November 28 Gangtok to Darjeeling

Sorry there is no time to upload pics. I am still very sick, and we left Gangtok. It was a hectic drive down the mountain . It was very very hot. We stopped at a pharmacy, and I bought various medications to keep me going. Then we started the ascent to Darjeeling. It started to get cooler. It was a strain on the van, and we stopped at the top to change the water in the radiator, and have a washroom break. I took a pic of a lady picking out debris from rice. Chickens all around trying to steal rice!! We had a chai tea, and headed on to Darjeeling. On arrival we stopped at a restaurant with a good view of the mountains. It was now quite cold, so the hoodie was on, and coat. I was told that plain veggie rice would be ok....again big mistake!!!!! The journey was quite long to Darjeeling, but the scenery spectacular. Lots of ferns on the mountain sides. At the end of lunch, the steam train arrived, heading up the mountain.....for tourists, I believe. We got to the hotel, and a very short time later headed out to see Darjeeling before dark. It gets dark early here....as it's winter. I was very weak, and dragged behind the rest of the group, determined not to miss the walking tour. Just as well. We walked upward, which was tough, but made it to a community square, where there was a huge video screen for the locals to watch ANIMAL PLANET!! Kids were playing around. Older kids in school uniforms, looking very smart. We walked up to a Buddhist shrine at the top of Darjeeling. On the way we encountered monkeys eating. We kept our distance.I think the name of the town has derived from dorje which is a Buddhist word. We rang the bells above our heads many times to cleanse ourselves of negative vibes. Lots of coloured prayer flags everywhere.This Buddhist shrine was very important, as it had a Buddhist monk and a Buddhist priest together. This is not common practice. I went for a blessing from the monk and the priest. Very special. The monk intoned prayers in a very low voice, and touched my head with the Buddhist scriptures. The priest then applied a red tikka to my third eye. I found this all very moving, and bowed down kneeling. Both of them talked with me, liked me, and gave me a sweet. This is a square of condensed milk or some kind of soft solid square. We then walked around the monastery, clockwise, turning the prayer wheels, and I said prayers as I did this. During our walk I noticed the swastika sign again, and had seen it many other times too. No, it's not an Indian Neo Nazi group. Abhey explained that the Germans took it from the Indians. Origin of the swastika has religious significance here. The Germans added the red circle, which is not part of Indian heritage. He explained that Indians are part of the Aryan heritage, only skin, hair, eye colour changed over time. I think the sign means happiness.On completion of our walk around this high point of the community square, we went to the Golden tips tea store. This was the best one in Darjeeling. We sat down, and the guy explained all the different types of tea. We sampled them all. I bought some white tea, very very high in antioxidants, decaffeinated and tasted pleasant. Expensive. $30 for 100g. No milk of sugar is needed. I have instructions on the packet to brew a good cup of tea!! After the tea my stomach started again, and I left the group, who went for supper. I came back to the hotel, had a lovely hot shower ( surprise ) and did my blog. I hope the medication will kick in tomorrow, as I can't stand this much longer!! I have been sitting in bed doing the blog, with the Pashmina, which is very very thin, draped around me. It is warm!!! I have an electric blanket tonight so won't be cold!!

November 27 Gangtok

So we left fairly early for a view point of the mountain town of Gangtok. The barking dogs and crowing cocks had me up early. I took pics at the viewpoint, but was very very weak from the stomach issues. Back in the van we drove to the Zoo. It is not really a zoo, but the animals have a lot of places to roam. The entrance was full of coloured Buddhist prayer flags. The ascent to the zoo nearly did me in, as the stomach problems were in full force. I made it to see the Black Himalayan Bear, which is huge, some Yaks feeding, civet cats,  a Tibetan wolf, some small barking deer, some blue sheep, snow leopards, regular leopard, and the amazing red Pandas. I have pics of all. I walked to the watch tower and then descended to the entrance. The van met us half way, as it was a very long walk. I was relieved. The group ate, and all this is cheap. I couldn't eat much at all. I have a pic of momos...a local dumpling delicacy, either chicken filled or veggie momo. I like them.Then we drove to the arts and crafts exhibition of Sikkim, run by their government. It was impressive to see the arts and crafts, to see the women sewing ornate bags etc, and to see men painting religious drawings.There is a pic of men doing ornate wood carvings. I enjoyed the women weaving carpets.The pics are great.Before we went back to the hotel we stopped at another monastery. This time it was the important palace of the Sikkimese King who really was the whole force behind the establishment of this province.Then we drove back to the hotel to rest before supper. We took supper at the hotel, but I ate some flat bread only, and left the group to get an early night, as I was totally exhausted from my weakened state. I was taking electrolytes but it didn't help.

November 26 Kalimpong/Gantok

Actually the stomach issue started yesterday . Got worse, so no breakfast. Took a nice shot of the snow capped mountains. Was feeling from!! We drove by van to Gangtok. The roads from New Jalpurguri Junction were all uphill, S bends, just turns on the edges of the cliffs overlooking the green river below. We passed a big hydroelectric station over the river, and the scenery was very green, luxuriant, vegetation, creepers, bamboo etc. Lovely. We turned onto the Gangtok road. Gangtok is in the autonomous Indian province of Sikkim.  We had to present passports at the border, and at all hotels. The river is used for washing, fishing etc, but also provides sand and rocks for the constant roadwork. Monsoons wreck roads annually, and they are fixing them all the time. I noticed so many women involved in cutting rocks with hammers, and totally involved in the road construction. Some of the roads, there is a guy heating the asphalt with a torch!! At the border I saw a musician playing an ethnic stringed instrument, that looked like a violin, but cradled in his lap. He played Frere Jaque for the tourists. I asked him to play a Sikkimese tune, and I was very impressed with his musical ability. We left the border post, and drove through various towns in Sikkim province, ascending. We headed for the Rumtek Monastery, Buddhist I believe. The roads have lots of landslides, and we saw terracing of the mountain to make maximum use of the land to grow rice on a mountain slope.Very high up the mountain, with vertical prayer flags, and some horizontal ones as my pics show. We arrived and had a meal at the cafe at the entrance to the monastery. I should never have had the vegetable soup, a big mistake!! We ascended a steep path to the monastery, turning the prayer wheels clockwise. It is a very green monastery....totally espousing reuse, recycle, renew, and plant trees. In fact I have pics of senior and junior monks taking saplings from a truck, as they were no doubt going to plant a tree each. I have lots of pics of all of this, and we entered the monastery compound. We were allowed to take pics outside but not inside the monastery. I caught some very junior monks, peeping over the balcony, grinning!! All on photo. Then we wandered around the outside of the monastery taking pics, and then left. I saw monks on the roof of their sleeping quarters. The roof is a favourite place, as everything goes up in construction...not much flat land here. One guy on my pic is sitting on the roof checking his cell phone. Everyone of course has cell phones. We walked down to the entrance gate, which I have a pic of. There are garbage cans around with the words, "use me" on them. Littering is a huge problem in Mumbai, and most places I've been, but the monks are doing it right!! Then by van to Gangtok. It was a long drive of hairpin bends, tons of road construction almost everywhere. We got to the hotel. I changed my room as it was dismal. I got a better room, but check out the views out of my window!!!!!!!! In Gangtok, and most places here, people build homes, floor by floor. You HAVE to go up as there is no flat land. The roof is full of open rebar, which looks awful, but is evident everywhere. We freshened up at the hotel, and left in the early evening by taxi for the main pedestrian mall. It was quite impressive....no cars, and no beggars in this area. It is lit up as you can see in the pics. It was quite a trek to get there. I drew money, and we walked along the pedestrian mall, checking out the shops. Some guys came up to me, and wanted pics. If you are a westerner, they want pics with you!! Everyone, except me ate Nepalese/Tibetan food at the restaurant afterwards.The young people with us went to town with the food. It was cheap. Our guide, Abhey is Nepalese and knew all his foods. He had his own Kalimpong jar of chillies which he put on his food.....very very spicy. My stomach does not deal with this!!! We walked back up high stairways to the taxi rank, and drove back to the hotel. We were at the Maple wood hotel. Looked quite nice, and staff were attentive. I was on the toilet right away. Then I wanted a shower.OMG. The water seemed hot, and the mixing of hot and cold was a gong show. I tried to have a quick shower before the water went cold.Too late....my hair was full of shampoo. I called reception, and they came to fix it....another 15 minutes to get the water going....I'm wrapped in towels.....oh the phone didn't work, so I went up to reception with shampoo in hair. After waiting 15 minutes I tried the shower again. Not acceptable. So the guy tried a shower in another suite. Another 15 minutes to get the water going. That water was luke warm, but I toughed it out, and went back to my room. Please laugh, but I did not appreciate the experience. This is India where these things happen. I complained to the tour leader. The hotel gave me a hot water bottle, which was great, and I was warm....remember this is cold up in the Himalayas, as it's winter now. I had a very careful breakfast of toast, tea, and boiled egg.

November 25 Train Journey from Kolkata

This was a very stressful experience. The train was air conditioned, partly, and AC was erratic. I was very hot, and found it hard....no teeth cleaning or washing on this trip. We talked to a guy from the West Bengali legislature....and MP, and it was interesting. He is a Christian, and showed us his bible translated into West Bengali. A lady travelling with us showed him her pics of the Holy Land and he was totally impressed!!The train arrived at 6:30 AM, and we walked for a while to meet our bus at a huge rail terminal, New Jailpurguri. Very dirty but I'm used to it now. Onto the bus, and we drove for at least three hours to Kalimpong. I took lots of pics along the way. Many many Rhesus Macaque monkeys along the way....very common. We were now in the Himalayan foothills, and the winding roads were pretty extreme. Lots and lots of bridges as we followed the Teesta River. We stopped at a cafe for breakfast. We got to Kalimpong, which is where our leader, Abhey lived. It is a lovely mountain town, and we stayed at the Mountain View Hotel....I went onto the roof of the hotel to take this pic. (Remember no more pics as internet is too erratic to upload pics). We took a walk up the mountain, and I took a pic of a schoolboy in his full uniform. The girls were too cute, with orange bows to their black braided hair, but of course they were too shy for the pic. I saw a guy anointed two locals with fresh ticks. I got anointed too!! We then stopped at a local Hindu shrine....quite an important one. There was a lovely view there across Kalimpong.....the mountains are spectacular. Now it is cool.....the sweaters were out!! Then we walked to a Pine View cactus nursery. There was a great mountain view, and the cactuses were quite lovely as the pics show. We went for lunch at a King Tai Chinese restaurant. Then we went to the highest point in KALIMPONG, called Deolo. Fabulous view, over 1600m. Took some great pics there, many of amazing plants. Poinsettias are common all over, as it is nearly December!! We went to the oldest school built in the 1900S called Dr. Graham's Homes, where we saw the school, and saw a lovely chapel on the top. This was a private school built for the sons and daughters of the officers during British rule. A coed school. Pics are great. Then we returned to the hotel to freshen up. Then we went for dinner at Sinclair's Retreat....a fancy hotel chain. The meal was great. We drank Indian red wine. All a big mistake for my stomach!!

November 24 Kolkata....Before the train trip started

Early start to see Mother Teresa's home.

I found the visit here very moving. In fact it brought me to tears. I saw her bedroom, very simple of course. There was a small museum of photographs and information on her life.

Above: her tomb

A service in progress next to the tomb

Love this...above...on her tomb

This is the tram ahead.....no other city in India has trams, and they only run at certain times.

Hindu shrine, as we went to our next place

close up of the shrine......lots of study to know the meanings of all this

Above, we arrived at the Potters section of Kolkata. Here is a bust of a Hindu goddess in clay, ready to be painted. Notice the straw on the right, used in construction of the figures.

The goddess with her foot on her husband's chest......

The Potter's alleyway.....

More potters things

Selling the figures...two school kids doing homework in the midst. I am now doing the blog many days later, due to stomach problems, journey fatigue , and erratic internet in the mountains, which makes uploading pics very difficult. So I will outline the rest of Kolkata trip here....the pics you can ask to see when I'm back. So after the potter's trip, we went to the flower market. That was the most spectacular thing, and the pics are wonderful. We stopped and had chai.....also a very memorable experience to see the authentic process in action. We drank from disposable clay mugs, and it was the best I've ever had.The pics of this are good. Then over the bridge over the Ganges. Millions of people....it is the second largest city in India, but very old. We saw people bathing on the edge of the Ganges to spiritually cleanse themselves. Then got on the ferry, and had a short trip across this huge river. On the other side, we got into the van and drove to the Victoria Memorial. On the way we drove through a huge pedestrian traffic street....just us in the van and millions of people!! Quite spectacular. The Victoria monument is all made from marble, and is very impressive as the pics will show. We had a brief lunch there, and I looked at an art exhibition on the lawns surrounding the monument to Queen Vic. Very talented local terra cotta crafts, and many other kinds were there. I stopped to hear a folk musician, who truly sang from the soul. Then we went back to the hotel for free time, and supper at a place where I ate seafood.

Indian potter at work....swans.....sales outlet above that

November 23 Arrival in Kolkata

Very early up to get to the airport with Raju. Everything takes longer. No announcements. If you snooze they let you miss the flight!!!!!!! Arrived after 11 AM. COOL...25 degrees......what a pleasant change from the Mumbai oven. Hour's taxi to the Hotel Lytton. Upscale kind of accommodation, certainly for Indian hotels. Day will be free to explore. Below is a pic from the taxi. It says"obey the Traffic rules" and Danger in the middle......Good luck it says. But Westerners should NOT attempt to drive here!!

 A new mode of rickshaw...none of these in Mumbai.....hope for a ride.

 More traffic ....this herd of goats, in the middle of cars hooting at them

 Pedestrians, scooters....now goats....lovely

Below....feel hungry??

Busy street

 So many folk wanting to buy......wow

 Markets in the streets.

 Lobster Thermidor.....$10 local seafood for supper. Below....the sheep, not goats in the distance!1

November 22: last day in Mumbai

Quite tired today, slept in. Went for a long walk in the shade of the banyan trees. Discovered a western style supermarket. Prices are high. Couldn't believe that avocados aren't grown here. I have spent the day, packing and organizing for the early start tomorrow for Kolkata. I am back to colonial days with my lovely dark tea, milk, and good old tea strainer!!

 Said goodbye to the hotel staff, who have been very friendly. I think they are good people, humble, helpful, and very very hard working. They work very long hours, and have very long commutes too. I try to look for the goodness in everyone, and I think I found it here. When I arrived, I had a lot of fear about being ripped off, robbed etc, and concerns over water quality. I have experienced none of that. Being aware, and careful is important. I feel way more compassion for those that don't have a home. So so many live on the sidewalks here. This is their home.



 This is the end of the Mumbai part of the big Indian tour. It has deeply introduced me to urban India. Mumbai IS urban India, the commercial hub. Now, the rural part is about to happen. Eye care is important, as it's dusty here. Of course smells are everywhere. I'm used to smells, even pungent ones, as I have African third world experience. It doesn't bother me too much, but it this experience is not for the delicate sensibilities. However, it is life, and real. Beggars are everywhere. Uday says some of them make a fortune out of it, but most, do not. Some sights are pretty shocking...bodies lying in the sun completely passed out for whatever reason. Nobody pays attention, but it does affect you. I saw two huge rats while I was here....way bigger than the little mice that were in the Grade 1 class at a certain school I know!! It actually rained quite hard last night....the only rain since I have been here. Now.....time to move on. And feel gratitude for this life experience, and how fortunate we all are living in the West. Thank you for sharing my Mumbai holiday!!

 Above...the soft broom to sweep floors...no vacuums here

 Sandeep with the broom

 Took Uday to this more upscale Indian restaurant to thank him for his help.

 Buttermilk and herbs, a lime and cumin drink, with floaters (?)

 Steamed rice cubes, chapati, plus a range of veggie dishes, curried, onions in the back, and pickles below...garlic etc

 No wonder I put on weight with vegetarian food. The server, below dishes up for you...this is the Indian way. Uday helped me with the correct weight for luggage. I had to leave a huge amount of stuff behind as domestic flights ding you for overweight. But am learning a few tricks to take more.

November 21

Early rise, and walked with Uday to the Yoga Centre that he is a part of. Very interesting. This centre does yoga research. They offer all kinds of services, particularly Ayurvedic treatments etc. I did not have time to do a class, but booked an Ayurvedic massage for later. Then walked to the Krishna Consciousness Temple. We went to the temple, and listened to a talk, along with many others. After that we had breakfast, which was a special kind of yellow rice, with many different herbs. The drink was sweet, and flavoured with special herbs, quite delicious. This is the yoga centre below. I may come back and do a retreat at their retreat place

 Treatments....Neti pot station, and other water based procedures

 The quiet zone

 Hare Krishna temple

 Below...listening to the talk

 Breakfast...delicious drink.....slightly curried herbal rice

 Floor ornamentation

 Drums below

 Two pics of a devotee, whom Uday spoke to. I got the book!!! He is a very humble, gentle soul!

 The American Swami, who is the world head of the organization was here. I got an audience with him!I bought his book, and watched a video on the Hare Krishna movement.

 Pic with the Swami...the American head of Hare Krishna

Below, Uday with Swami

Below is the poster of a concert I went to in the evening.It was in New Bombay. Long taxi ride with Uday. He got tickets for us, as he is a big fan of Indian movie music. The concert went 7 pm to midnight!!!lol!!

 Everyone uses their cell phones to record music and video below!!!

 Various artists singing, surrounded by the band: lots of drums to left, and guitars, sitars, synthesizers etc.

 Movie screen at the back, which played the take in the movie, while the performer sang it. Indians love movies with singing.  The show was being videoed.

 Lots of talking in Hindi between items........audience loved that but lost to me

 The movie in action at the back of the players, as the guy in red sang.

 At 10 PM I was done. So Uday took me backstage to meet this guy ( the one featured on the poster above). Uday loves to sing this kind of music.

 Another one of the stars with Uday

 They guy with the green jacket was one of India's top movie singers. The crowd adored him. The lady next to him sang also in some of his songs.

 Below, audience, and sound mixing crew facing the stage

Below, full house.......

 More of the big star!! Rear end of the video guy who was up on stage

 Indian men are so easily able to sit cross legged, as you can see below. It is so hard for Westerners, as we use chairs. They have "free" hips

 Some of them needed chairs as it was better to play the guitars below

 The guy with the white shirt, back to us, was an orchestra leader....he did a lot of cueing, not conducting as is the western tradition.

 AFTER the show, we had a snack.....to right, papadum with onion , tomato, and crispy pieces. The huge crepe is rice, called a dosa. You eat ONLY with your right hand, ( guess why?? lol!!) I used utensils as well, as eating with your hands is difficult to the unpracticed!!

 Nearly forgot to show you the Yamuna juice.....bright purple, sweet, fresh juice, and tasted good!! You won't find that in Edmonton! On the way home from the concert we used a freeway. Can you believe that there were pedestrians crossing!! We nearly wiped them out......scary!!!

 Above and below: forgot to show you the thank you pics from the Khar kids. Zoom to see it better. It was quite an experience. They enjoyed my energy, as some of their concerts have been dreary.

Reception at the Yoga Centre. The massage was very unusual. You were covered in warm olive oil, then gently pound with a bag of Ayurvedic herbs. Not deep tissue like we get in Canada. Different. So funny. The reception staff below, talked to me. These brothers asked me to sing, when I told them I was a music teacher. So I sang "O Canada". They were impressed. All the staff agreed to sing the Indian national anthem, so I stood, like I do at the Indian movie theatre!! SOOO different to us!!