I'm back in Darjeeling now, after a few days spent wandering around Gangtok. I enjoyed having time to myself and people watching and wandering so this post may be more rambly than usual.
I got up early to get a shared jeep out to the monastery community of Rumtek, thinking I would get there with lots of time to wander around the hills. Well as a wise friend coined it, it was a "hurry up and wait" scenario. At 0730h they said the jeep wouldn't leave until 0930h, so I went for a leisurely coffee and chatted with some South Africans working on a hydro project in North Sikkim...I have an open-ended invitation if I ever want to visit the project!
Upon getting back to the jeep, I waited...and waited...and waited...and we finally departed about 1130h! But we got to Rumtek and I spent the afternoon quietly wandering and watching people and animals. It was wonderful to just sit and listen and watch for a while. The monks moving about, some playing hacky-sack (!), moving the prayer wheels, watering plants, chatting on cell-phones. I'm slightly confused by this whole "monk" thing...are they living a life of devotion, giving up worldly possessions and such, or is it more like a faith-based boarding school/commune where they have this particular kind of uniform? Funniest image: a monk in red robes, with a shaved head, wearing Converse All-Stars on his feet. Surreal!
Wandering off the beaten path, seeing wild orchids, small children playing in the grass, chickens running through the dust, wind in the trees, ginormous stands of bamboo...I am truly blessed.
My journey back to Darjeeling took a bit longer than expected (6 hours instead of 3), and I arrived to the chill after dark last night. But after the long hike up, up, up I was warmed and found a lovely room at the Tranquility Hotel...truly tranquil it is. Cozied up under a mountain of blankets and a hot water bottle tucked in there as well I had a most excellent sleep. I enjoyed it so much I decided to stay one more night in the cold rather than heading down the valley as I had originally intended.
Today was another day filled with wandering...to Observatory Hill where I was nearly attacked by a monkey!...to the Himalayan Zoological Park where I got to see the Red Panda (and some other rather unfortunate animals)....to the Himalayan Mountaineering Museum where I saw the Alpine Club of Canada pins amongst many international pins and flags...to the Happy Valley Tea Plantation where I sat amongst the tea bushes in the sun and pondered...and finally to the Bazaar where I spent all my money!
Now it's time for some hot tea, warm curry and delicious roti to warm me up before I trek back up the hill to the hotel for one last chilly night in the fresh air of the Darjeeling hills.
Tomorrow I head south back to Kolkata, my "brothers", and a New Years Eve celebration of some kind (yet to be determined).
Much love to all of you and congratulations to those wonderful friends of mine who have gotten engaged recently...I'm thrilled for you!
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