Thursday, December 31, 2009
Happy 2010! I'm spending new years eve in Agra with my 13 year old traveling partner Daisy. She is Rajans daughter and has never seen the taj mahal so we took a 12 hour train ride to get here. We were so excited and are having a blast. The Taj is everything I ever dreamed it would be. There is a full moon up tonight and I feel very excited for all that the coming year will hold.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Sarnath and Varanasi
I arrived in Varanasi on December 15th after a grueling 14 hour train ride from Calcutta. I spent the last 13 days here helping at Buddah's Smile School and staying at a guesthouse in Sarnath. It was an interesting experience but I have to say it hasn't been my favorite place to be.
It was the first time that I was staying alone since I began this trip, and Sarnath is a very cold and lonely place to be alone. It's a very small town with nothing going on and no other foreigners. The 3 restaurants in town close by 7 pm and traveling around after dark was sort of dicey so I was always back at my guesthouse by 6 pm. I felt sort of trapped.
My room was cold and I was lucky if there was hot water to bath with. But the owners were very nice and the woman made me breakfast each day of toast and jam, hot tea and fruit. As I ate my breakfast in her kitchen she would sit in front of her alter and do her prayers. I loved watching her as she put fresh flowers in Shiva's little alter house and filled the little cups with water and put a new cloak on the Shiva figure each day. She sprinkled some sort of herb in the water cups and put fruit on the alter too while she burned incense around it. She would hum a beautiful tune as she did this each morning and I looked forward to it.
Now I have come to Varnasi which is just about 7 miles from Sarnath to spend a few days and it's been nice. I booked myself into a nice hotel to get a clean bed with no fleas, a hot shower and some yummy food. I feel rejuvenated again.
In a couple of days I'm going by train to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. I'm taking Rajan's 13 year old daughter Daisy with me. She lives here in India and has never seen the Taj. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun together and it will be memorable for both of us.
On the 4th I'll travel to Bodh Gaya to hear the teachings of the Dalai Lama. After that I'm not sure which direction I'll go. Either way up north to Dharamsala or down south to Kerala or Ponicherry, then a stop in Calcutta and back up to Delhi to fly home, probably around the end of January.
It's been an incredible trip so far and it's strange to think of winding it up...
It was the first time that I was staying alone since I began this trip, and Sarnath is a very cold and lonely place to be alone. It's a very small town with nothing going on and no other foreigners. The 3 restaurants in town close by 7 pm and traveling around after dark was sort of dicey so I was always back at my guesthouse by 6 pm. I felt sort of trapped.
My room was cold and I was lucky if there was hot water to bath with. But the owners were very nice and the woman made me breakfast each day of toast and jam, hot tea and fruit. As I ate my breakfast in her kitchen she would sit in front of her alter and do her prayers. I loved watching her as she put fresh flowers in Shiva's little alter house and filled the little cups with water and put a new cloak on the Shiva figure each day. She sprinkled some sort of herb in the water cups and put fruit on the alter too while she burned incense around it. She would hum a beautiful tune as she did this each morning and I looked forward to it.
Now I have come to Varnasi which is just about 7 miles from Sarnath to spend a few days and it's been nice. I booked myself into a nice hotel to get a clean bed with no fleas, a hot shower and some yummy food. I feel rejuvenated again.
In a couple of days I'm going by train to Agra to see the Taj Mahal. I'm taking Rajan's 13 year old daughter Daisy with me. She lives here in India and has never seen the Taj. I'm sure we'll have a lot of fun together and it will be memorable for both of us.
On the 4th I'll travel to Bodh Gaya to hear the teachings of the Dalai Lama. After that I'm not sure which direction I'll go. Either way up north to Dharamsala or down south to Kerala or Ponicherry, then a stop in Calcutta and back up to Delhi to fly home, probably around the end of January.
It's been an incredible trip so far and it's strange to think of winding it up...
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Things I've learned in India so far
1) There is such a thing as Indian time, and it means that everything you do takes twice as long as it should. Everything from taking a cab, trying to buy a train ticket, waiting for food in a restaurant...you have to have a lot of patience.
2) Traveling or living in India is hard. The streets are in terrible shape, the trash and pollution are out of control and then of course there is such intense poverty.
3) India is fascinating. There is no way to describe India as a whole. Each place that I have visited is completely different. Different clothes, different language, different food, different people.
4) Indian people are scared. In every home and business there are heavy bars on every window and large metal gates with padlocks. There is a concrete wall around every home and on top of this wall there are shards of sharp, pointed glass or nails so no one can climb over. Every door on the inside has it's own padlock. When anyone leaves a room, they lock it. It's like they think if something is left unlocked for one second, some unseen force is going to rush in and rob them of everything. I haven't quite figured out where this fear stems from.
5) Indian people have the largest hearts (except for taxi and rickshaw drivers). They would give me their last bit of food or tea or their only blanket if it would make me more comfortable.
6) When I have a question or need something from an Indian, the standard answer to everything is "No problem". Indians notoriously tell you what you want to hear. But it comes from a place of good intentions. Unless it's a cab driver or a rickshaw wallah.
I am nowhere near being ready to sum up this experience and won't be for a very long time, but these are a few observations so far...
2) Traveling or living in India is hard. The streets are in terrible shape, the trash and pollution are out of control and then of course there is such intense poverty.
3) India is fascinating. There is no way to describe India as a whole. Each place that I have visited is completely different. Different clothes, different language, different food, different people.
4) Indian people are scared. In every home and business there are heavy bars on every window and large metal gates with padlocks. There is a concrete wall around every home and on top of this wall there are shards of sharp, pointed glass or nails so no one can climb over. Every door on the inside has it's own padlock. When anyone leaves a room, they lock it. It's like they think if something is left unlocked for one second, some unseen force is going to rush in and rob them of everything. I haven't quite figured out where this fear stems from.
5) Indian people have the largest hearts (except for taxi and rickshaw drivers). They would give me their last bit of food or tea or their only blanket if it would make me more comfortable.
6) When I have a question or need something from an Indian, the standard answer to everything is "No problem". Indians notoriously tell you what you want to hear. But it comes from a place of good intentions. Unless it's a cab driver or a rickshaw wallah.
I am nowhere near being ready to sum up this experience and won't be for a very long time, but these are a few observations so far...
Friday, December 25, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Sunderbans Part Deux
We met at 6:30 am to begin our trip to the Sunderbans. Our wonderful little group consisted of me, Arnab who works at New Light, his wife Sungita and their 13 year old daughter Pebbles, Tony, Arnab's Scottish nephew, his English girlfriend Ruth and Sophie, an 18 year old volunteer from New York.
It was about a 2.5 hour drive to where we would board the boat and was foggy and beautiful all the way down. We stopped at a village near the jetty to buy some prawns that were the size of baby cats and some fresh crabs as well.
We got loaded into our sweet little boat and we decided that we would be pirates. The Sunderbunions.
The area is beautiful. It was like I imagine the Amazon to look like. Everything was very green and lush. We saw some very large crocodiles, some whistling ducks, many monkeys but alas, no tigers. We stopped to pick up our guide, which is required and to show our passports. After we got back on the boat, my stomach started to rumble and soon it felt like the rock 'em sock 'em robots were having a championship bout in my tummy. I spent the rest of the day and night in the head pooping and puking my brains out. Not fun.
When we got to the island where we stayed we had to walk about 1/4 mile to our little motel and it was the longest walk ever on top of a mud wall that was created after the cyclone. I had a terrible night of being so sick that they talked about flying me out. But luckily by morning I was much better. I stayed behind while everyone went out on the boat to explore other islands and visit people there. Arnab asked the man at the motel to keep an eye on me and he was great. He brought me water and a newspaper. In the afternoon he came to check on me and I had been dead asleep for several hours. He took one look at me and pointed to my hair with a sour look on his face. He didn't speak English but it was clear that he was telling me I should comb my hair. This was so funny.
On the third day we had to leave but we went to another island, Bali where we gave out some blankets and toys for the children. The people were crying with joy as I handed them a new wool blanket that cost less than $1. This was stunning to me and so incredibly touching. I could not stop crying and was so full of emotion. It still blows my mind to see how little it takes to change someone's life here in India. They have so little and we have so much.
I had a wonderful trip to the Sunderbans. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone. It's beautiful and peaceful there and nobody knows about it.
It was about a 2.5 hour drive to where we would board the boat and was foggy and beautiful all the way down. We stopped at a village near the jetty to buy some prawns that were the size of baby cats and some fresh crabs as well.
We got loaded into our sweet little boat and we decided that we would be pirates. The Sunderbunions.
The area is beautiful. It was like I imagine the Amazon to look like. Everything was very green and lush. We saw some very large crocodiles, some whistling ducks, many monkeys but alas, no tigers. We stopped to pick up our guide, which is required and to show our passports. After we got back on the boat, my stomach started to rumble and soon it felt like the rock 'em sock 'em robots were having a championship bout in my tummy. I spent the rest of the day and night in the head pooping and puking my brains out. Not fun.
When we got to the island where we stayed we had to walk about 1/4 mile to our little motel and it was the longest walk ever on top of a mud wall that was created after the cyclone. I had a terrible night of being so sick that they talked about flying me out. But luckily by morning I was much better. I stayed behind while everyone went out on the boat to explore other islands and visit people there. Arnab asked the man at the motel to keep an eye on me and he was great. He brought me water and a newspaper. In the afternoon he came to check on me and I had been dead asleep for several hours. He took one look at me and pointed to my hair with a sour look on his face. He didn't speak English but it was clear that he was telling me I should comb my hair. This was so funny.
On the third day we had to leave but we went to another island, Bali where we gave out some blankets and toys for the children. The people were crying with joy as I handed them a new wool blanket that cost less than $1. This was stunning to me and so incredibly touching. I could not stop crying and was so full of emotion. It still blows my mind to see how little it takes to change someone's life here in India. They have so little and we have so much.
I had a wonderful trip to the Sunderbans. I would highly recommend this trip to anyone. It's beautiful and peaceful there and nobody knows about it.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Jaded in Calcutta
After a month in Calcutta I feel like I have become jaded. But it's out of necessity. If I let my mind dwell on what I see each day in this city, my head would explode. And then I would go insane.
Last night on my way home, there was the large, twisted body of a dead dog in the road. It had been hit by one of the many vehicles that go screaming by each second. Everyone stepped around it and didn't seem to take much notice.
I asked the rickshaw guy to stop at the little stand near Soma Home so i could buy a pack of Gold Flakes for Godee Mashee. After many years as a prostitute and drug addict, this is her only vice. She usually smokes hand rolled "beedis", so a real cigarette is a treat. She knows I like to have one before I go to sleep so she leaves one cigarette and one match next to my bed.
The next morning one as I walk to meet my friend Arnab, one of the first things I see is a huge black crow eating a rat. They are next to a pile of trash as big as a house. In this pile there are several other crows, 4 cows, 3 dogs and a few children rummaging around for some treats. It looks like all are being successful.
I get into a taxi and at one of the first traffic lights a small girl about seven years old appears at the window. She's holding a baby about eight months old. They both tap on the window and start a song that goes "Aunty, Aunty, one rupee please? Just one rupee please?". I'm sure she's been singing this song since she was very small. They both smile and hold out their hands and continue to tap on the window. They are so beautiful. I just want to open the door and sweep them inside and drive away. But i know they are being watched very carefully. I turn away and pretend to look at the papers in my lap.
At the next light there is man with no arms and a deformed face. "Please, please. A few rupees, please?". I look away.
Still at the next light there is a beautiful mother in a sari with a baby in her arms. She holds out her hand and points to her crying baby. I pretend not to see them. As she walks to the next car, she slaps the baby across the face to make him cry harder. She knocks on the next window. "A few rupees please. For my baby?"
Last night on my way home, there was the large, twisted body of a dead dog in the road. It had been hit by one of the many vehicles that go screaming by each second. Everyone stepped around it and didn't seem to take much notice.
I asked the rickshaw guy to stop at the little stand near Soma Home so i could buy a pack of Gold Flakes for Godee Mashee. After many years as a prostitute and drug addict, this is her only vice. She usually smokes hand rolled "beedis", so a real cigarette is a treat. She knows I like to have one before I go to sleep so she leaves one cigarette and one match next to my bed.
The next morning one as I walk to meet my friend Arnab, one of the first things I see is a huge black crow eating a rat. They are next to a pile of trash as big as a house. In this pile there are several other crows, 4 cows, 3 dogs and a few children rummaging around for some treats. It looks like all are being successful.
I get into a taxi and at one of the first traffic lights a small girl about seven years old appears at the window. She's holding a baby about eight months old. They both tap on the window and start a song that goes "Aunty, Aunty, one rupee please? Just one rupee please?". I'm sure she's been singing this song since she was very small. They both smile and hold out their hands and continue to tap on the window. They are so beautiful. I just want to open the door and sweep them inside and drive away. But i know they are being watched very carefully. I turn away and pretend to look at the papers in my lap.
At the next light there is man with no arms and a deformed face. "Please, please. A few rupees, please?". I look away.
Still at the next light there is a beautiful mother in a sari with a baby in her arms. She holds out her hand and points to her crying baby. I pretend not to see them. As she walks to the next car, she slaps the baby across the face to make him cry harder. She knocks on the next window. "A few rupees please. For my baby?"
Thursday, December 10, 2009
I will be out of touch via email and blog for the next four days while making another trip to the sunderbans to deliver supplies. I look forward to spending a few days with the people there and getting to know how they live and how they are recovering from the devastating cyclone that hit them with no warning back in May.
And I hope to see a few Bengal tigers along the way. From a distance of course. I'll wear a face mask on the back of my head like the villagers do because a tiger won't attack a human from the front. So you have to fool 'em.... I hope.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
The City of Joy
This journey continues to unfold in the most beautiful ways.
I made a quick decision to go and visit some friends outside of Calcutta on Tuesday at a clinic they run, and it just happened to be the day when one of the most famous men in India was also visiting the clinic that he founded. The streets were lined with people from all the surrounding villages and traffic was at a standstill. There were posters on every tree with the showing the smiling face of Dominique LaPierre and his wife who is also named Dominique. They came to Calcutta 30 years ago when they were young and then back again when he was doing research for the book The City of Joy. They fell in love with the city and the people and have never stopped supporting them.
On this day it was as if the Pope had come to town. Everyone was out in their finest clothes just to get a glimpse of him. Just before he went onstage to speak, I introduced myself and he kindly invited me to spend the next two days with him.
After touring this clinic, he put me in the car with him and a reporter from Holland who is doing a story, and I had a whole hour and a half to talk with him and ask any questions I had. It was so wonderful. He is such a kind and funny man and gives so much to the people here. We drove to another village where we were greeted as before, and then we boarded a medical boat to go out into the Sunderban Islands which were devastated by a cyclone in May of this year. Everyone was out again, blowing on conch shells and doing a wonderful greeting call that I've heard at bellydance festivals and greek festivals. The people looked very different than the other people of India that I've seen. They had more of a tribal look, and their eyes were beautiful and more green.
They sprinkled marigold petals in our hair and draped us with flower leis. All the women bent down and touched first one of my feet and then the other and then we bowed to each other with "namaste". It was all very surreal and one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced. I was floating through this cloud of the most vivid colors and so many beautiful faces that were all smiling and loving. We delivered blankets, rice, lanterns and juice for each family on this island.
The next day I met Dominique and his party at a hotel and we all loaded up and drove to the Asha Bahvan Center which he also founded. This is an incredible place that serves hundreds of men, women and children but the focus is on developmentally and physically handicapped children.
Again, it was as if the most major celebrity in the world was coming. So many people there to greet us, so many posters. We were told that the people had been waiting for several hours just to get a glimpse of this man.
I saw a poster of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, which was so strange and out of place, and I asked Dominique about it. He said the designer had given him that dress to auction off to bring money to the people of Calcutta. What a great story.
We were taken to a beautifully decorated room for some tea and snacks before we all went onstage in front of at least 1,000 people who were gathered there. There was a very sweet program of dance and poetry and they presented Dominique with a silver rickshaw replica inside of a glass case. Dominique spoke for a few minutes and he also had each of us who were with him say a few words about how we feel about India and the people there. It was such a touching experience for me. I am so happy that I got to say to these people directly how much I love it here and that I will be back to help in any way that I can. I am forever connected to India.
I made a quick decision to go and visit some friends outside of Calcutta on Tuesday at a clinic they run, and it just happened to be the day when one of the most famous men in India was also visiting the clinic that he founded. The streets were lined with people from all the surrounding villages and traffic was at a standstill. There were posters on every tree with the showing the smiling face of Dominique LaPierre and his wife who is also named Dominique. They came to Calcutta 30 years ago when they were young and then back again when he was doing research for the book The City of Joy. They fell in love with the city and the people and have never stopped supporting them.
On this day it was as if the Pope had come to town. Everyone was out in their finest clothes just to get a glimpse of him. Just before he went onstage to speak, I introduced myself and he kindly invited me to spend the next two days with him.
After touring this clinic, he put me in the car with him and a reporter from Holland who is doing a story, and I had a whole hour and a half to talk with him and ask any questions I had. It was so wonderful. He is such a kind and funny man and gives so much to the people here. We drove to another village where we were greeted as before, and then we boarded a medical boat to go out into the Sunderban Islands which were devastated by a cyclone in May of this year. Everyone was out again, blowing on conch shells and doing a wonderful greeting call that I've heard at bellydance festivals and greek festivals. The people looked very different than the other people of India that I've seen. They had more of a tribal look, and their eyes were beautiful and more green.
They sprinkled marigold petals in our hair and draped us with flower leis. All the women bent down and touched first one of my feet and then the other and then we bowed to each other with "namaste". It was all very surreal and one of the most beautiful things I have ever experienced. I was floating through this cloud of the most vivid colors and so many beautiful faces that were all smiling and loving. We delivered blankets, rice, lanterns and juice for each family on this island.
The next day I met Dominique and his party at a hotel and we all loaded up and drove to the Asha Bahvan Center which he also founded. This is an incredible place that serves hundreds of men, women and children but the focus is on developmentally and physically handicapped children.
Again, it was as if the most major celebrity in the world was coming. So many people there to greet us, so many posters. We were told that the people had been waiting for several hours just to get a glimpse of this man.
I saw a poster of Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, which was so strange and out of place, and I asked Dominique about it. He said the designer had given him that dress to auction off to bring money to the people of Calcutta. What a great story.
We were taken to a beautifully decorated room for some tea and snacks before we all went onstage in front of at least 1,000 people who were gathered there. There was a very sweet program of dance and poetry and they presented Dominique with a silver rickshaw replica inside of a glass case. Dominique spoke for a few minutes and he also had each of us who were with him say a few words about how we feel about India and the people there. It was such a touching experience for me. I am so happy that I got to say to these people directly how much I love it here and that I will be back to help in any way that I can. I am forever connected to India.
Friday, December 4, 2009
The Andaman Islands
After a wacky Thanksgiving night partying at my first Indian wedding, we boarded an early morning flight for Port Blair in the Andaman Islands off the southern coast of India. It was about a 2.5 hour flight so got some decent nap time.
We went straight to the ferry landing for our 2 hour boat ride to Havelock Island where we planned to stay for 4 nights. We booked the lowest class ticket, which cost us about $4 and were put into a terrible little room at the bottom of the ship with no air, no water or food to be found. We did some exploring and found that we could go up to the top and ride with the lifeboats and it was stunning. We met some great people there and we all dug in our packs to find any scraps of food to share.
Havelock Island is very small and still pretty untouched. We stayed at a simple little "resort" called the Holiday Inn on the beach. I thought that was pretty funny. It was not like any Holiday Inn I've ever seen. The room was basically a cot and a toilet and was on the expensive side at 1000 rupies per night (about $20 US). There was an outdoor restaurant that was pretty good except it took forever to get your food.
The second night we were there we met Haemish Kane, infamous disc jockey and actor from England and his two crazy sisters and niece, Corrine. Haemish was born and raised in India and speaks Hindi perfectly. In fact, he wrote a book on learning Hindi and kindly gave me a signed copy. He is also a travel writer for Lonely Planet and gave me some fantastic suggestions and recommendations. This family was so funny and wild and we laughed until we thought we might puke. We also met Roberto, who is a doctor from Italy and is about as well traveled a man as I've ever met. He was facinating and very funny and fun to hang out with.
On the third day we were there, our whole group went snorkeling on a rickey old wooden boat that took us another 2 hours away to a place called Button Island. It was beautiful there but turned out to be a harrowing experience.
April and I had been snorkeling for about an hour and staying close to each other. When we got tired and thought we might go to the boat, we looked up and realized it was no longer there. What the hell?? There we were in the middle of the Indian Ocean with no life jackets and no fucking boat. The waves were getting bigger and we were getting exhausted and had no idea what to do. We started swimming in one direction, hoping that the boat would be there. Button Island is nothing more than a little piece of rock sticking up out of the ocean, with no way to crawl up on it, so it wasn't much of a comfort, but a little.
Finally a man from the boat came swimming by in his dive gear and asked if we were ok. Duh. No. We were not ok. He told us to follow him, but at this point it was getting difficult because we were so damn tired. The waves kept crashing on top of me and filling my snorkel with salt water. I hate the taste of salt water but swallowed plenty of it that day. As we got close to the boat they thankfully threw a rope out so I could pull myself in. My god, I was so tired. And very pissed off. It ws a long, hot, exhausting day and I'm not sure that I have recovered yet.
In spite of the crazy snorkeling experience, I loved my time at Havelock and would go back in a second. The people were very nice and the beaches were wonderful.
I'm back in Calcutta now and so happy to see the girls at Soma Home. They are very happy to have me back too. I'll stay for 4 days before going up to Varnasi to work at Buddah's Smile School. I'm looking forward to that. I'm not sure where I'll be for Christmas yet or who I'll be with, but it will be alright, I'm sure.
I miss my family and friends tremendously and sometimes get very homesick and sad and want to jump on the first plane and go home. But India and I are not finished yet. I feel like I am just starting to get my travel groove on and there is so much to do and experience here.
Someone said to me before I left "India is Everything". She was right. I came to India to find myself, and guess what? There I am.
We went straight to the ferry landing for our 2 hour boat ride to Havelock Island where we planned to stay for 4 nights. We booked the lowest class ticket, which cost us about $4 and were put into a terrible little room at the bottom of the ship with no air, no water or food to be found. We did some exploring and found that we could go up to the top and ride with the lifeboats and it was stunning. We met some great people there and we all dug in our packs to find any scraps of food to share.
Havelock Island is very small and still pretty untouched. We stayed at a simple little "resort" called the Holiday Inn on the beach. I thought that was pretty funny. It was not like any Holiday Inn I've ever seen. The room was basically a cot and a toilet and was on the expensive side at 1000 rupies per night (about $20 US). There was an outdoor restaurant that was pretty good except it took forever to get your food.
The second night we were there we met Haemish Kane, infamous disc jockey and actor from England and his two crazy sisters and niece, Corrine. Haemish was born and raised in India and speaks Hindi perfectly. In fact, he wrote a book on learning Hindi and kindly gave me a signed copy. He is also a travel writer for Lonely Planet and gave me some fantastic suggestions and recommendations. This family was so funny and wild and we laughed until we thought we might puke. We also met Roberto, who is a doctor from Italy and is about as well traveled a man as I've ever met. He was facinating and very funny and fun to hang out with.
On the third day we were there, our whole group went snorkeling on a rickey old wooden boat that took us another 2 hours away to a place called Button Island. It was beautiful there but turned out to be a harrowing experience.
April and I had been snorkeling for about an hour and staying close to each other. When we got tired and thought we might go to the boat, we looked up and realized it was no longer there. What the hell?? There we were in the middle of the Indian Ocean with no life jackets and no fucking boat. The waves were getting bigger and we were getting exhausted and had no idea what to do. We started swimming in one direction, hoping that the boat would be there. Button Island is nothing more than a little piece of rock sticking up out of the ocean, with no way to crawl up on it, so it wasn't much of a comfort, but a little.
Finally a man from the boat came swimming by in his dive gear and asked if we were ok. Duh. No. We were not ok. He told us to follow him, but at this point it was getting difficult because we were so damn tired. The waves kept crashing on top of me and filling my snorkel with salt water. I hate the taste of salt water but swallowed plenty of it that day. As we got close to the boat they thankfully threw a rope out so I could pull myself in. My god, I was so tired. And very pissed off. It ws a long, hot, exhausting day and I'm not sure that I have recovered yet.
In spite of the crazy snorkeling experience, I loved my time at Havelock and would go back in a second. The people were very nice and the beaches were wonderful.
I'm back in Calcutta now and so happy to see the girls at Soma Home. They are very happy to have me back too. I'll stay for 4 days before going up to Varnasi to work at Buddah's Smile School. I'm looking forward to that. I'm not sure where I'll be for Christmas yet or who I'll be with, but it will be alright, I'm sure.
I miss my family and friends tremendously and sometimes get very homesick and sad and want to jump on the first plane and go home. But India and I are not finished yet. I feel like I am just starting to get my travel groove on and there is so much to do and experience here.
Someone said to me before I left "India is Everything". She was right. I came to India to find myself, and guess what? There I am.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Recap of the last 10 days
I'm back in Calcutta after an incredible journey to Darjeeling and the Andaman Islands.
Darjeeling was so sweet. The people who were mostly Nepali and Tibetans were wonderful and beautiful. Literally, they were some of the most beautiful people I have ever seen. Their faces were dark and exotic and exquisite. It's a cute little town and we spent time at the zoo, on Tiger Hill for the sunrise which was astounding, did some hiking and some shopping at the small bazaar where we got beautiful scarves for $2. I loved the little guest house that where we stayed. We spent time with the kids from Norway and Gerry the German and met others along the way. It was cold up there and there was always a warm fire in the living room and hot tea when we got back. The owner and his wife gave us white kata scarves when we left and wished us a peaceful journey. The trip down from the mountains was beautiful. Everything was so lush and green.
When we got back to the Bagdora, we met up with Raj who owns a tea plantation two hours away. We met Raj through Christina, who we met in Calcutta. He picked us up with his car and driver and we made the trip out to the countryside, right on the borders of Bhutan, Nepal and China. Raj owns a 3,000 acre plantation, the biggest in India. He took us on a tour of the grounds as it was getting dark. We went for a stroll through the "gardens" as he calls it, and he asked his driver to follow in the car because there had been a leopard and an elephant spotted on the land that day and we didn't want to meet up with either one in the dark.
When we got back to the beautiful plantation house, he had his servants light a fire and make us rum and cokes and snacks before dinner. We stayed up very late laughing and talking and watching Bollywood dance videos on tv and had an incredile dinner at 11 pm. The next day we went on a longer tour through the plants and through the factory where the tea is processed and packed for shipping. It was facinating. Even though I drink a lot of tea, I never really knew how it was grown and made. Now I do thanks to the Rajmeister.
He is a very wealthy, very giving man. We drove to the airport with him that day and all flew to Calcutta where his main home is. We checked into a fancy hotel where he was hosting a wedding party that evening and he invited us to come. He sent his driver to pick us up and take us shopping so we could buy clothes to wear. Oh my...what a difference from the red light district of Calcutta...
The wedding was great fun, but didn't even get started until close to 10 pm. We left the party at 1 am and it was still rolling. We had to get up at 5 am to catch our flight to the Andaman Islands.
In the interest of not making a post too damn long, I will continue with the Andaman Islands in the next chapter....
Darjeeling was so sweet. The people who were mostly Nepali and Tibetans were wonderful and beautiful. Literally, they were some of the most beautiful people I have ever seen. Their faces were dark and exotic and exquisite. It's a cute little town and we spent time at the zoo, on Tiger Hill for the sunrise which was astounding, did some hiking and some shopping at the small bazaar where we got beautiful scarves for $2. I loved the little guest house that where we stayed. We spent time with the kids from Norway and Gerry the German and met others along the way. It was cold up there and there was always a warm fire in the living room and hot tea when we got back. The owner and his wife gave us white kata scarves when we left and wished us a peaceful journey. The trip down from the mountains was beautiful. Everything was so lush and green.
When we got back to the Bagdora, we met up with Raj who owns a tea plantation two hours away. We met Raj through Christina, who we met in Calcutta. He picked us up with his car and driver and we made the trip out to the countryside, right on the borders of Bhutan, Nepal and China. Raj owns a 3,000 acre plantation, the biggest in India. He took us on a tour of the grounds as it was getting dark. We went for a stroll through the "gardens" as he calls it, and he asked his driver to follow in the car because there had been a leopard and an elephant spotted on the land that day and we didn't want to meet up with either one in the dark.
When we got back to the beautiful plantation house, he had his servants light a fire and make us rum and cokes and snacks before dinner. We stayed up very late laughing and talking and watching Bollywood dance videos on tv and had an incredile dinner at 11 pm. The next day we went on a longer tour through the plants and through the factory where the tea is processed and packed for shipping. It was facinating. Even though I drink a lot of tea, I never really knew how it was grown and made. Now I do thanks to the Rajmeister.
He is a very wealthy, very giving man. We drove to the airport with him that day and all flew to Calcutta where his main home is. We checked into a fancy hotel where he was hosting a wedding party that evening and he invited us to come. He sent his driver to pick us up and take us shopping so we could buy clothes to wear. Oh my...what a difference from the red light district of Calcutta...
The wedding was great fun, but didn't even get started until close to 10 pm. We left the party at 1 am and it was still rolling. We had to get up at 5 am to catch our flight to the Andaman Islands.
In the interest of not making a post too damn long, I will continue with the Andaman Islands in the next chapter....
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