India

Darjeeling
    From Chitwan we headed directly East towards the Indian border, taking a night bus for the 12-hour journey.  After a fiasco at the bus check-in stand our express 'tourist' bus showed up late and was packed way beyond capacity.  Needless to say it was a grueling journey and yet another sleepless night.  Arriving just before dawn, we took a cycle rickshaw for the 1 km trip across the border area and yet another rickety bus to Siliguri, two hours away.  From here we had to take a jeep ride for the final 3-hour journey up into the Himalayan foothills of Darjeeling. 

Clicking on this map will open a window to a map of the West Bengal district in India.

    With all of our luggage and my bicycle precariously strapped on to the small roof rack and 11 passengers squeezed into the vehicle, we endured an additional 45-minute breakdown half way up the hill.  The broken fuel line was patched together with a hollowed out piece of bamboo and a rubber inner tube! At least the view from here was really pleasant, with far reaching panoramas of the tea plantations and the forest below.  Hundreds of jeeps ferried passengers up and down these steep, twisting slopes in a steady stream, screeching horns and belching black diesel fumes.

    Beyond the busy main streets of Darjeeling where it is noisy and dirty we found a hotel perched high up on the hillside overlooking the town and valleys beyond.   The town was established as an R&R location by the British in the mid-1800's for their troops and has maintained its popularity with visitors ever since.  It even has a famous toy train that slogs its way up the steep mountainsides from the lowland plains, if you wish to spend 8 hours making the relatively short journey.  Though Darjeeling is in the far northeastern section of India, it is dominated by mountain people of Tibetan extract and is predominantly Buddhist.
    On the day we arrived the distant but prominent peak of Kanchenjunga was clearly in view.  Kanchenjunga is the world's 3rd highest mountain (28,260 feet) and straddles the Nepal/Indian border in a region known as Sikkim.  Darjeeling is a fairly sizeable town with a population of about 85,000 and it sits on a west-facing ridgeline around 7200 feet.  It is world renowned for its fine quality teas.   Tea plantations stretch for miles with the small, compact and well-tended bushes creating a finely patterned carpet of green.  We spent four days here with warm daylight hours but at night it became quite cold due to the altitude and time of year.
    We visited a tea plantation and were given a tour of the production facility, though presently not operating due to the fact that it wasn't harvesting season.   We were fascinated to see all the different stages that the picked leaves went through from the drying and sorting of the different grades to the packing facility.   There is a cable car ride at the northern end of town known as the Rangeet Valley Ropeway, that runs for about a mile down the steep mountainside and overlooks rolling tea plantations.
We rode this attraction and at the bottom enjoyed a lovely cup of Chai which was infused with some kind of spice that gave it a rich and satisfying flavor.  Unfortunately we never found out what this added component was!  In the center of town at a site known as Observatory Hill there sits a combination Buddhist Shrine and Hindu Kali Temple which is all decked out in colorful prayer flags and offerings, where the smell of incense filled the air.  Monkeys roamed around Temple, frolicking and playing with one another and they were not shy about stealing food from your hands!

    Below Observatory Hill, down some steeply winding narrow back streets, is the Buddhist Gompa of Bhutia Busty which was established at this site in 1879.  It is at this monastery that the original copy of the renowned 'Tibetan Book of the Dead' was reputed to be housed.  We were given a tour of the small but colorful Gompa by one of the head Lama's who had studied with the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala (India) for 4 years in addition to 12 years at the main sect's Phodang monastery in Sikkim.  He explained to us that there was supposedly an old monk who had lived at the monastery many years ago who may have been the keeper of this ancient book of Buddhist rites of passage into the next world.  But he had passed away and no one knew anything more about what had become of this original text.  There were some wonderful old wall paintings in the main temple that had faded with age and darkened by the burning of butter candles.  In contrast certain aspects of the room were in the process of being refurbished.  The ceiling mandalas and some of the wooden carved elements were getting a fresh coat of paint and it transpired that our Lama guide was also the resident artist.

    Darjeeling hosts a small but rather nice zoo and interesting collection of animals and birds that include Tibetan Wolf, rare and endangered Snow Leopards and Red Pandas, and India's only Siberian Tigers.  As much as we cringe at the thought of these beautiful creatures being caged, many of the exhibits were well laid out and most of the animals had at least a moderate amount of space.  The zoo was established in 1958 with the objectives of study, conservation and preservation of Himalayan Fauna.
The Snow Leopards in particular were just exquisite creatures.  They had thick fur coats that enable them to survive the adversity of high altitudes and very cold climates that make up their habitat.  They have markings very similar to the common Leopard in addition to a long furry tail that curls at the tip and has to be carried off the ground.   We quietly watched these beautiful cats for a long time as they chased one another or lazed in the dappled shade of the overhanging trees.  The Red Pandas looked very much like cuddly burnished red-coated raccoons, very similar in size and shape, and were eating their staple diet of bamboo.  The huge male Siberian Tiger was an awesome sight to behold.  He paced back and forth alongside the fence, inches away from us and separated only by some pretty thin looking steel mesh.  The openings in the fence were big enough that a small child's hand could very well fit through!  We could feel his hot breath as he passed by and sensed the enormous raw power that was contained before us.
    Within the Zoo complex resides the Indian Himalayan Club and School, with its extensive exhibit on mountaineering, its history and pioneers, tools of the trade, culture of the region, and flora and fauna.  The school was founded in 1954 by Tenzing Norgay Sherpa, the first man to summit Everest along with Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953.  He was the director of the Institute for many years until his death in 1986.   A large statue of this great pioneer stands on the hilltop overlooking the Institute and Darjeeling town.
    As one wanders around Darjeeling it is hard to mistake the British influence here, especially in the architecture.  The Victorian style predominates with old clock towers and English country style residences, the obviously more elite dwellings having rolling lawns and rose gardens.

Calcutta
Jan 31.2000
    Our journey into India continued with yet another marathon overnight bus ride into Calcutta which lasted 16 hours.  We wanted to bring in the New Year with my friend Krishnendu who I had met in Varanasi in 1994 while he was studying sculpture at Banares Hindu University.  He had been patiently waiting there at the station for 4 hours as our bus was well overdue.  It was great to see him again and to finally meet his family and friends.  We celebrated 2001 with a bottle of Indian Vodka and a few of Krishnendu's closest artist friends.

    Calcutta actually proved to be one of the more trying aspects of our travels so far.  It was a bittersweet experience.
The horrible atmospheric pollution was more than we could bear and truly affected our general health day to day.  It unfortunately made excursions outside of the house a chore and hard on the lungs.  Efforts to extend our visas failed (tourist visas are non-extendable and to renew would mean traveling outside the country to do so), which was a big blow to the plans we had for traveling through India, limiting us to only 3 weeks.  It seemed like every time we needed to organize something here i.e. rail tickets, it would take 5 times as long as necessary due to the archaic Indian bureaucratic systems.  It was very trying at times and tested our patience.  For the one week spent in Calcutta it seemed like we did very little actual sight seeing and all too much organizational stuff. 
    One of the really positive aspects about Calcutta is its very efficient and clean metro system that is undoubtedly the fastest and most convenient way of getting downtown.  Places of interest that we did manage to see were the Birla Planetarium, with its impressive display of the night sky over Calcutta; Mother Theresa's Home for the Destitute and Dying; Kalighat Hindu Temple; Belur Math Temple dedicated to the Rama Krishna order and the sacred Hindu Temple of Dakshineswar on the banks of the Ganges river.  We took a pleasant boat ride on the river between these two latter temples which gave us a brief respite from the choked streets.  One of the other wonderful aspects about Calcutta is its street food.  There is quite a variety of very inexpensive sweet and savory fare and you can have a filling lunch for two under a dollar!   Even though India gained independence from British rule in 1948 it still shows many of the signs of its influence, especially here in West Bengal where Calcutta was the seat of British power in India.  The architecture is noticeably Victorian, but unfortunately in many cases the buildings are in a terrible state of disrepair (probably much of it due to the air pollution problem) and at least could stand a fresh coat of paint.  The general filth and open sewers were at times a real affront to the senses.
    Our most memorable occasions were spent with Krishnendu's parents with whom we shared our morning ritual of coffee and conversation.  Each morning Mr.Simlai would knock on our door and say 'hot water is ready'.  This would be the signal for us to get up and for Annette to prepare her special brew of Indian coffee laced with cardamom.  Until our visit coffee was rarely drunk in this household as tea is undisputedly the National hot drink of India.  But Mr.Simlai eagerly awaited this moment each morning as much as we enjoyed the first cup of the day.  Our hosts were such pleasant company and inspired us a great deal.  We talked about everything from poetry and politics to the environment.  They were very much worldly and wise, though they had ventured little from their home in the course of their lives (for which they had been renting the same dwelling now for 56 years!).
They themselves were inspired by the likes of the great Indian poet and sage Rabindra Tagore and felt their lives were about service to humanity.  Krishnendu was ill and as a result was unavailable more often than not so we didn't connect in the same way as before.

Varanasi
The Holy city of Varanasi was our next destination.  It is situated on the banks of the River Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, 750 km west of Calcutta.  We caught a slow overnight sleeper train for the 15-hour journey.  The train was named the 'Doon Express' but like so many things in India came to a grinding halt at every village station between Calcutta and Varanasi.  At each stop, a wave of vendors would flow through the cabins selling everything from omelet sandwiches and peanuts to squeaky kids toys.   Every vendor had a distinctive mantra as he tried to sell his wares.  The deep guttural chant of 'Chai, Coffee, Chai' I will never forget and of course all these frequent stops and intrusions made for a broken night's sleep.
    Arriving in Varanasi around noon, we caught a cycle rickshaw to our guesthouse in the old city section near the Ghats.  Here it is a maze of narrow back streets filled with shops and dwellings and it is so easy to lose your bearings, though everyone instinctively knows where the Ganges lies.  Varanasi is one of the Holiest cities in India.  To be cremated here and have one's ashes thrown into the river is believed to be auspicious.  It is a great religious center and hosts not only Hindus but Muslims, Christians, Sikhs and Buddhists to name a few of the main sects.  The city is also the home of Benares Hindu University (BHU), which has another important Temple and pilgrimage site on its grounds, the New Vishwanath Temple.
    Varanasi used to be known as Benares and more recently has reverted back to this old name, though the two are interchangeable.  There are a number of cities in India that have done the same including Bombay, which is now Mumbai, Madras is Chennai and Calcutta is presently trying to reinstate Kalikata.  Benares has a population of around 2 million and the congestion on the main thoroughfares attests to this fact.  Quite often busy intersections come to a complete standstill as the sheer volume of traffic, motorized, pedal powered and pedestrian is more than the roads can handle.  This is due in part to the fact that there are no traffic lights here or any real formal rules of the road.  The general law is try to drive on the left hand side of the street but quite often this is ignored, too, so everyone just jostles for position and tries to dodge the roaming cattle that freely wander the city. Apart from the traffic and obvious pollution problems that make up everyday life in Benares, it is a great city full of interesting sights and places of architectural and religious significance.   Benares is one of the oldest living cities in the world and has been a center of learning and civilization for more than 2000 years.

    We had a little over a week to explore the region and we were kept busy the entire time.  Our first stop was a visit to the ghats or steps that lead down to the Ganges.  This frontal view of the city is its hallmark and known the whole world over.  The prime time to visit the Ghats is at dawn when the river is bathed in a magical light.  Mists rise off the waters and it is also a time to observe the pilgrims performing their morning Puja to the rising sun.  It is a wonderful time to take a boat ride and witness all the morning activities, though you always run the risk of having a floating dead body bump into your boat.  Saddhu's (India's wandering ascetic holy men), pregnant woman, children and lepers are the only people who do not get cremated as they are already considered pure and thus thrown directly into the Ganges.
    Each little side street that terminates at the water has a series of ghats, linked by a common walk way which flanks the river.  The buildings that comprise the sweeping riverfront facade are full of character and architectural interest, many of which are temples.  Hindu pilgrims come to bathe in the Holy waters of the Ganges from all over India, a ritual that is supposed to cleanse one's sins.   It is an auspicious place to die as it ensures release from the cycle of rebirths and direct access to Heaven.
    Two of the ghats are dedicated to crematory practices and are referred to as the 'Burning Ghats'.  Here there are daily open-air cremations, often with 8-10 pyres burning at each site all day long.  The acrid smell of burning flesh is quite apparent the closer you get to the sites.  Photography is forbidden, even from the boats that cruise up and down the river with tourists.  But you are allowed to stand and observe at close quarters.  The dead bodies are handled by outcasts known as 'Doms'.  The deceased are wrapped in cloth and placed on a bamboo stretcher, then carried through the alleyways to the river where they are dipped prior to burning.   Beside the funerary pyres are huge piles of firewood all carefully stacked and weighed so the price of the funeral can be calculated.
    What was quite apparent to me at least on this first glimpse of the Ganges was how greatly reduced it was from my last visit in 1994.  When the water level is low, as it was for us on this visit, you can simply walk from one Ghat to the next, though this is not possible during the rainy season.  Previously I was here at the tail end of the Monsoon season and the river was swollen to about three times its present size.  Where there had been fast flowing murky water, now there was an expansive dry mud flat on the opposite bank and the water level was down a good 20 feet.
    The Ghats are always a hive of activity with people selling offerings, flowers and food, young kids flying kites and playing cricket, boatmen selling rides, beggars soliciting donations and saddhus posing for pictures.  It is the kind of place where you can sit for hours and 'people watch' and enjoy the festive atmosphere.

    Varanasi offers many opportunities for people interested in pursuing classes in yoga, meditation, Hindu philosophy, massage, aroma therapy and retreats to ashrams.  Many foreigners come for a visit and end up staying for months.  It is an inexpensive and captivating place.  The city is also renowned for its exceptionally fine silk brocades and Benares saree's (traditional Indian women's dress).   The finer quality products are made on handlooms and take several months to complete. 
    We happened to be visiting Varanasi at an interesting time, as it coincided with a major holy festival called 'Kumbh Mela' in Allahabad only a few hours drive away.  It brought many more pilgrims to this region for this special event.   The huge Kumbh Mela (meaning pitcher fair) takes place every 12 years at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers at a point known as the Sangam.  A massive sprawling temporary township springs up along the banks and vacant land that borders these rivers.  It was a tremendous logistical operation that required 250,000 people working for many months to orchestrate and manage.  It is undoubtedly the largest (religious) gathering of humans for one single event anywhere in the world.   Estimates put the projected numbers of attendees for the 2001 Kumbh at 70 million, though it was probably closer to 40 million after all was through.
    The Festival lasts for one month, beginning January 9th with at least 2 auspicious and important dates within the Hindu calendar.  One such date is the 14th January when all the holy men and saddhus including the infamous Nagas (naked saddhus) go down to the river en mass to bathe followed by millions of other pilgrims who have traveled from all over India and beyond to attend this sacred event.  We visited the Kumbh on January 12th (to avoid what had been publicized as pure mayhem) with our friends Raju and Kim who own a guesthouse in Pokhara, Nepal, and Mac, a professional photographer from Australia. Tents had been erected at the site and stretched as far as the eye could see in every direction. All the roads that led into Allahabad were choked and terribly polluted.  A noted surprise for us was how incredibly clean, well organized and safe the site was given its magnitude, with plenty of pit toilet facilities.  Our experience of India had thus far been that of pollution, filth and garbage everywhere.   Indians themselves though are very fastidious about personal hygiene and bathe regularly even if it is in the polluted waters of holy rivers.

    Scenes on this day were pretty mellow, though there were a lot of people it was definitely not the madness of crushing crowds that we had been led to expect.  We roamed about freely in the hot afternoon sun that baked the sandy shores of the confluence. Mac had an Indian Guru who he was supposed to connect with and so we all traipsed around looking for him, ultimately to no avail. We were paddled across the Sangam in a rowboat and savored the atmosphere and checked out some pretty interesting characters.  There was a procession on one of the main streets that led to the Sangam later that day.  It was led by 5 elephants which were colorfully tattooed and followed by a whole host of marching bands.  In tow, were many glittering floats with various religious leaders on top representing the different Hindu sects from across the Nation.  It was nostalgic just knowing that we had been lucky enough to be present at this historic event.

    Many of the Hindus who were in Allahabad for the Kumbh Mela would also make their way to Varanasi for its numerous important pilgrimage sites.  Everyday streams of devotees would weave their way up the narrow back streets of the old city where we stayed to make offerings and puja at the Golden Temple and the Gyan Kupor Well (well of knowledge) and other such significant locations.  One of the things we noted about Indians is that they know how to push and shove to get to where they are going, without the usual courtesies that we are accustomed to.  It's better to accept the lack of order and become fairly aggressive in your pursuits along with the rest of the crowd.
    One evening we were lucky enough to see the total eclipse of the moon, which was also considered to be an auspicious time on the Hindu calendar.  People went to bathe down at the Ghats during the course of this event and prayers and music could be heard over loudspeakers all night long.  Puja ceremonies were regularly taking place throughout the city during our entire stay and it gave the place an added flavor of intrigue and mysticism.
    At the southern end of the city lies Benares Hindu University (BHU).   It is a 5km sq. campus that was built in 1917 and is a celebrated center for education in Art, Music, Culture, Philosophy, Engineering and the study of Sanskrit.   It also houses the 'Bharat Kala Bhava' Museum of Indian Art and boasts a really fine collection of Indian miniature paintings that we found extremely inspiring.  We spent the next afternoon touring the Sculpture department, meeting some of the young aspiring artists and watching traditional Indian dance classes taking place in the adjacent Dance and Music department.
    We also took a day to visit Sarnath, which lies 8 miles northeast of Varanasi and is where the Buddha preached his 'middle way' sermon after attaining enlightenment.  A huge spreading Bodhi tree is located here under which Buddha delivered this famous message.  A walled shrine encompassed the tree, which is not to be confused with the other celebrated Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya (southeast of Varanasi) where the Buddha actually attained enlightenment.  During the course of history, Sarnath was once a thriving place of learning and worship with grand monasteries and stupas where 1500 priests lived and practiced.  Subsequently, Buddhism went into decline and later Muslim invaders destroyed much of the city's buildings.  Archaeological digs by the British in the middle of the 19th century restored the site's importance and today it once again thrives as a major Buddhist center.   Nearby, is the colorful Jain temple and the modern Mahabodhi Society temple which has some beautiful frescoes  in the interior by a celebrated Japanese artist.  Also in Sarnath are temples that are dedicated to the Thai, Chinese, Burmese, Tibetan and Japanese presence here and whose architectural features distinctly reflect the flavor of each country.

    Our departure from Varanasi was an adventure in itself.  The overnight train was due to depart at 9 pm, but it wasn't until the following morning at 8 am that it finally showed up.  We had to spend the whole night camped out with our roll mats and sleeping bags on the station platform along with two Israeli travelers.  One of them was Idon, who had been on the Annapurna circuit trek with us and was a familiar face.  It's funny how you end up crossing paths with the same people with frequency when travelling for long periods.  The world is definitely a small place these days.   The exhausting trip back to Calcutta left us with only one day to spare before heading on again to Thailand.