met the day before. We got hiked up to the monastery and sat in the sun until the ceremony started. We were then ushered into the monastery and seated on cushions along the wall. Some of the younger lamas (there are about 25 students at the monastery) served us tea and we spent the next hour listening to the lamas chant scripture. It was wonderfully peaceful to sit and listen, a feeling hard to capture with words. After the ceremony, we joined the lamas for lunch, then sat awhile before setting off with a lama as our guide. The hike was wonderful, fairly gentle with only short steep sections. When we reached the rock, we were rewarded with phenomenal views. The rock itself was imprinted with three footprints, said to be those of the first Sikkimese king. We descended to check out the caves with small alters underneath the rock and ended up performing some acrobatic moves to ascend again on the other side (the ascent is said to represent dharma and success determines whether or not you’re a good person). Happily, we all made it, most impressively Joe! We hustled back down to the monastery and on to Pelling, making it back just as night fell. It was quite a day.

Unfortunately I didn’t get pictures from Yuksom on since my camera died on me! I was lucky to find a shop selling a newer model of my camera in Gangtok, so my photographic capabilities have been restored.

Beginning of the Kecheolpalri trek.

Kachenjunga.

Terraced fields.

Lou and Penn.

Suspension bridge.

Lou and I.

Kecheolpalri Lake.

Prayer wheels.

Buddhist prayer flags; the colors represent earth, wind, fire, water and ether (soul).

Sunrise from the Kecheolpalri monastery.

Sikkim: Pelling

After Namchi, I headed to Pelling, the starting point of several popular treks. I stayed at the incomparable Hotel Kabur whose staff are the nicest people on earth, period. They also sing. Constantly. It’s a happy, happy place.

Upon arriving, I dropped off my pack, then headed to the terrace to sit down with a pot of tea and take in the incredible view of Kachenjunga. I felt like I could literally reach out and touch it. As the sun started to set, a man came out and sat at a nearby table. We started talking and I learned that he’s a Welshman who’s been living/traveling in India and Nepal for years. He speaks Nepali fluently. As the conversation waned, he went inside and grabbed a guitar. I was soon serenaded with Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah,” all the more haunting for the breathtaking view. Later we had a fire out on the balcony and were joined by Lou and Penn, a wonderful, kind, interesting couple from New Zealand who would soon become my trekking buddies. Amongst the fireside crowd was Manoj, the local gov’t tourism agent and a friend of the hotel owners. After talking a while about music (he plays guitar), he suggested we head down the hill to a hotel with live music (the band are friends of his). We sat, enjoyed some Irish coffee and listened to the band’s unique take on Bob Marley, some other English classics and a few traditional Nepali songs (and a Hindi Bollywood favorite, to boot). It was really cool to hear a local band and an excellent start to my stay in Pelling.

The next day, I hiked up to the Rabdentse ruins, the remaining foundations of an ancient monastery. I continued up a steep trail to nearby Pemyangste monastery to view the beautiful paintings depicting stories from Buddhist scripture, the wheel of life, and various animals. The third floor of the monastery had a huge, glass-encased model of paradise, which was incredibly striking and detailed (unfortunately, you can’t take pictures inside a monastery). I was fortunate to be the only visitor at the time and so benefited from a personal tour with one of the lamas.

That evening, Penn and Lou, having learned that we planned to do the same treks Kecheopalri Lake (sacred to Buddhists) and Yuksom, a village further on, asked if I wanted to join them. I’d planned to do the treks alone but was very happy at the prospect of companions.  Deepesh, the hotel manager, drew us maps by hand and even called ahead to let the guesthouses know we’d be coming (his identical twin runs the place we stayed on the first night). That, however, is the subject of the next entry.

Namaste!

Sikkim: Namchi

Upon arrival in Sikkim, I headed from Jorethang, the southern transportation hub, to Namchi, a small town that is notable for its giant, hillside golden statue of Buddha (that can be seen for miles) which will soon face off with an equally giant statue of Shiva. Referencing my Lonely Planet, I made my way 4k uphill from the jeep stand to the Dungmali Guesthouse.

I couldn’t have hoped for a better experience. The Dungmali family was amazingly hospitable and literally made me feel like a member of their family for a day. They have a quirky three-story house (a lot of pink paint and posters of Jesus or kittens are involved) with three guestrooms and balconies with phenomenal views of Kachenjunga. I was the only guest that night and was given a bright, comfy room. I spent the evening on the roof with Mr. Dungmali, sipping tea made with fresh cow’s milk, admiring the nearly full moon and chatting with Mr. Dungmali about Namchi, his family, and his career as a P.E. teacher in the local secondary school. He had recently retired and kept telling me how “mentally relaxed” he is now that he’s a pensioner. As it got colder, we moved in to the rooftop kitchen and sat next to the fire. I chatted intermittently with Mr. D, his son, Surag, a local teacher, and his niece, Kumari. As we sat, I was offered some rice wine that tasted like sake. Mr. D kept telling me to “decrease” it, but I sipped slowly as it was strong!

I had planned to visit the golden Buddha the morning before I left but didn’t due to cloud cover. Happily, this provides me with a perfect excuse to swing by for a night or two on my day down to Darjeeling, which I’d promised that I would try to do.

Kachenjunga from the Dungmali Guesthouse.

Bamboo.

Sheets of marble at the Shiva statue construction site.

Temple at the Shiva complex.

Shiva complex from entry.

Transporting bricks.

Marigolds.

Walking down the road; view of village below.

Sandrupste statue (the Buddha).

Day moon; nearly full.

Next to the kitchen fire with Kumari.

Morning clouds.

Departure; with my gracious host, Mr. N.B. Dungmali.

Darjeeling

Hello from Darjeeling! I’m at 2,600m; the air is cooler, the scenery is, in a word, magical, the tea delightful and the people at once friendly and totally unimpressed with the presence of tourists. The ideal travel destination? If you’re me, quite.

We arrived two days ago, after a 24 hour train ride that should have taken 16 hours. After descending at New Japailguri, we took a shared jeep to Darjeeling - a bumpy, winding ride of 3 hours (thanks to our driver who took those hairpins turns a wee bit too fast). Radhika suggested that we always seem to get the fastest driver on the road. I concur. As we made our way into the foothills of the Himalayas, the sunset cast the world in tangerine and gold, the tips of the hills absolutely glowing as the last light faded. The views to the south were incredible; verdant hills with undulating ridges and valleys that were sprinkled with lights as evening fell.

Before I proceed I should mention that I’m now traveling solo. David and Radhika took off for a trek near to Darjeeling this morning and I head north to Sikkim (which borders Nepal, China, and Bhutan) tomorrow. While India is a totally new experience for me, Radhika and David have both been here before and are also on months three and four of post-Peace Corps travel, respectively. I, on the other hand, spent a month in the U.S., going a little stir crazy, and had some very particular ideas about what ideal travel would be like while simultaneously having absolutely no clue how challenging travel in India would actually be (especially south India). I can’t imagine having navigated south India on my own; Radhika’s company and experience were absolutely priceless. As she accurately asserted, travel there is about as hard as it gets (W. Africa’s got nothing on S. India!).  However, the northeast is way more conducive to solo travel and a lot easier, period.  Thus, in the interest of all having the experience we desire, we’ve decided to split up for this last part of the trip. For me, this means getting up early, guidebook in hand, having some sort of rough plan and seeing anything that seems worthwhile. I also have a penchant for talking to strangers which, for me, makes a place more interesting and memorable, and will happily spend an hour or two sitting and chatting with anyone who’s got something interesting to say. Though a bit apprehensive at first, I’m really psyched about going it alone. This is really my first experience traveling solo as Peace Corps is a weird amalgamation of a controlled environment within a larger, very uncontrolled environment, complete with a huge pool of potential travel companions…that probably doesn’t make sense to anyone except PCVs. Anyhow, today was Day 1 and, I’ve got to say, it feels good!

Yesterday morning, I woke up at 5 a.m. to catch the sunrise from the lookout platform on the roof of the guesthouse where I stayed (I had to move to another hotel last night, since it’s the high season and my original guesthouse was full). The sunrise and view in general were incredible. The lookout boasts an almost 360-degree view, with the Kangchenjunga (or Khangchendzogna) range in the distance (the range is in Sikkim, the state to the north of West Bengal). Mount Kangchenjunga, “abode of the gods,” is the world’s thrid highest peak, at 8,585 meters (28,169 ft). I met up with David and Rad for breakfast and spent the day wandering around, taking pictures, and developing a rough program for the next few days. We enjoyed a sunny afternoon sipping Kingfisher at Darjeeling’s fanciest hotel (on a terrace with amazing views of the valleys below), though we didn’t bargain for the potency of a brew at altitude!

This morning, I enjoyed breakfast at a well-known bakery with delightful views, then set about getting my permit for Sikkim (foreigners must have a permit to enter the state). Though the process involved hoofing it around town to various gov’t offices, it was one of the easiest, most pleasant bureacratic endeavors I’ve ever undertaken. I then asked around to figure out how to get to tomorrow’s destination, Jorethang, in southern Sikkim, then headed to a trekking outfit to inquire about a trek along the Nepalese border that I’d like to do when I’m back in Darjeeling at the end of November. After getting some great travel advice, I headed to Chowrasta bazaar to look for some warm clothes and bought a sweater, pashmina, wool socks, wool hat, wool gloves and long underwear, all for about $10. I spent the rest of the day walking around, making reservations for my return to Darjeeling at the end of November, and packing up stuff I won’t need in Sikkim to leave at the guesthouse.

After completing all my errands, I headed to an excellent bookstore in Darjeeling’s main square to browse for books (I picked up Milan Kundera’s “The Joke” and a book by the Dalai Lama). While browsing, a man approached me and struck up a conversation about Darjeeling, saying that he’d been told the bookstore was a good place to come to connect with fellow travelers. After chatting for a while, I mentioned that I’d lived in West Africa. He asked where and was dumbfounded when I replied, “Burkina Faso” as he is, in fact, Burkinabe! Though he now lives in Germany, he grew up in Bobo, in southwest Burkina. We were both completely floored with our happenstance meeting in northeast India and chatted for quite a while. He invited me to meet up with him and his travel companions later this evening and, as he was leaving the bookstore, handed me a small volume by Thich Nhat Hanh, a prolific Buddhist monk. He’s a practicing Buddhist and thought that I’d enjoy the book. It was such an incredible random encounter; a Western New Yorker and a West African connecting in South Asia. The world is a crazy crazy place.

Tomorrow I head to north to Jorethang and beyond. I’m looking forward to seeing more of the Himalayan foothills, getting a closer look at Kangchenjunga and hopefully even a peak at Everest!

Thanks for reading!

Namaste!

 

Last light: glowing hills.

Sunset from the winding road to Darjeeling.

Our jeep, driven disconcertingly fast up the narrow mountain road.

Sunrise over the Himalayan foothills from Darjeeling (elevation 2,600 meters).

Mount Khangchendzodnga (the world’s third highest mountain, at 8,585 meters).