“Stuck” in Malaysia

Spent two nights in Kuala Lumpur, in a hostel run by a very nice Chinese man. Travel in Malaysia is a bit more “difficult” as you actually need to book ahead – our first guesthouse choice was full, our first bus choice was full – you can’t necessarily just show up and do things spur of the moment. Things are also more expensive than in Thailand, and almost cost just as much as they would in Canada.

Kuala Lumpur

Took an eight hour bus today, but now we’re stuck in Kuala Besut, as we missed the last boat to the Perhentian islands. Tomorrow morning we find a guesthouse and a dive outfit for 4-5 days of diving!

Learning how to ride a scooter in Issan!

Spent two nights in Ayutthaya, the former capital of Thailand, 2 hours by train (15 baht for 3rd class seat – $0.50!) away from Bangkok. Surprisingly not very heavily touristed, as I was expecting the backpacker street to be filled with guesthouses. A really nice place to chill out! Rode bicycles out to the ruins of temples. Tried to get in for the Thai price, since everyone on the street assumes I’m Thai. Didn’t work too well, as I was exposed as soon as they asked me something in Thai. Also, Ayutthaya is heavily touristed by big Japanese tour groups, so my Thai-ness wasn’t a given.

Our guesthouse in Ayutthaya

Temples in Ayutthaya

Eating in the markets around the temples was the highlight of Ayutthaya!

Taro ice cream

Elephants in Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya was our gateway to Issan – northeast Thailand – which is the least touristed part of Thailand. One full day of travel later, ended up in Nang Rong, where we spent two nights, as a jumping off point for Angkorian temples. Since the Cambodian border is closed to Preah Vihear, the place I had originally had my heart set on, I thought these other temples would be comparable. However, after visiting Angkor Wat, the temples, though nice, were a bit underwhelming.

Nice, but underwheleming once you’ve been to Angkor Wat

Per and I did have a really enjoyable stay there though, spending one afternoon learning to ride a semi-automatic scooter around the back roads, buying fruits and sticky rice from a local woman, eating in a hammock alongside a lake surrounded by palm trees. For some reason, our guesthouse had all French guests – we were the only non-Frenchies there. I couldn’t help but think that for everyone else who was in a rush to move on and see more sights, that they missed out on what I thought was the highlight of our stay, doing something that wasn’t listed as a “to-do” in the Lonely Planet.

Right now we’re in Chaiyaphum, where we’re hoping to taste more of Issan life. On July 25th, we’ll make our way to Bangkok and fly to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Plans are to spend a week diving in Malaysia, then making our way back overland to Bangkok.

Local market in silk village near Chaiyaphum

Great view of sunset from our hotel room in Chaiyaphum

Utterly indulgent in Bangkok

… but no better place to do it on a budget!

So, now, having been in Bangkok for eight days now… And haven’t done too much sightseeing, though I figure we’ll be travelling quite abit over the next few weeks, and I needed to recharge my batteries. Especially after coming down with a virus, and trying to chase away diarrhea (still not completely successful, as it comes in waves).

Tried out meditation for the first time at Wat Mahathat. Met an American couple there, and for the husband, it was his first time ever out of the country! So for him, Bangkok was rather crazy, exotic and overwhelming I must imagine! As it was for me, last visit, seven months ago. However, this time around, after having been in Bangladesh and India, I was looking forward to “relaxing” in Bangkok! Again, funny how your perspective can change. The wife asked if I missed home at all, being on the road for so long already, and I didn’t hesitate to respond, “No!”

As I mentioned, lots of trips to the salon and massage parlour! A bikini wax is only 350 baht (about $10), so I decided not only to go for that, but a whole leg wax (four weeks without shaving in a country full of beaches is completely worth it!). I geared up for the pain by downing three red bull vodkas before going to the salon… But I think Mexico made my liver too efficient, as I still felt a LOT of pain!

Per and I also toured Bangkok by bike! No, not a suicide mission, but a tour run by a Swede (natch!) through a different side of Bangkok. When we arrived at the office, we met another Swede (an older guy, maybe in his late 50’s?) who was also booked for the tour. And a young Thai boy in his 20’s. Who we both assumed worked at the office. Then realized, “oh, he’s joining us?” Then realized, “oh, wait… he’s with the old Swede?” Later Per asked me my opinion on what their “relationship” was. I responded, “well, he was wearing a t-shirt that says ‘Star Fucker’.” (I’m not joking!)

The t-shirt in question

Initially, we had to ride through some busy parts of Bangkok, past the Royal Palace, and the reclining Buddha (Wat Pho). Caught a glimpse of the Buddha’s knees from the street! The Swedish guide asked if we had visited Wat Pho yet, to which we both responded yes. The young Thai: “No, fist time.” (Hehe – just poking fun at the inability of most Asians to pronounce the letter ‘r’.) Saw a completely different side to Bangkok that I never knew existed! Quiet narrow paths through amazing lush, GREEN scenery! Though occasionally had to tango with oncoming motorbikes and vending carts.

Bangkok by Bike tour

Per and I had checked out the free lesson with AUA, but I thought their method of teaching by using only body language and no English would be too long and arduous for me only being a casual visitor here. Though the teachers were hilarious- and I learned the words “peng” (expensive, opposite to what it is in Cantonese!), “neung” (one), and katooey (lady-boy)… That last one is very vivid, as the teacher’s impression of a lady-boy will be one that is difficult to forget! Maybe the method works.

So today, while Per was visiting with his Thai friend Nee, I tried to find a Thai language school. I phoned one school up, but there was no answer, so I thought I’d just try to show up, and wrote up an address to a nearby school as a backup. By the time I got there, two hours later, they told me they were closed today (likely for the Buddhist holiday). The other school said they normally do week-long programs – maybe I should have signed up a week ago! Or spent my time today in an internet cafe learning Thai online instead.

Oh well. The day wasn’t a complete bust, as I found out the area was a “Japan-town” of sorts. Got my hair cut by a man who recently moved to Bangkok from Tokyo! And for a fraction of what it would cost in Tokyo – schweet! And, oh yes, the day wouldn’t be complete without a facial.

Made my way back, and picked up my laundry at a small family place – who run their laundry service out of their living room. The man who lives there is pretty sweet, and recognizes me from my third visit there now (I don’t dirty my clothes that quickly – one trip was for Per’s laundry). Chatted with him for awhile, though I had a hard time learning the proper proununciation of “Ayutthaya”, repeating after him about ten times and still not getting it… Per’s Thai is better than mine, so whenever someone speaks to us, I’ll just point to him. We’ve confused a few people already, including one taxi driver who was probably wondering why I didn’t just tell him the destination in Thai. Everyone (except those on Khao San Road) assumes I’m Thai, even after I speak English to them! As was the case of the mom at the laundry place. Kind of amusing!

Had some dinner, then the man from the laundry service saw me in the internet cafe just now. It was raining and he tried to give me his umbrella, though I responded that I already had one. Again, what a nice man!

I like the area I’m staying in – it’s a ten minute walk north from Khao San Road, and a little bit more “local” (and slightly cheaper). Though it does take quite awhile to get anywhere!

Tomorrow morning we leave for Ayutthaya! (A-yut-thi-a) Hmm, still not right?

India on fast forward

One last push for the blog to sum up India!

Seeing as how our trip, after spending three nights in Cherrapunjee, was really rushed, it’s only suiting that my blog account is just as rushed! I’m so behind on the blog, and about to start my Thailand trip “for real” soon, that I won’t have any more time to blog about India.

Tejas had suggested that since I was starting my India trip in the wettest place on earth, during the wettest part of the year, it would be fitting to finish in west India, which is desert! I loved the idea! But after looking at the distances, and factoring in how trains and buses run “on India time”, I realized I wouldn’t have time to go to Agra to see the Taj Mahal, let alone all the way to west India. Also, I loathe the “Footprint” guide to India, as it’s so disorganized and hard to find information – I didn’t know that it would be a 12 hour journey to Varanasi from Kolkata, and then another 12 hours to Agra. Needless to say, I left the guide with Mike to use as reference material for his research.

So, from Cherrapunjee, we went to “Ri Kynjai,” a luxury holiday resort frequented by Bollywood stars (as well as the band “Scorpion”… yeah, I don’t know who they are either). On the tab of one of Mike’s assignments of course! What can I say – stunning views by the lake from our room. We took the opportunity to just luxuriate, order room service, and a beer or two, or three, or six?

Next, we passed through Guwahti in the state of Assam. Met the owners of a travel agency who Mike needed to chat with for his travel research. They took us to a private club of which they’re members, treated us to some drinks and snacks, and drove us in their luxury SUV to the train station for our overnight train to NJP (near Siliguri, in west Bengal).

I previously blogged about our experience in the hills of west Bengal near the border of Sikkam, so you can go back and read that if you wish… Though to describe the third night we spent at a Gorka guesthouse/homestay, Mike likened it to a “hippy commune”. All the food that was served to us was organically grown by the family (tea, chickens, orange blossom honey, etc.), and they were almost completely self sufficient and able to grow most of what they needed on their land. The family that owned the guesthouse was a huge family of 42 members (excluding the daughers who had already married and left the house), and eating there, I was reminded of eating with my own family. They kept putting food in my dish just as I was trying to finish up the last of what I had, despite being full! One of the young fellows, a twenty-something year old,(?) was a pretty cool guy. He leads rock climbing groups that visit, spoke excellent English, could play guitar and sing in several languages, and was our “guide” for the area, showing us around their estate. Pointed out the cow shed, where they produced manure for the bio-gas, as well as the various plants they grew there.

“This is a broom tree.” Mike: “You call it that because you make brooms out of its leaves?” “Yes.” Maybe you had to be there, but I thought it was pretty amusing!

There weren’t many tourists because the monsoon causes landslides, making travel difficult. As well, it obscures what would be some jaw-dropping vistas, makes trekking difficult, and rock climbing impossible. Which is why I have to return one day!

From NJP/Siliguri, we caught a night train to Kolkata. Only stopped to pick up Bel, who came in from Dhaka to join us on an all expenses paid trip the Sunderbans!

Now… I have to admit… I’m not a wildlife person. And boat rides either make me queasy or sleepy. I hoped we would spot a tiger – the group leaving when we were arriving had seen one the day before – but the chances we would see one were very slim. We saw more wildlife in the Sunderbans this trip than Mike did on his previous three trips (on the Bangladesh side), but still I wasn’t satisfied. Not even seeing two crocodiles in the wild was enough for me. But hey, now I know – if it’s not underwater, then I’m not so keep on it. We made three trips out to the watch tower over two days, where we saw a bunch of water monitors (lizards), deer, and a monkey. For me it was a bit boring, since I’m so impatient. On the boat, I’m like, “Wake me when you see a tiger.”

River cruising for a tiger

Crikey!

Of 3 days in the Sunderbans river cruising, the clear sky only lasted minutes during the monsoon

However, the camp we stayed at was amazing. Cottages had a grass roof, and were made of bamboo and mud. But the design of the exterior is what really looked great! Also, the food served there was amazing. Mike and I were always stuffing ourselves at every meal, and I kept resolving that I wouldn’t eat so much next meal around. Of course, it never happened. Our last lunch there, Mike’s like, “OK, this is the last chance!” (before Kolkata, where we’d be paying our own way again). Bel said, “You shouldn’t think like that. There’ll be other chances!” (so that Mike wouldn’t stuff himself yet again. Didn’t work though, haha!)

Jungle camp

Village walk around the jungle camp

Rare moment – clear sky during the monsoon season

Then after the Sunderbans, we returned to Kolkata, to chill out for a few days. I really loved it there, though I totally wasn’t expecting to! I think having been in Bangladesh, a more difficult country to travel in, and reading “Shantaram”, and becoming attached to its characters, of whom you see a bit of in every Indian (and Bengali as well), really changed my view.

I’m not sure if I mentioned that Bengalis and Indians love having their photo taken, but I have a few hilarious stories about that. I’ll save the story for when I have the photos up, as it’ll make more sense then.

Note all the looky-loos and picture jumpers, ruining my attempts at taking photos of people

Notice the man waving – he flagged me down, asking me take a photo of his kids(?)

Get yer hand out of my photo!

More photo jumpers

Lots of willing subjects!

“Toothbrushes” for sale. The man was pleased at having his photo taken, wagging his head in delight. Onlookers looked on envious, wondering why he got singled out?

Street side barber

I chatted with the young clerk at Ashalayam, a store that sells handicrafts created by former streetchldren, who he himself also used to be on the street. It was quite heartening to know, from his own words, that he came from a life of hardship that I can’t even begin to imagine, to one where he feels optimistic and looks forward to his future! If you’re ever in Kolkata, be sure to check it out and support the centre.

I felt very safe walking around Kolkata, especially compared to Bangladesh. Not that I felt in particular danger in Bangladesh, but I always tried to keep my guard up, and was always preoccupied with the image I was giving off.

The man in the doorway shouts out the bus destination. If that’s where you want to go, just jog alongside, and he’ll help pull you onto the bus!

Pan vendor. Pan is a mixture of coconut, spices, and the addictive, cancerous betel nut, wrapped in the pan leaf.

We also did a walking tour in Kolkata, with a guy whose name escapes me. We had had dinner at Peter Cat (where we had amazing kebabs) with him the night before, and I was blown away by how cool he was. He looks like a Bollywood star, with light brown skin, striking features, athletic build, and western clothing. And his English was excellent, with a really sharp sense of humor – really a sign that you’re completely fluent in a language, when you’re able to be funny.

One thing I learnt was Kolkata has a rather sizeable Chinese community. I was forced to lookat my own preconceptions and beliefs when I was shocked to hear that there are Chinese in Kolkata who have been there a few generations – who only speak Hindi and/or English! And they speak NO CHINESE! So why am I so shocked when I myself speak mainly only English? Just so strange for me to think of, even though the situation is the same!

Travel plans update

Will finally be getting off my lazy but indulgent bum, and out of Bangkok on Saturday. Per and I head to Ayuttaya, 1.5 hours north of Bangkok, which we’ll use as our gateway into Issan, northeast Thailand. The least touristed, and most traditional part of Thailand apparently! Not sure if I’ll have much access to internet for the next week, in case I drop off the virtual earth.

Cherrapunjee, Meghalaya, India – continued!

Continuing where I left off with Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort!

At the Cherrapunjee Holiday Resort, we met Tejas, a PhD student in mathematics studying in Bangalore. Hopefully he doesn’t mind if I link his site, as he blogged a far better and more detailed description than I could! AND, he has some photos up – apologies that I won’t be able to post up any photos yet. For me, it’s interesting hearing how two people visit the same place, yet have slightly different stories to tell – definitely, the details are in the journey, and not the destination.

Tejas’s Cherrapunjee Blog

I laughed at his recollection of Mike and my discussion about my bug phobia at dinner! True, I was desperately trying to kill all the mosquitos around me, and Mike commented that I would be killing for a long time. Also, we were finishing off the bottle of gin we had picked up at the border, and so the conversation was flowing quite freely =) (Perhaps some would call it drunken ramblings?) Mike said, if I were to live elsewhere, I would need to change my view and my behaviour regarding bugs. I argued, I understand that I CAN get over my bug phobia, but for now, I don’t need to, so therefore, I don’t want to. Mike suggested, “just try not killing every bug in sight for five minutes. Try it.” Finally after a few minutes of back and forth, I said, “OK, I’m timing,” looking at the clock. As five minutes wore past, and as the evening went on, we got into a conversation with another Indian tourist, from Shillong or Guwathi, I no longer recall. He almost seemed like he had a few drinks himself, but it also could have just been his personality. Part way through our conversation, all of a sudden, he picks up the magazine I was using to kill mosquitos, rolls it up, and then *THWAP*!! That mosquito didn’t have a chance. I laughed and ribbed Mike about it later – “See?? It’s not just me, it’s the locals too!”

After dinner, we had to rush off to our village homestay for the night! We hadn’t told the owner that we were staying for three nights he had offered to us, and in the meantime, he had booked out our room. So he offered us the use of tents to sleep in, but then Mike suggested that we would enjoy staying at a local homestay! As we were leaving for the night, I told Tejas that we were going to a homestay, and he had a look on his face like, “Hey, how come you get to do that??” I hope they set up the local homestay program soon, seeing that not only international travellers but intrepid domestic travellers are interested in the same!

Because we had arrived at the homestay so late, all we did was turn into bed. Well, actually, Mike stayed up working on the laptop awhile before he went to bed, as was usual during our trip. In the morning, we had a chance to chat with the family awhile. The woman of the house, a grandmother, was actually recently widowed within the last few months. Dennis, the resort owner, suggested that she set up extra rooms as additional income, though the homestay program wasn’t officially set up for regular guests yet.

Now, backing up a bit, I didn’t get a chance to fully describe the hikes to the root bridges. I believe we walked 400 m down in elevation, and back up again. No easy feat, especially after the last night’s rain, the rain of the “wettest place on earth” during the wettest time of the year, the monsoon season. The paved road turned down into concrete steps, to which I thought, hey, this is easy! Until we reached the section of slippery rocks for steps trailing down a steep slope, which was difficult enough as it was, but then became even more treacherous as the steps narrowed to about 30 cm deep. I started walking down sideways, extremely slowly, while holding my walking stick with both hands, using it as a makeshift banister. After I became too exhausted and sweaty to continue with that technique, I basically crab crawled down on my butt, dirtying my pants and rainjacket tied around my waist.

The reward at the bottom – the living root bridges – the only ones of its kind in the world, was definitely worth it. After eating lunch beside the bridge, and taking lots of photos, we made our way back. Our shirts were constantly getting completely drenched to the bottom hem from sweating so much. The locals, on the other hand, were walking in plastic shower slippers, carrying heavy loads, and with nary a bead of sweat to be seen! We would stop every now and then to splash our faces with water from village taps, or water from the numerous streams running down the slopes. Half way up the impossibly steep section of steps I had mentioned, Mike noticed he forgot his glasses at the village at the bottom where he had last washed his face! Oh, man. No way I was going back down there again, so I waited. Nothing we could about it but laugh later. Of course, much easier for me to laugh at my friends, than to have to laugh at myself.

India… still to be continued…

The stunning trek to the living root bridges

nooooo

Plans to visit Preah Vihear, a place I’ve been dreaming of for years, are dashed for the time being… Starting June 24, 2008 the Cambodian border is closed AGAIN to Thailand at Preah Vihear. So unless I want to make it through Cambodia another way, and brave the terrible roads, made bad by the monsoon, to reach Preah Vihear from the Cambodia side, it isn’t going to happen this trip.

Also, we were considering going to Hat Yai to visit the orphanage that Per donates to, and then onwards to Malaysia for some great diving. Not too sure yet whether it’s a good idea, due to the current security situation.

So far in Bangkok, I’ve been doing the lazy backpacker thing – indulging myself, drinking beer, shopping, eating and sleeping. But I don’t feel too guilty as my congestion morphed into a runny nose, and now, I’ve been battling a dry cough. Going to take it easy and try to recuperate.

India blogging will commence at a later date…

Incredible India Indeed!

Quite a two week whirlwind tour through India! I think having visited Bangladesh first, as well as reading Shantaram, my view of India may have been completely different had I landed straight in Kolkata from Hong Kong.

The difference between India and Bangladesh is staggering. To give you some background, Bangladesh and Pakistan were part of India prior to 1947. Bangladesh used to be a rather prosperous area – in fact, the British settled first in Bangladesh. The British weakened the country by damaging Bangladesh’s cotton trade, the best in the world at the time. Bangladesh suffered a series of severe famines under British rule, from which they’ve never recovered. Then the British government created a partition between West Bengal (a province in India) and East Bengal (now Bangladesh), by using their differences in religion against each other (Hindu versus Muslim, respectively). In 1947, East Bengal gained “independence” as East Pakistan. However, things were even worse under the Pakistan government, which was based in West Pakistan. After a bloody civil war, Bangladesh finally gained true independence.

West Bengal was mainly populated by Hindus, and had all the manufacturing and value added industries, whereas East Bengal (Bangladesh) was mainly agricultural. Though the people in both regions were ethnically the same, spoke the same language, and followed the same customs, they became divided. The difference in quality of life stepping into India is like night and day – it shows what Bangladesh could and should have.

So now that you’ve had a brief history lesson… Onto our journey.

We stayed three nights at Cherrapunji Holiday Resort, a modest, simple guesthouse frequently holidayed by Indian tourists from Guwahti and Shillong. Extremely remote, yet we had delicious Karsi (the minority group that inhabits that regioin) meals, and great service. The owner, an Indian married to a Karsi woman, really exemplifies responsible tourism by not just making and taking the money out of the region (a lot of investors do in the tourism industry), but putting it back into the local economy. There was a nightly show put on by the local youths, of music, song and dance. A bit surreal sitting there during dinner at this remote hillside guesthouse, and watching an”Indian Idol” show of sorts. (I’ll have to post up the video later!)

Mike and I did some nice treks around the resort. Through local villages, where instead of being greeted by slack-jawed stares, we were greeted by smiling children yelling out “hello!” and waving to us from their almost Victorian style homes.

Another thing I should mention is that in the remotest hillside areas where various minority groups live, whether in India or Bangladesh, the missionaries were there! Back in the early 1900’s. Which is why the people in the hillsides speak excellent English, and are Christian. A bit unbelievable that they made it all that way, and set up this great infrastructure, mainly because I was always huffing and puffing to make it to these places.

Village walks

A good part of the morning was usually fog during the monsoon

Bangladesh on the plains below

We trekked to the only living root bridges in the world. Amazing structures, they were engineered by the Karsi people, by taking advantage of a special rubber tree that is able to grow on giant boulders. They would lay down a betel nut tree to span a chasm, and as the rubber tree nearby grew, they would wrap the roots around the betel nut tree to strengthen the bridge. A bridge would take about 25 years to create.

OK, I’m out of internet time right now, as I have to head to the airport to pick up Per, but will continue the India chronicles later!

A comedy of errors

I just had an amazing two weeks in India! I really enjoyed my visit there, and must go back again for a “proper” visit – for at least a month, if not longer! (Any takers? If you’re up for cold bucket baths, bouts of diarrhea, and being completely removed yet rewarded by a completely different world.) I think my view is quite different, having been to Bangladesh first, as well as reading the book Shantaram right now… It’s a real page turner, I’m about halfway through the 950 or so pages, after reading it nonstop for the past two weeks. I highly recommend it!

I’ll have to blog more about India and Shantaram in a later post. For now I’ll talk about my transition into Bangkok…

My sinuses were completely congested last night in Kolkata, and couldn’t fall asleep because I’m a “nose breather”. Tried to blow my nose several times, and my tissue was a little blackened from all the pollution I’ve been breathing in! Yuck! So on the plane ride today, I had a lot of trouble popping my ears, continually swallowing lots of air…

Wandered around some of the quieter streets off Khao San Road in search of a quiet guesthouse (found one with a double bed and private bath for 250 baht, though the squat toilet uses bucket water to flush). Then off for some food! Went to a busy street-food style restaurant that had tables on the sidewalk. Asked them to recommend something for me, and ended up SUPREMELY disappointed! In Bangkok of all places! They gave me some sort of Chinese-y dish, made of ramen noodles and stir fried veggies. (I thought I was doing pretty good for avoiding the quote-unquote “Chinese” food in Bangladesh and India too!) Felt compelled to eat half of it though it didn’t taste so good.

Consoled myself with a chocolate banana crepe and a Thai massage. I still prefer the shiatsu type massages over the painful Thai massages, but hey, it’s cheap and supposedly good for you.

Anyway, recalling all that air I was swallowing during the flight, coupled with the bad “Chinese” food I just had, I was face down in a room of about 8 people being massaged, when the masseuse pressed down on my lower back, the pressure just made me let out a “bwwwwooot!”. How embarrassing! And the funny thing was, no one even giggled, though I was trying hard not to. My only regret was not just letting it rip out of my own accord, as I still had some gas in the tank, and was pretty tense for the rest of the massage still.

On a side note, I’m finding it difficult to “switch” into tourist mode in Thailand coming from India. There, I was a bit of a celebrity, being one of the few tourists around, especially in the northeast, but also in Kolkata, as it’s the low season due to the monsoon. In Bangkok, I feel invisible in a sea of tourists, not being a “visible” westerner to any of the white tourists. (And I believe about half the time, Thais recognize that I’m not Thai, though I can’t be too sure.) It’s both good and bad, I suppose. My shyness so far is keeping me from talking to Thai people or other tourists. I know it’s just my first evening here though – I should find my groove soon enough.

Leaving the hills

In Siliguri, India right now, and we’ll be leaving the cool hills of northeast India tonight on an overnight train to Kolkata. The trip has been a bit rushed these past few days, with the constant moving around, and a lot of days of only staying one night in a place (or one night on an overnight train).

There is a reason for that though, as there may be a call for a strike in the district around Darjeeling starting tomorrow morning, which is why we only planned a short visit/business trip. “Insurgency” I think it’s called, as the Gorka minority that settled around this region are agitated, in a fight with the central and state government for a separate state. There has been violence in the past (during the 1990’s?) over the same issue, though this time around it’s been peaceful so far. Still, we wouldn’t want to be stuck in this region should a strike be called, as all transport (including food that is transported in) would be affected. Worst case scenerio, the military would be brought in, and potential violence could occur… But don’t worry, we’ll be fine since we’ll be out of the region before tomorrow morning.

We had originally planned to visit the northeast purely for pleasure, though Mike had parlayed it into a work assignment, of reviews of various resorts and guesthouses in the area. Which meant free accomodations!

On top of that, we had another stroke of good fortune… Driving up into the villages around Kalimpong, I was starting to get a bit uncomfortable and worried when I saw all sorts of yellow, white, and green flags bannered across the roads, with slogans of “We want Gorkaland!” Mike tried interviewing a few locals for a potential news story, but came up fruitless… He had interviewed a woman, a local teacher, asking for her opinions – but forgot to press the record button! Hehe! But basically they heard one of the leaders was going to be driving through to Darjeeling, and they wanted to show their support.

The next village we stopped at, there was a small crowd gathered near a banner. Mike started asking questions, and one man, I believe would have spoken on tape, until he yielded the questions to the village “head”, I believe. From the look on his face, I could tell he couldn’t understand what Mike was saying in English, and declined to speak, in order to save face.

The story doesn’t stop there just yet. We had stayed one night at the Orchid Retreat outside Kalimpong, and Mike asked the owners about their feelings about the current situation involving the Gorkas (they are also Gorka). The father-in-law was able to give us a more comprehensive history of the situation, as well as put Mike in touch with a party member!

Next morning, while I lazed about the cottage, Mike went off to interview the party member, who asked whether the story was going to go ahead. Mike said, only if a strike occurs would it be of any interest to have a chance of getting aired. To which the party member responded, “I can make that happen, if you like.”

We’re in for a lot more moving still – after we arrive in Kolkata, we’ll be headed straight for a boat to the Sunderbans. I’m already agitated with the noise and busyness of the city traffic here in Siliguri, which isn’t busy at all for Indian standards, and wishing I was back in the sparesly populated hills. However, I am looking forward to finally washing my clothes, and for them to have a fighting chance of drying completely without leaving a damp, mildew smell!