Travel Diary 2..... 8th December 2004

Hindu temple in Darjeeling

Since leaving Kolkata I have been to :

 Siliguri   .... shitty little city, have some road rules , I guess because it is the gateway to the Gods above- Darjeeling, Sikkim, and Bhutan and also to Assam etc.... One other attraction it held for me has been a visit to the local Sikh temple to say my prayers for each journey I undertook . As most of you know the roads to the Gods above twist, turn and bend and climb acres and acres of mountain region. One wrong move by the bus driver may send me straight down in hell below.

Kurseong/ Darjeeling..... as soon as you leave Siliguri you start to see the ever green tea gardens, the hills, well fed happy people and believe it or not well fed street dogs too! They must be eating away free mountain AIR in abundance?
Yes even my little Kurseong ( I was there 24 years ago) has mobiles, TV , cars and spanking new schools. Besides all this new face-lift , it still retained its charm as a  hill station and I felt very much at home. If you must see Darjeeling because it is named after your favourite tea or you want to witness more cars and more tourists like me , enjoy going there from Kurseong via scenic route , 4 hours by a toy train which you may have to push when going uphill.
Mirik.... a long time ago the local attraction was a huge lake in the woods however it has now been turned into a small American theme park, for the local tourist I guess? But if you really want to see nature as it should be , walk into the thick jungle of bamboo or tea gardens nearby and the local farmers will be happy to talk about the good old days when British ruled the land?
Sikkim... Gantock:   I was here once before when there were less cars and I stayed one night in the valley below in a beautiful mansion , old colonial type , once owned by the Brits. This time round I was so desperate to find a loo that I walked into a first shitty hotel across the street from the bus stop and paid less then $ 8 per night. I have no regrets because whilst I stood at the doors of the hotel , I could not take my eyes from the mighty peaks of the snow capped Himalayan Mountains. Further more Gantock proudly promotes LITTER and SPIT free zone and I might as well add HASSLE free zone.

                                                                My two guides in Bhutan

Bhutan..... Phuentsholing ....border town... as I was driven into the gates of Heaven , for few seconds I thought I was on a different planet.

Paro..... the second large town and walking through it was like walking into a living museum.
Thimphu... the capital and it is more sophisticated with fancy white big cars , mostly belonging to the Western NGO... Like UN, Unicef  etc,,, and the big wigs who make sure Bhutan stays untouched by the outside world.
" 300 years of colonialism have done less harm to the world then 30 years of tourism" says one German writer....Bhutan has neither been colonised nor does it allow mass influx of tourists, so I wonder how long will it take for the outside world to penetrate the hearts of the Bhutanese people who now have media, with all the TV channels of the world , at their finger tips.
My two toy boys ( guide and a driver) could not understand why I have paid so much money $ 240 per night, just to see some silly mountains. Why they cannot get visa to see the bright lights of the West.
I am moving to Assam today , new territory for me , see you there.

Love,
Davinder x