We're still in Darjeeling. It's been a wonderful retreat from the heat and chaos. As in most places we stay for over a day, we've developed a nice little routine: we have our favorite cafes/restaurants, certain walks we do each day, a place to get chai - all mixed among the things to "do". In this way, almost imperceptably a place becomes like a slice of home.
Speaking of home, we are still mixing in home-like tasks. I am editing my book, trying to do a little each day. Not a bad place to do it, actually: traveling here, I spend much less than I spent on the flat/food/utilities simply by living and doing "nothing" in Australia. I do enjoy the low cost of things here!
That said, India has changed somewhat since my previous visits in 2002 and 2003. Most noticeably, there's been a huge increase in domestic tourism - Indian tourists run rampant in many places. Accommodation has gone up 50% I'd say. Transport and food, perhaps 25%. I (Brian) am doing a better job this time around about learning more about the culture - gods and gurus and subtle differences between regions - and the food.
Today was the Holi festival, meaning that gangs of Hindus are out in force, smearing and throwing brightly-colored powder on themselves and passers-by. We're in a predominantly Buddhist region, so we've probably been less affected than if we weren't in the mountains (we escaped with colored faces, avoiding the full-body treatment).
Though in theory, we should have a spot-on view of Kanchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain peak, it's been cloudy for five days straight here. We'll just have to imagine what it looked like - buy a postcard. We leave tomorrow for Nepal. 20-24 hrs to Kathmandu on an array of dodgy cramped buses. Should be fun.
From January - July 2010, we are roaming the Indian Subcontinent (and beyond, as it turned out)...
...during that period, this blog page is the temporary home of www.AwayAwhile.com.
