New Years 2009! January 6, 2009

Dropping in to the Valley below Darjeeling, we met full force with India’s crowds and culture. Cars, bikes and people all flooded the streets. Women ornately dressed in colorful saris, multiplebracelets, nose ring chains and toe rings galore walked quickly past men wearing anything from street clothes to Pyjamas (long cotton shirts, somewhat resembling night gowns).

Once on the train Kari, Matt and I managed to have the only berth with other passengers. First an Indian family of six squished into the five available seats, ceaselessly laughing at Kari, Matt and I. Luckily, they were in the wrong seats and were replaced by five twenty year old monks with their lap tops and head phones. To end 2008, the monks showed us how to eat rice, curry and dal with our right hand then cozily curled into our berth.

Darjeeling, India January 6, 2009

Leaving Bhutan, we drove seven hours across a washed out, death defying mountain road. Arriving at the border, we looked through the “Gate to India” tower to see the hectic atmosphere on the other side.

Barely into the country, we ran into a political strike which was denying road passage until 6 pm. After waiting patiently for two hours, the driver suggested the head of the family (aka my dad) request that the huge group of angry looking men let us through. The driver escorted my dad in to the crowd where he emerged triumphant…theymoved the road block just enough f or us to sneak through to the high mountain station Darjeeling.

Darjeeling resembles South America with hundreds of houses that use eachother to climb up the mountainside. The ridge of Darjeeling is narrow but packed; roads are barely wide enough for one car let alone the two way traffic and occasional train that squeezes by. The air and people are very peaceful looking more Tibetan than Indian. On a clear day (which we missed) you can see a wide view of the Himalaya, aka “the abode of the Gods” according to Indian mythology.

We walked along Darjeeling’s winding ridge to the Himalayan Zoological Park which housed the Himalaya Mountaineering Institute.

The museum was founded by Tenzing Norgay, Sir Edmund Hillary’s guide on the first succesul ascent of Everest. Partially due to Tenzing’s contribution and partially due to the museum’s location, the majority of the exhibits profiled and lauded Tenzing’sand other local climber’s accomplishments. In our history lessons, it seems like Tenzig’s contributions are left out.

The museum also had a fascinating 3-D map of the Himalayal: a calm, planar base agressively meets the Himalaya – the most dramatic peaks near the plains; other peaks weathering off throughout the range.

Our last morning in Darjeeling was once again foggy and chilly. As we descended off the ridge that is Darjeeling, the clouds parted just enough to see Kachinchooga, the third highest mountain in the world.