back to hot, harsh reality

From the sweaty, grimy city of Kolkata (Calcutta), where we're stopping shortly on our way to Varanasi, our 4 tranquil days in Darjeeling feel like a wonderful dream. We visited holy Buddhist shrines, explored the incredible Tibetan Refugee Center, took walks among lush tea plantations, and sipped high tea like English royalty. Even more enjoyable were all the great people we met, from other travellers, to the incredibly friendly, courteous, and hospitable locals. Definitely hope to return to Darjeeling soon, and highly recommend this beautiful town.

On another note, BUS' ARE SO MUCH NICER THAN TRAINS!!! That is, if you're going budget and the distance isnt toooo far. We took a 14 hour overnight bus from Siliguri to Kolkata and it was infinitely more comfortable than taking a train. Unfortunately, we have a long 12 hour overnight train to Varanasi coming up soon, so we'll see how that goes.

Before that, we're going to soak in as much of Kolkata as possible. It's a nice city, despite the over-abundance of poverty visible all over the streets, with plenty of colonial influence, and yellow cabs that remind me of home. Most of the streets have several names and maps are pretty much useless (typical of India we are quickly learning). The US consulate is, ironically, on Ho Chi Min road, which was done on purpose by the independent Indian governement as a joke after changing it from Harrington road. The game plan for now is to check out the Victoria Memorial, which is supposed to resemble a cross between the Taj Mahal and the US state capital, this afternoon. First we are going to endulge ourselves by sneaking into a nice hotel, The Park, to use the swimming pool and avoid the unmerciful midday heat. Catch ya later,

NPW