Calcutta-Darjeeling

Alright so I wasn't sure people were still reading this other than my parents, which might still be the case, but they say that "people" are wondering why I'm not writing...So I'm not sure who I am pleasing, but here goes...

Shortly after Caitlin got here we took off on a 30 hour train ride from Chennai to Calcutta. I was far more prepared for this train ride than I was the last one we took. We were greeted by a pack of rats hustling around the tracks below us when we were boarding and I didn't even flinch. Maybe I'm getting a little too used to things around here. Here is my one little story from the journey that I wrote in my journal on the train:

"As I'm sitting here now I finally pieced together a puzzle. There is a man and 2 women residing in the bunks next to us. Last night I saw him come to the bunk and kiss one girl goodnight. For the 1st part of the day his affection was to her with subtle glances and touches to the other one. This first caught my attention because its not that common to see displays of affection in public here. Then it really caught my attention when the recipient of the kisses switched to the other woman. There's a first time for everything! Oh wait, as I'm writing this, he has switched back. I think he has favorites."--- But by the end of the train ride, the puzzle has really been solved. Another older man shows up and turns out the woman number two was his mother!

Needless to say though, we did make it to Calcutta in one piece. It's fun having Cait here, she brings a freshness to the trip; things Rach and I overlook now are still new in Cait's eyes, so we have to stay on our toes. When we got off the train we were greeted by hundreds of the cutest little yellow taxis I have ever seen. It looked like a scene out of Dick Tracey. We thought that maybe that would just be at the train station, but no, it was the entire city. Calcutta has way more charm than I would have expected. Pleasantly surprised.

Calcutta was a whirlwind. We went to the flower markets (which I can't remember the name of), which was chaos to the fullest. There were stalls and stalls filled with strands of flowers, loose flowers, stemmed flowers...you get the point. Rickshaws were flying down the alleyways with deliveries; Rachel managed to hope on one of the bikes and pull us behind her in the wagon. It was pretty hard to avoid stares at that point. While in Calcutta we also visited Mother Teresa's Tomb. It was fascinating to read her story and see her personal belongings. My favorite part was seeing the last pair of shoes that she wore, you could see how much her toes and worn them down. It sounds silly I know, I just don't know how to describe it. If nothing else, it was amazing to read her story and read how much she helped people, and then walk out on the streets and see the very people she was trying to prevent from suffering. We have all heard how selfless this woman was, but to really see it firsthand is an experience I would not give back.

Our few days in Calcutta went very quickly and before we knew it we were on yet another overnight train up to Darjeeling. When we got off the train we had to catch a jeep to complete the remaining 3 hours of the journey. The drive was spectacular! The distance traveled was only 40 km, but the winding road up into the mountains, coupled with the horrible traffics it was easy to see why it took so long. The roads aren't really made for 2 way traffic let alone vehicles. Darjeeling was so majestic, set above the clouds yet at the base of a mountain. Unfortunately a view of the Himalayas was non-existent, but you could definitely feel the elevation; that and the temperature dropped about 40 degrees. I don't think I have ever been, or will ever again be, high above the clouds and still at the base of a mountain. Pretty amazing. But our lack of view of Everest and those other tall mountains, didn't ruin our trip up north. We did go "white-water rafting"-- which consisted of a man in jeans teaching two others how to row a boat while we just sat there and went over some rapids. If you go to Darjeeling, I would recommend that you skip this little adventure. The highlight for me though, was going to the Tibetan Self Help Refuge Center where we got to play some full court basketball and meet people who are personally affected by all of the turmoil. (And I know you are probably wondering, so I'll just answer you now...yes I've still got skills on the court!)...well kinda. Oh, and one more piece about Darjeeling before I sign off. Just to prove what a small world it is, we went into this TINY bar for a night cap and Caitlin ran into a guy she knows from Seattle. What are the odds?

Alright, I think that's it for now. I realize that my posts are starting to sound more like emails than anything else, but its crunch time on catching up on this thing before I leave for Africa. So bare with me. I also have no clue on the dates of these events, but this was all roughly 2 weeks ago...wowzers.