Run for the Border

Hey there,

Well, I am on my way out of India for a little while.  My visa expires in 2 days and I need to go to Nepal to get a new visa.

 

I am very much looking forward to a change of scene and pace.

 

I am currently in Gangtok in Sikkim.  The weather here is certainly a change from a week ago!!  It is between 10 and 15 degrees most days here and it is rainy and wet. 

 

Since I wrote last I went from the lovely sane environs of Pondicherry to a complete maelstrom of religious frenzy in Tirumala.  The only thing in Tirumala is a temple on a hill that attracts an average of 50,000 pilgrims a day!!  It is apparently one of the most important pilgrimage sites in the world.  Many of the pilgrims shave their heads in hopes of having their wishes granted.  For Indian women this is a HUGE sacrifice as most have long beautiful hair that they are very proud of.  Not surprisingly, I did not feel the urge to donate my hair to the cause.  There were no other western tourists and it was a bit complicated to figure things out but it was fascinating to be squished, jostled, elbowed and shoved like any other pilgrim.  Needless to say it was also very hot – about 40 again – which certainly added to the ‘fun’.  It was very ‘interesting” and ‘special’ but I am glad I went.

 

 

 

While in Tirumala I visited a workshop of a traditional artist in a nearby village.  The painting style had been practiced for many hundreds of years but has almost died out.  I had a nice visit with the leading artist and was able to talk myself into buying a piece (surprise surprise).

 

 

 

 

After 2 days I had had more than enough of the experience and headed to Hyderabad where I was intending to visit a friend.  Unfortunately while I was in Hyderabad he was in Russia … oh well.  I hung out in for a few days anyway and enjoyed the city quite a bit (in spite of the heat).  It is a very diverse place – the old part of the city is very Muslim and chaotic while the new part of the city is very modern indeed and reflects the city’s status as one of the leading IT cities of India.  Unfortunately a few days after I was there a bomb was planted in the mosque (which you can see in some of my pictures but not the one I'm posting).  I am not sure of all of the details but it certainly reminds one of the basic fact that the situation in India between the two main communities is a fragile one.

 

 

 

While in I realized that I had better get moving if I wanted to see some of the north east (Darjeeling and Sikkim) so I did what I had not done before – booked ahead.  I purchased all of the train tickets I needed for the rest of India.  This had the benefit of making me feel organized but the cost of making me have to move pretty fast through a great deal of territory. 

 

Next stop was , Puri, and the famous at Konark.  I saw quite a few really beautiful temples in a very few days.  Yes,  MORE temples!!! 

 

 

More buses, rickshaws (motor and cycle) and trains and I reached Bodhgaya.  Bodhgaya is important in that is here, under a Bodhi tree, that Buddha reached enlightenment.  It is not much of a town and especially in the off-season it was a strange place.  It was however quite moving for me to see the tree (well actually it is a tree grown from a cutting of the original) and be able to sit under it.  Just 2 days there made me determined to experience cold, even if for just a few days, as it was over 40 and there was no electricity and therefore no fans!!  It was not a very comfortable place for good night’s sleep.

 

 

 

 

It was a good thing I had had enough of the heat because I arrived in Darjeeling, in the pouring rain, to temperatures around 12.  Within a few hours I remembered why I try to flee Vancouver every winter and why I found the time I spent in Hanoi so depressing!  Luckily it actually felt quite nice for a change … for a few days.  Darjeeling is quite a big city built on a steep mountain slope.  Getting around seemed to involve going up, up, up and more up which, or course I just loved … NOT.  There wasn’t a great deal to do but I found that was OK as it gave me time to sit around and drink tea.  The tea was different than I had expected – more bitter but still delicious.

 

 

 

In Gangtok now and I am having problems actually getting to see anything.  I have tried to go several places but no luck (weather, cancelled trips, timing etc) so have given up and am heading to Nepal tomorrow.  Darjeeling and Sikkim have already been a break from as the populations here include a lot of Nepalese as well as local ethnic groups and Tibetans.  It is definitely a bit calmer and slower here and I wish I had had more time to explore the area but my visa expires in 2 days.  Also the weather is really not the kind I would prefer to trek in (it is impossible to see much because of the fog and clouds) and the full-on rainy season is only a few weeks away so I don’t think there is much point in coming back after Nepal.  Maybe next time.

 

 

 

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, I am heading to the Nepali border after which I will take a bus (18 hours apparently!!!) to Kathmandu.  I am sure there will be lots of Internet connections there so I hope to hear from all of you soon J

 

Love to all,

K