Monday June 1st
This is unbelievable, the start of yet another month. The days and weeks in Nepal have simply flashed by.
It seems incredible that it is four months now since I had a steady job, but unfortunately I must think about doing some more of the unpleasant stuff (work) again within the next two to three months. Maybe I should be a drop-out and join a Buddhist sect where they smoke chillums all day (only joking honestly).
I’ll just have to worry about the problem of working when it arises. At least I will have had an experience, a full and colourful few months away from the rat-race of working for money.
Anyway, onto events of the day. I woke up once at 3-30 p.m. in the middle of an extremely violent sneezing attack which lasted a good five minutes. Geoff whispered across to make sure that I was awake and aware of what was happening.
I went outside on the balcony for a while to breath in the beautiful early morning air and try to steady my streaming nose. I took a tab of valium and was soon fast asleep again (snoring loudly according to Geoff). I woke again at 8-00 a.m. still with very heavy snuffles and some more sneezing, although Brom’s cold is a lot better.
At 9-00 a.m. I went off to a chemists and actually bought a non-prescription drug called Contac cc (made in India) to help clear my head. I had one, which after a while cleared up the stuffiness a lot but still left me feeling weak and listless.
I met the others in the coffee shop and had a breakfast of fried eggs on toast & a coffee. Also took some medication, I’ll soon be rattling like a pill box; my Malaria tablet which I’ve remembered every Monday, a Contac for the cold and a couple of Dexys to try and relieve some of the depression setting in on me.
We also talked a lot while smoking a couple of joints over coffee. Brom has already made her move and decided at least what she wants to do in the short-term. She booked a plane ticket ($95) to Delhi for Thursday evening and after a few days there she will head to Kashmir, which is meant to be beautiful and really nice in the summer.
Geoff & Kim can stay here another ten days, although they may move a little before their visa deadline. Kim went up to the immigration office to sort something out but for some reason it has been shut for the day. I’ll have to collect my passport tomorrow and must make a decision about what to do very, very soon.
The other three went to Thamel and had a look round for another guest-house so we can all have a change of surroundings for a couple of days. If they find somewhere we will move tomorrow morning. I left the others at the restaurant and went off to the Post Office, really hoping to find a letter but was only to be disappointed again.
Then returned to the room and lay on my bed feeling pretty weak, listless and annoyed that I’m having to wait for news from someone else (even if it is Rita) and that is preventing me from carrying out what I want to do.
The others came back later on in the afternoon and we smoked a couple of good joints and talked for a while, although everyone was very subdued. I still wasn’t feeling too hot and when Danny came round to start guitar practice I managed to escape the noise by going to sleep.
I slept solidly for a couple of hours and felt quite a bit better, although my nose was still stuffed up. We all just lay around talking. The others have found another place to move to tomorrow morning in Thamel, to the north-west of Kathmandu, where we’ll have a change of scenery and some better rooms.
Our room has become a little crowded with all of us together so that will probably be better for Kim & Geoff to have some time on their own together. There is also a little tension now that Brom will be going off on her own. Geoff was very quiet and seemed to be consoling himself strumming his guitar.
At 7-30 p.m. Kim, Brom & I went out to eat as Geoff was planning to go to an Indian place later on (to think on his own maybe). It had been raining a lot in the afternoon so there were massive puddles everywhere as we walked into town.
Kim seemed to perk up without Geoff around and was very talkative so that the three of us had an enjoyable evening. We went first to the Dragon restaurant where they had some very good Chinese food. I had a creamed corn soup, sweet & sour vegetable and a lassi.
We sat around having a good laugh and smoked a couple of joints while talking about various things. Later on we moved on to the Cosmopolitan restaurant which is on the first floor of a building with a ‘comfy room’ and surprisingly empty. We made ourselves comfortable in the cushions.
The girls had some pie although I limited myself to a large coffee and a couple more joints. All three of us were sniffing because of colds so we made quite a chorus. Had a very nice talk with both of them and really appreciated their company during the evening.
When I move on I’ll really miss all three of them, they’ve been great company and I seem to get on with all of them. It’s not often you meet really genuine people with whom you can communicate whilst travelling, although this time I’ve been really lucky. Firstly Graham, Sharon & Aja, then later Willy, Scott, Marie & John and now Geoff, Kim & Brom. Oops, I almost missed my other two soul-mates, Stan & Andy, we also built up a hell of a friendship.
We returned to our room at 10-30 p.m. and after another joint went to bed. The others want to make an early move tomorrow (because the immigration people may be here at 9-00 a.m.).
Still had the sniffles and a sinus headache so I took another Contac and some valium to knock me out.
Tuesday June 2nd
I was awoken by the others at 7-00 a.m. after a very good night’s sleep although I felt pretty groggy.
The others were already packing so after a few minutes extra sleep I had a wash and threw everything into my bag, it still closed quite easily. We all piled into a taxi which took us to Tamal and the Trekkers Lodge where we disembarked and took our bags to the rooms the others had reserved yesterday.
Kim & Geoff had a double on the first floor, I had a single on the second and Brom a single on the third. My room is really nice and excellent value. It has carpeting (no more throwing fags on the floor), a bedside table, a writing table at which I am sitting now and a really comfortable bed (with a mattress for a change and clean linen).
I lay on my bed and almost immediately fell to sleep and didn’t wake up until 10-00 a.m. The others came in to call me for breakfast at 9-00 a.m. but I was so fast asleep they left me. Kim has also told me a couple of times that when I sleep my eyes are half-open, I never knew that before.
Woke up feeling really strange with an almost unreasonable anger and frustration inside me which persisted for a couple of hours and made me feel really down. I’m just glad it didn’t last too long as I was feeling really miserable and wanted to chuck everything in.
I also felt as though I could physically swing out at something or someone, because I was really frustrated. I haven’t been like that, such strong feelings anyway, for a long time, difficult to understand and a little weird.
As I walked firstly to the immigration office (my visa is now until the 8th) and then to the Post Office. It was a good half-an-hour’s walk, a good deal more than from the old hotel, but exhilarating and it worked out some of the anger.
There were no letters, however, so my gloom returned and I headed back up to Tamil to get some breakfast. I also had a good look around the various backstreets crowded with shops, shit, stalls, people, cows and also many different temples.
It rained very heavily last night so there were many puddles to avoid and muddy streets to walk along. I eventually chose a café where I had muesli & curd, coffee and a lemon. I also sat talking to the older Danish couple who I’ve met several times in Pokhara and on the trek.
They looked the same loving, gentle couple as normal and it helped cheer me up a little both seeing them and having a chance to talk to them properly. I sometimes wish the world was full of genuine people but I suppose that would be boring and is an amazingly naïve concept anyway.
Anyway, they will be hanging around Kathmandu for two weeks before going to Darjeeling and then returning to Denmark early in July. Talking with them made me think again of what I will be doing (apart from waiting for that damned letter).
On returning to the hotel I met Brom and we went up to her room where we smoked a couple of joints, although the effects are definitely lessening. We also talked for a long time and tried to sort some of each other’s problems out. We think very much alike so were able to help each other quite a lot I think.
Brom was having second thoughts about going to Delhi & Kashmir and travelling alone but eventually convinced herself (I played Devil’s Advocate) that her decision had been correct, as she is really keen on doing a ten-day meditation course in Kashmir before returning to her boyfriend in Australia.
Her talking of Kashmir made me think that might be a better place to take Rita if and when she comes. Other possibilities would be a couple of hill stations in southern India which will be cooler but crowded with holidaying Indians. I still like the idea of the beaches of southern India or Sri Lanka but Rita would have to decide whether the heat was not too much for her.
God, this flash invitation of Rita to India is causing me more problems than I could have envisaged. I keep asking myself now, why did I do it and can only think that I was very lonely and needed her at the time (my first couple of days in India after Thailand).
We also talked about my situation and with Brom’s help I tried to formulate a few ideas of what I can do to avoid hanging around Kathmandu for news. I have already decided against a telegram as they cost R300-400 and I am going to have to be very careful in the next few weeks.
What I’ll do is write an aerogramme & a postcard (in case one gets lost), sending them express (4-5 days hopefully) and tell Rita to telegram me at my next destination (which I must decide before sending, obviously).
After much discussion I plumped for Darjeeling, although nothing is definite until I’ve posted the letter & card or just happen to receive a letter (I’ll give her one more chance tomorrow before posting them).
At 6-00 p.m. I went back to my room and wrote my diary (which can be very time-consuming sometimes) before attempting to get a letter written to Rita, which was very difficult and I didn’t get very far.
I can’t blame everything on her lack of speed just in case something has happened and the important letter has been lost. I’m so soft not wanting to hurt her and yet at the moment I couldn’t really give a shit if I see her again.
Let’s hope that if our holiday materialises we can somehow sort something out. Although of course, even she knows that anything or rather the only thing that could solve our differences would be a permanent separation, as there is no way Rita will accept an easy-going friendship of the sorts we had last summer.
I didn’t manage to get much of the letter written and as I was getting pretty pissed-off, I went and saw the others to cheer myself up. Geoff & Kim were wiped out after taking some pretty good opium this afternoon, although Kim was with it enough to come with Brom & I for a meal.
We went to a restaurant nearby where we all had a mushroom & cheese pizza which was very tasty and really filling. We sat chatting for a while about what we would be doing in the next couple of months. Not one of us seemed very certain about what the future held in terms of relationships, where we would live or even where we might find some sort of lasting happiness.
We sat around in Brom’s room for an hour or so chatting and smoking before going to our separate rooms. I lay in bed for a while reading about Kashmir, which sounds really attractive. It could be a cooler alternative to the heat of southern India & Sri Lanka or the monsoons in the other parts.
Went to sleep at 10-30 p.m.
Wednesday June 3rd
Got up at 8-30 a.m. after a really good night’s sleep although later on I wished I’d stayed in bed.
All four of us went for breakfast at a really flash place called ‘Rum Doodle’ where I had a really nice granola with fruit and we shared a large pot of coffee.
At 10-00 a.m. I went off with the intention of getting a permit for Darjeeling from the Indian Embassy. The others were going off for the day to Bhaktapur.
I found my way to the embassy, signed my name in a book, and entered the grandiose gardens of the place which reflected a distinct British taste. Located the visa & permit section but was not able to make the application as you needed 3 photos and I only had one, which I had thought would be sufficient.
Went back to Thamel and hired a bike (R5 for the day) as I was going to be doing a fair bit of moving around town. I first went and had four photographs taken which was expensive at R35 although they were ready almost straight away.
I had intended to go back then for my permit but suddenly remembered that I would need my passport to change money at the bank. So then I cycled into town in beautiful sunshine and amidst swarming streets of people and traffic.
Stopped at the Post Office to check if by chance a letter had arrived. There was one, but unexpected, a letter from Jan which had been posted on the 18th May taking 16 days to get here. It was a really nice letter and it was great to hear from her again.
The bank seemed in utter chaos but after shuffling around departments I eventually found the right place. Once I was there things went fairly smoothly, although I hadn’t realised the DM was so weak. For the DM500 T/Chq I settled for 3 x $50 T/Chqs and R680 which is probably too much for my remaining four days, but maybe I’ll buy some clothes.
I also enquired later on about bus prices to the border near Darjeeling and was quoted R92 for the day bus & R132 for the night bus. The latter is probably better because I arrive in the morning and can get up to Darjeeling the same day.
By now it was nearly 1-00 p.m. and hot. It was too late to go back to the Indian embassy so I went to the hotel and got down to the task of writing a letter & card to Rita now that I’ve decided to go to Darjeeling. It was very difficult but I think my approach wasn’t too hard and should spur her into action.
I’ve asked her to send a telegram to me in Darjeeling and hopefully I’ll have enough time to get across to Bombay to meet her when that comes. I also suggested that rather than go to the south of India which will be hot and involves a lot of travelling, if she comes we could go to Kashmir instead.
I managed to get the letter & card (back-up) finished by 2-30 p.m. so I cycled to the Post Office again and got them posted ‘express’ although that seems to mean just putting on another 50 paise stamp to the Nepalese.
After some more cycling around Thamel, I went back to my room again where I had a shower and tried to cheer myself up again. Had a joint which helped a little and then sat at my desk writing for a while.
The others came back at 4-30 p.m. and we sat around in Geoff & Kim’s room chatting & smoking for quite a time. I also dropped some opium as my cold has moved to my chest and smoking aggravates it and causes horrible coughing fits.
Brom, Kim & I went up to the veranda at the top of our building for a while which gives a beautiful view of the valley.
We all went out at 6-00 p.m. originally with the intention of just going out for some cake but ended up having a bumper meal at a really nice place called the Khantapur. The service in the restaurant was very good and the food tasty.
I had a really filling meal consisting of curd, tea, hamburger steak, chips & veg, a chocolate brownie and banana lassi all for the princely sum of R29-50.
We had a good laugh there before returning to Kim & Geoff’s room at 7-30 p.m. Geoff played his guitar and the rest of us sat around listening and talking. I felt quite relaxed and have been really happy with Brom, Kim & Geoff, we’ve had a good time together.
I dropped a little more opium to heighten the effect later on and then at 9-00 p.m. we went to a nearby café where we stayed for a while.
Went back to the hotel again and sat around chatting for a while before retiring at 11-30 p.m.
I was by now really relaxed and floated off to sleep thinking pleasant thoughts in contrast to the worrying I’ve been doing lately. Life will always have its problems, why can’t I take things a little easier mentally sometimes?
Thursday June 4th
Had a beautiful night’s sleep with some really pleasant dreams although I wasn’t able to remember any on waking up.
Didn’t wake up until 9-30m a.m. by which time the others had already had breakfast. They had tried waking me earlier on but I’d been flat out.
I got washed and dressed before collecting my passport, photos and walking out to the Indian embassy again. The sun was beating down and it was a sweltering day. God knows what it will be like in parts of India, almost unbearable I should think.
At least Brom is lucky flying into Delhi in the evening, she goes early tonight. It took me a good twenty minutes to get to the embassy where I filled out a very detailed form and handed over my passport and photos. I must collect my passport & permit tomorrow between 12-30 p.m.–2.00 p.m.
The permit for Darjeeling only lasts for a week but is apparently easy to extend and as far as I can tell so far doesn’t cost anything. If that’s true it will be very surprising. Provided I get my permit alright I will probably get a bus from here on Sunday evening (giving me a last chance to check the post) and hopefully be able to get to Darjeeling on Monday evening.
I walked back to the hotel and on the way bought myself a Kathmandu T-Shirt (R40). Later on I also went to get a sweatshirt for home and another pair of cotton baggy trousers which are really comfortable in this weather, although I’m not sure I’ll wear them in Germany.
My money situation is not too bad at the moment. I have NR650 which will cover tickets, clothes, accommodation, and maybe even leave me a little to change into Indian Rupees. Apart from that I now have T/Chqs to the value of DM500 and US$150 which hopefully will last me until at least mid-July.
Back at the hotel Brom was packing her things and later came down to my room as she had to vacate hers by midday. She is still a little apprehensive about setting off on her own but the decision has been made and she is sticking by it. It is even possible that we’ll eventually meet up again in Kashmir although that’s a long shot.
We all went out for a meal at 3-00 p.m. at the Khantapur where we made pigs of ourselves for a while. I had muesli & curd (late breakfast), a lemon drink, cheese on toast and a brownie. Then we returned to the hotel.
Brom did her final packing and we sat around smoking a joint and talking about things to pass the time. She had to be at the airline office at 5-15 p.m. to get a bus. Her plane leaves at 7-15 p.m. So at 4-30 p.m. we went for a last drink before putting her into a rickshaw, saying our goodbyes and wishing her all the best.
For me it was quite a sad goodbye as we’d become close over the last couple of weeks. For the other two it was also very difficult because they’ve been friends for so many years although of course they’ll meet again.
I lay on my bed reading, dozing and listening to some classical music until 7-30 p.m. Should explain that there are four American guys just being disbanded from the Peace Corps here and they are spending a last few days sorting things out before flying out early next week.
They have a cassette player and depending on who is in the room I hear varying types of music, some of which is really good. I then went down and joined Kim & Geoff and we had a lazy evening sitting around in their room.
Kim popped out to get some food to which I contributed and we were treated firstly to some muesli & curd, cucumber slices topped with peanut butter (there was no more bread) and some biscuits for afters. It was a very nice snack and as we had eaten so much this afternoon meant that we were all pretty full up.
We lay around chatting. Geoff wrote a long letter to his family and Kim & I played a really annoying game of patience.
I went back to my room and to sleep at 10-15 p.m.
Friday June 5th
Had a good night’s sleep although I slept too long and woke up at 8-30 a.m. with a headache from the cold, which still seems to be hanging on, although my chest is clearing a little.
Have to get a few things done today but not until later on. Will collect my Darjeeling permit about 12-30 p.m. and check the post. I really hope there is something there, if not my last chance is Sunday.
Geoff isn’t feeling too well this morning and slept quite late. Kim had already gone to the Post Office so we didn’t manage to get it together for breakfast. I hired a bike from the hotel and went to the Post Office as well to check for mail but as expected there was none.
Went for breakfast at the Paradise restaurant where I had muesli, fruit curd & a banana lassi. After that I cycled out to the reading room of the British Consulate where I sat for an hour or so catching up with some more news although there wasn’t much more of great interest.
The last paper was from Wed 27th and I discovered that the ‘Ripper’ has been sentenced to life imprisonment, Scotland beat England 1-0 at Wembley and Liverpool fans were running riot in Paris ahead of the European Cup Final between Liverpool and Real Madrid.
At 12-30 p.m. I went out to the Indian Embassy and after a short wait got my passport back with a special permit for Darjeeling for 7 days, although that is extendable.
After that I went to a travel agency in Thamel and booked my ticket for Sunday evening (R132). I must go back on Sunday morning to collect the ticket and find out details of where the bus leaves from.
Returned to the hotel at 1-00 p.m. but Kim & Geoff had gone out somewhere. Felt a bit disappointed as I’m beginning to hate my own company at the moment and it’s nice to have them around to talk to. I really wish Jan was here so that we could talk things over.
I’ve had a great time in Nepal but all this uncertainty about when and if Rita will arrive, and also my longer term plans are making me very unsettled again.
So I’m feeling a bit lonely and in need of some comfort at present, all a bit disturbing, but the future must hold something for me and as always things will work themselves out. Sometimes I just tend to be too pessimistic, must keep looking at the brighter side of things. Very difficult though.
I went up to the terrace on the roof for a while to soak up a little sunshine. It was very hot and a beautiful day. Hopefully it will be the same in Darjeeling and there won’t be too much rain. I went downstairs and took five dexys, as they are meant to be an anti-depressant. They did help later on.
Geoff & Kim returned at 1-30 p.m. and I joined them downstairs. We talked quite a bit which was what I needed and they cheered me up a lot. They think that they will probably be following me the middle of next week as their visas run out on the 10th and have almost definitely decided against flying to Delhi because of the expense.
If they come they’ll probably arrive on Thursday evening and Kim has promised to have another look for any mail that may arrive and bring it with her when they leave on Wednesday. That was great news. Kim also told me I can buy some Indian rupees at the bank nearby as I was worried about arriving early in the morning and having no cash.
I am looking forward to the trip as Darjeeling is meant to be very beautiful and the narrow gauge railway a real experience. It ascends to 6000 ft. in Ghoom before going downhill to Darjeeling at 5000 ft. It will still be quite hot but nothing compared with the heat of most of India at the moment and although there is some rain it is not monsoon type, like many places.
At 3-00 p.m. Geoff borrowed my hired bike to check for mail at American Express and Kim headed off to get some bread, tomatoes and peanut butter for our evening meal. Later on they may walk over to the Monkey Temple and invited me along so I’ll probably go along and see the place in a different light, at sunset.
I sometimes worry about butting into Kim & Geoff‘s privacy but they don’t seem to mind and I enjoy their company, although I can understand how Brom felt the ‘odd-one-out’ when they all travelled together. Kim & Brom have known each other since the age of 8 and Geoff the ‘newcomer’ has only known the others for six years since the start of his relationship with Kim.
They’re all really nice though and have made me realise how different people can be from the ‘stereotyped’ nationality image that we all tend to cotton on to. I really will have to get Australia sometime, even though I’ve been thwarted this trip.
Kim & Geoff came back at and we had a joint, although I still find it difficult to get off properly with this cough making it hard to smoke very much. As hard it will be I’ll probably give most of my gear away as I don’t want to carry it into India.
At 5-00 p.m. we headed off through the winding streets and slowly made our way over to the Monkey Temple which was a good walk away. We approached it from the front rather than the side as I had the last time visited. Instead of going up all the front steps to the temple we took a small grass track up along the hillside.
This was fascinating as we saw a lot of monkeys (I’m pretty certain they’re baboons). We watched, fascinated by their antics, for a long time as they bounded through trees or simply sat on or ran along the ground. When sitting they looked almost human and are very intelligent. They are also used to humans feeding them and are very tame.
We then walked the rest of the way up to the temple where the Buddhist monks were performing their end of day rituals as the sun slowly disappeared. We sat looking out over the valley and at the changing colours of the clouds which were especially beautiful, varying from white, through pink, red, grey and silver.
After a long time sitting watching the sunset, we walked down the massive flight of steps which lead up to the temple and headed back through the many streets to Thamel.
About 7-00 p.m. we went to a restaurant called Govinas where all three of us had a cheese & mushroom omelette. Geoff & I also had a bottle of beer each which was really good (although it affected a touchy nerve in one of my capped teeth because it was so cold, hopefully that won’t recur too often again).
After the meal we went back to Geoff & Kim’s room where I gave them a couple of addresses to write to, so that they can contact me if they come to Europe.
Geoff & I also had some opium each which was really good later on. We had a couple of smokes as Geoff practiced on his guitar, Kim played patience while I did some artwork (doodling) on the back of a postcard.
Went to my room at 11-00 p.m. but didn’t feel like sleeping so I sat around for ages on my bed playing patience (a really infuriating game Kim taught me). The Peace Corp guys next door didn’t sleep either and had their cassette player going which was really good.
I eventually went to sleep at 4-00 a.m. and drifted off very pleasantly into the land of nod.
Saturday June 6th
Didn’t wake up until 10-30 a.m. after a really good sleep and some extremely pleasant & relaxing dreams.
Got up and had a cold shower to wake me up and then checked that Kim & Geoff were still in their room. Geoff had stayed awake until quite late as well also playing patience. We arranged to go out for breakfast a little later and I retired to my room for a while catching up on all the happenings for my diary.
Sometimes I get a little fed-up writing it all the time but I also appreciate the routine and being able to try to express my frustrations so that maybe I can understand myself a little better. It also gives Jan an insight into another traveller’s world which she seems to enjoy and if it gives pleasure to at least one person then it’s all worth the effort.
We eventually got around to going for breakfast at 12-30 p.m. We went to Govindas which was fairly empty, so Geoff was able to have one of his tapes played. We dug into fried eggs on toast, coffee and curd plus some opium for Geoff & me to set off the day in style.
We sat there for a long time before returning to the hotel where Kim & Geoff stayed while I went out to exchange a book and have my jeans and Thai trousers repaired. The jeans had been ripped when a bike’s mudguard had caught them as I was crossing a road the other day in Kathmandu.
The rip was quite large and involved undoing a seam as well so I was charged R10, although the hole in the crutch of the others cost me nothing. I also got a new book called ‘Jupiter’s Travels’ which is about a guy’s travels on a motor bike for four years, sounds really interesting.
Much of the afternoon was spent in Kim & Geoff’s room talking and idling the time away. The day certainly went very quickly and I didn’t get the packing done I intended to. Tomorrow will be hectic compared with today’s restful time.
At 5-00 p.m. the three of us went up onto the roof and we stood watching the most beautiful sunset as we got out of it on a number (of which I rolled a few this afternoon with my last pollen). It was really strong and after a while it made me feel the effects of the opium I‘d had earlier with Geoff.
It gave me a hell of a rush and nausea swept over me a couple of times leaving me feeling a bit sick, which can be a side effect of the opium. I wasn’t physically sick but lay on my bed for an hour getting myself together again.
Later on I joined the others on the roof for some mango (which I hadn’t tried before) by moonlight (well a quarter of it). We were intending to go out to a restaurant but the other two fell asleep so we didn’t make it.
I played patience for an hour or so before going to my room where I smoked another joint which, with the opium from earlier, really wiped me out. I’m trying to write this in that condition and the pen(s) refuse to work properly for me so I’ll finish the day quickly and wake up early tomorrow to pack.
It’s now 11-00 p.m. and I’m going to lie down and maybe even fall asleep.
Sunday June 7th
After waking up once at 3-30 a.m., taking my clothes off, putting the light out and getting into bed I went back to sleep again.
Woke again at 8-30 a.m. and after a great effort not to go back to sleep again I got up and started preparing a few things for packing.
At 9-30 a.m. we all went out and had some breakfast at Rum Doodle (my last good breakfast for a while). We all had the same, a couple of coffees, eggs on toast and granola, fruit and curd. We sat around talking for a while and arranged a few things for today and also for meeting in Darjeeling.
Checked with the travel agency who had my ticket ready although the bus leaves earlier than we had thought and I have to be there at 5-00 p.m. For some reason the guy insisted in giving me R18 back although I couldn’t understand why. He also explained why the night bus is more expensive, there are two drivers and they also pay two security guards (with guns) to protect us.
Geoff & Kim will be going out most of the day to a village where they hope to locate a friend of Geoff’s although it could be difficult finding him. He is an American guy who has lived for about six years as a monk there. If they do find him then I probably won’t see them again until Darjeeling.
I went back to my room to finish my packing before midday check-out time. Geoff & Kim left the key to their room with me so that I could use it this afternoon. If I have to leave before they get back then I’ll leave the key with reception.
Finished my packing. Everything still fits easily into my bag although I’m still carrying too much in the way of clothes and next time I travel will carry even less. At midday I moved my bag to the other’s room and paid my bill (R87-50, 5xR15 a night +10% tax and R5 for the day’s hire of a bike).
Then I hired another bike for an hour and cycled into town, firstly to the Post Office for any last mail. There was no news from Rita about her plans so I can only hope that she lets me know what’s happening by writing or sending a telegram to Darjeeling.
There was one letter though from Jan and Debby (back in Frankfurt with Philippe) which came as an unexpected surprise. It was posted on the 3/6 and arrived here after only four days which was incredibly fast. If Rita had even bothered trying to write here then the letter should have arrived by now.
After that I went to a couple of banks willing to change Nep. into Indian rupees and bought IR200 which cost me NR291, roughly the same rate of 1.45 to 1 that I’d got five weeks ago changing money the other way, so that seemed very reasonable.
I then took the bike back to Thamal, returned it and paid my R2 before going to a nearby restaurant where I could sit in peace and read Jan & Deb’s letter which was really interesting and cheered me up. There was one section which I haven’t read yet as there are specific instructions to read it whilst stoned.
About ten minutes after finishing this section of the diary I should be in a position to do just that. I’ve got some gear left over but won’t be taking any across the border, so I’ll have to smoke a couple of the joints I rolled yesterday before leaving (may even take one with me to be smoked or dumped before the border).
The rest I’ll leave for Kim & Geoff although they still have a lot to get through before Wednesday. It’s not the sort of problem I’m used to having, being in possession of excess stuff, but it has been so cheap here that it doesn’t matter.
I’m now lying on Kim’s bed catching up on the day’s news for the avid readers of this diary. It’s nice to hear that Deb is interested in it too. Jan, Deb and anyone else reading this diary will probably know more about me than I do myself by the end of this trip (hopefully I don’t get too self-indulgent though).
After a really strong joint I read the other section of Jan & Deb’s letter which then made more sense than it otherwise would have done. It was great to hear from Deb again although I’m sorry their Jamaica thing didn’t work out properly, it will be great to see her and Philippe again on my return to Frankfurt.
It’s great to keep getting news from Jan. She writes cheerful letters and is keeping me in touch with what’s happening in sunny Frankfurt. I know it’s not a pleasant thing to say, but at the moment it’s true, that I look forward much more to Jan’s letters than Rita’s.
Must get the next section of my diary sent off in the next day or two as it is getting quite weighty again (due to good quality Nepali paper).
Geoff & Kim hadn’t returned by 4-00 p.m. so I left the key at reception and went out for something to eat at a nearby restaurant. I had prawn & vegetable spring rolls, a banana lassi and a hot lemon. Sat around for a while before getting a rickshaw to the bus office which was a fair way away (close to the immigration office).
Had bargained for a price of R7 for the trip but the guy had no change so I made his day by giving the rest as a tip. I then sat around in the waiting room, having reported to the office as requested at 5-00 p.m.
At 5-15 p.m. Kim & Geoff came along to say their temporary goodbyes and also book their tickets for Wednesday night so that they will be in Darjeeling on Thursday afternoon.
At 5-30 p.m. things started to happen. I had my bag tagged and put on the roof although I kept my cardigan and documents with me as protection against any cold at night and against thieves. I found my seat no. 25 which was near the back of the bus and therefore very bumpy. I said goodbye to Kim & Geoff and the bus left shortly afterwards at nearly 6-00 p.m.
The road out of Kathmandu was as always very rough as it is being surfaced (without any foreign aid) by the Nepalese and could take years to complete.
We were rewarded on the other side as we descended by the most beautiful sunset. The whole sky was aglow and the blazing red sun caused fantastic patterns around the clouds while the mountains seemed pitch black against the brilliance of the sky.
Shortly after sunset I took a valium to relax me as the whole journey looked like being along very rough roads at night there is not much to see. However, twenty minutes later as I was dozing we almost had a very nasty accident.
There were a Danish couple (yes, more of them) sitting in front of me who explained to me what had happened. The whole road to the border town of Kakarvita was very narrow and our coach had tried overtaking a truck which hadn’t moved over enough to let us pass.
As a consequence our bus ploughed into the grass verge on the right-hand side of the road. We all got out of the bus as numerous Indians & Nepalese helped by a tow-rope and a truck managed to get the coach back onto the road.
I had a look at the skid marks on the road and the impressions made by the wheels in the grass. Another yard at the front or as little as six inches further to the side and the bus would have ended up in a river after going down a steep embankment of thirty or forty feet. A lucky escape.
It seemed a fairly normal occurrence though and we were soon on our way again, with the driver still driving along the same way as before, which could be pretty reckless & dangerous, although they seem to know what they are doing, most of the time.
We made a stop at 9-00 p.m. for a drink and I also had a really nice joint with Michael and Christine (the English versions of their Danish names) before returning to the bus.
The coach itself was quite nice with only thirty seats which were comfortable although they did not recline. There was also music over a stereo system (although not particular inspiring) and we were given a small meal of Nepali ‘sweets’ which were delicious.
The roads were really bumpy and jolted me around a lot so I decided I would prefer to sleep and took another tab which knocked me out pretty quickly. I woke up once more as we made another stop at 12-30 a.m. but after a cold drink there I returned to the bus and went back to sleep again.
Monday June 8th
Slept very well most of the night, although I was sometimes awoken as the bus hit a large pothole or bounced along a particularly bad piece of road. I was soon able to drop off back to sleep though I was awake for the sunrise which was also very colourful.
The landscape had changed completely since last night as we were now travelling over the plains of south-eastern Nepal with the Himalayas standing out as dark shadows in the background.
After one more stop we eventually arrived in Kakavita, the border town, at 7-00 a.m. after a thirteen hour journey which had proved not nearly as arduous as expected because of the amount of sleep I’d had.
Mike & Chris had a lot of luggage, much of which they’ll be sending home or selling, so they hired a jeep for all three of us into Siliguri where we arrived at 8-30 a.m. It would have been too much of a rush for me to try and catch the toy train to Darjeeling as the last one leaves at 9-00 a.m. taking 7½-8 hours to get there.
Had some breakfast of tea & toast before negotiating the price of a taxi. We eventually got one to take us for R100. The three of us were in the back seat, an Indian family of four, parents and two small children, took the front seat.
Eventually left at 9-30 a.m. and after a while on the level we started to climb up into the mountains again. The Indian roads are better than the Nepalese but are still very narrow with barely enough room for vehicles to pass sometimes. The railway also follows the road for much of the way, crossing it quite often as it slowly chugs its way up the hillside.
The scenery was absolutely indescribable and at some of the lower levels looked very European, especially like the mountains and valleys of Switzerland.
There was one small mishap along the way as with an almighty bang one of the tyres blew out. We left the driver to change the wheel as Mike, Chris & I went off for another nice Nepali joint. The driver was so quick changing the wheel that we ended up finishing the joint in the car which I don’t think pleased the driver too much.
I later offered him a Nepalese cigarette which he refused and later asked me if there was ganjha in them to which I said no and confused him even more. Earlier on I had taken my Monday malaria tab, an antibiotic Brom gave me to clear up my cold and three dexys to see me through the day alright.
We made several stops along the way and had a chance to see the massive plain spread out in front of us and the mountains all around. There was some fantastic scenery which I won’t even try to describe, it was one of those ‘on the spur of the moment’ beauty moments which one can’t recall in writing very easily.
As we got higher the clouds seemed to become closer until we eventually reached Ghoom at 8000 ft. where we were completely enshrouded in mist and clouds. From there we descended another thousand feet and progressed ten kilometres before finally reaching Darjeeling at 2-00 p.m.
The weather was still warm although nothing compared with the heat in parts of India at the moment. Apparently it also gets quite cold here at night so I’ll have to wrap up warm tonight. Mike and Chris headed off to a Tibetan monastery nearby where they had arranged to stay, with a couple of porters carrying their luggage up the very steep hill.
Darjeeling has a lot of English influence (as has a lot of India) but especially this area because it was set aside as a hill station by the British during their empirical days. The whole town is very picturesque built as it is into the top area of an entire hillside. Because of this though my leg muscles will be strengthened again over the next few days.
A Tibetan guy tried to take me to his ‘uncle’s’ place where I was shown a room for R15 but it didn’t appeal to me. He then took me higher and higher which was exhausting and also the prices seemed to get more expensive.
Eventually someone suggested the Youth Hostel at the top of the hill which was where he led me next. I gave him a small tip (R4) and thanked him very much for his help. I got a bed in a dormitory which suited me fine, not quite as comfortable as the others but situated right next to a writing table and mirror, my compensation for not having a locker under my bed and a super-soft mattress.
I prefer to be able to write in comfort and my bed isn’t so bad now it’s made up; a basic camp bed with a sheet on top of two thin mattresses, my own sheet sleeping bag and three blankets which they provided free of charge (it must get cold).
The hostel is perched right on top of the hill so you can see both ways into two different valleys and also towards the Himalayas which were shrouded in clouds today. The views are spectacular to say the least. There are also hot & cold showers, toilets, and a recreation room downstairs. The cost is only R6 a night which is very reasonable indeed.
I must try and get Kim & Geoff to come here although I think the dorms are segregated and it is also a good fifteen minutes’ walk uphill which might put them off, although I think it’s the best place around.
After writing some of my diary I went out at 5-00 p.m. to have a look around and buy a few necessities for the rest of my trip. I had a great time window-shopping for a long time winding up and down, along and through various alleys, stairways and streets with many tourist-orientated shops and a super market down the bottom end which I found really interesting.
I seemed to be the only westerner there amongst throngs of Indians taking their holidays away from the heat, the streets were certainly packed with them tonight. Many of the locals of Darjeeling though are not Indian and seemed very pleasant and well mannered. There were many Tibetans, Nepalese and people from Bhutan, the neighbouring state, which China won’t recognises as a state of India.
After some searching round I eventually found a large envelope to send the next section of the diary off to Jan, without having to bend the paper which will be bulky enough. I also went to the Tourist Info office where I got a map and some information on the town.
By now it was 8-00 p.m. and I was getting hungry so I walked back down into town (I had been up at the other end if you understand my meaning). I hoped that I might see Mike & Chris but instead saw three girls in a restaurant who I’d met trekking in Ghandrung which was a nice surprise.
I sat down with them and had a couple of samosa and two cups of tea. We sat talking for ages and out came the Thai story again which really captured their interest. The restaurant closed quite early (as everything in Darjeeling seems to) and we went next door where we drank some lemon before going our separate ways.
Electricity had been out most of the evening but returned for my walk home which was very useful. It took me twenty minutes to walk back, I’d forgotten everything was so steep and was pretty knackered by the time I got back. A few days and the walk will be nothing.
After writing my diary for a while and preparing it for posting I went to bed at 10-30 p.m.
Tuesday June 9th
Woke up several times during the night because it was so cold (even with three blankets) and I also had violent cramps in my stomach from the diaphragm down to my testicles which also kept me awake a lot.
I eventually woke up properly at 9-30 a.m. after a very disturbed night’s sleep and tried to analyse what was wrong with my body now after a basically healthy time in Nepal. I concluded that it was probably a reaction to all the various poisons I’ve been subjecting my body to in the last five weeks.
For a lot of the morning it was cloudy, cold and damp which didn’t help much. Every time I coughed, sneezed or even tried to go to the toilet it caused intense pain to the intestinal area. I assumed that I’d also strained my diaphragm carrying my bag up the hill yesterday although that didn’t seem to make sense as I’ve carried heavier loads longer distances.
After a wash & brushing my teeth I sat on the edge of my bed writing at the table which helped a lot as my body was bent forward and there was not so much pain as before. I wrote a letter to Jan to accompany the next fifty pages of the diary which I sealed in a large envelope to be posted later on.
I also wrote a letter to Kim & Geoff telling them where I’m staying so that we can meet up sometime even if they decide not to stay at the Youth Hostel. They sometimes like a bit more privacy and may try to get a double room nearer town.
It was close to midday before I took the letters, my passport & the last DM500 T/Chq and started to walk down the winding road towards the centre of town. Walking was a lot more painful than I’d imagined and I had to take things very slowly otherwise I’d double up in pain.
Once in town I decided to seek out a doctor’s opinion on my illness. Quite a lot of the chemists have doctors on the premises to diagnose the less serious ailments. I went to a place called ‘The Economic Pharmacy’ and after a short wait saw a Dr. Adhya who gave me a thorough check-up and asked many questions about where I’d been and how long the cold had been hanging on.
For a consultation fee of R16 (quite reasonable) he informed me that I had a high temperature, an infection of my throat and nasal passages plus a lot of fluid & congestion in my right lung which was leading to the intense pain under my right rib cage and in my lower stomach. My left lung was apparently fine.
He prescribed me some drugs, a two day course of various drugs ranging from an anti-allergic expectorant through to some Pyrigesic (paracetamol) tablets to some Novamax (amoxicillin) capsules. The doctor told me to stay in bed for a day or two, take the tablets regularly and then if I still had problems go back to him again.
Still feeling rough I went firstly to the Post Office where I sent Jan the next edition (105g. R15-85) and also left the note for Kim & Geoff at Post Restante. I checked whether a telegram had arrived but there was, as expected, nothing as yet.
I then went firstly to Grindlay’s bank who had only the $ rate and couldn’t change DM’s. Secondly I tried the State Bank of India where I chatted to the young lady at the T/Chq section for a while. She seemed interested in the paradox that I was also a banker but that I could take such long holidays and still have a job to go back to.
She was extremely efficient, although the exchange rate wasn’t too healthy, [email protected]=R1775, and I received my money within five minutes, very unusual for India.
Started the slow, tortuous walk back up the hill. A normal walk of fifteen minutes took me well over half-an-hour as I had to keep stopping because I was having problems breathing and also felt very weak. I stopped at a restaurant near to the Youth Hostel and talked to a Newcastle guy who was staying in the same dorm.
He had previously also had the same problem and reckoned it had a lot to do with the amount he’d smoked in Nepal. I had a couple of teas, a packet of glucose biscuits and some orange squash to wash down the first of my medications before going back to the hostel at 2-00 p.m.
Once there I had to sign my name and list numerous details about myself in the registration book. I also managed to get two extra blankets to try and sweat out the temperature and keep me warmer at night. The doctor had also suggested a hot water bottle and boiling hot foot bath to help clear up the cold and pains in my right lung but I think that may not be possible here.
After sitting around for a while writing I climbed into bed at 3-30 p.m. and read ‘Jupiter’s Travels’ for a while before dozing off from the expectorant which is also making me burp a lot, relieving a lot of excess wind which seems to have built up in my stomach. Well, I suppose it’s better than farting all the time.
I slept well and sweated out some of my fever during the early evening hours. The drugs are pretty powerful and left me dazed and knocked out. I only stayed awake for half-an-hour before dozing off again at 8-30 p.m.
Wednesday June 10th
Slept really well and didn’t wake up until 8-00 a.m. I am still feeling rough but a lot better than yesterday. I took my prescribed medicines and read for a while before dozing off again until nearly 11-00 a.m.
Chatted for a while to an Australian guy, Dave, who comes from Perth. He has loads of books with him, a sort of travelling library. I only had one book to trade, ‘Jupiter’s Travels’. As he leaves to go trekking tomorrow I will leave it with the warden. In exchange he very generously gave me a book called ‘Lifetide’ by Lyall Watson, a thinner book on meditation and a magazine on China. They should make some interesting and perhaps enlightening reading.
Also met Ann, an Australian girl, who happens to be a doctor so she gave me a free bedside consultation. She seemed quite re-assuring and said that what I had was a mild form of bronchitis. Ann didn’t agree totally with the medication but suggested I give it a try first.
When they had both left I took some more of my medication and read for a while before dropping off to sleep again for a lot of the afternoon. Woke again when Dave came back and put some music on. He has a cassette player with about ten different tapes. We listened to Dire Straits, Pink Floyd and later (stoned) Fleetwood Mac.
I got up at 4-00 p.m. feeling a little better if weak, made my bed (which I’d really disrupted), had a wash and then got dressed in some warm clothes as the weather had been cloudy, cool & rainy for most of the day. I looked a bit of a mess but didn’t feel up to having a shower yet.
We sat around chatting about various things for a while before being joined by the guy from Newcastle (no name has emerged yet) and a Swiss French guy. Pascal had some Nepali hash which he had bought here for R20 a tola. There is also apparently a shop here that sells a hash & ganjha (and opium, but under license).
In some ways I heard it is much easier here, it must even be semi-legal, than in Kathmandu although you have to be pretty cool about it in the Youth Hostel. I rolled the joint as the Swiss guy couldn’t (or so he said) and gave it to the other three first so they wouldn’t catch my cold. I was given the last third of which I smoked half, leaving some for later.
Got well off on that little and also didn’t have too many problems with my cough. After the joint I was feeling a lot happier. In that mood we all went down to a restaurant a hundred yards down the road which was reachable in my present state.
I had an excellent, cheap & filling meal consisting of 2 teas, vegetable soup, veg. omelette, 3 toasted brown breads & butter, all for a mere R6-20. The place was full of western faces and for the first time in ages I saw that the most of any nationality there were English; the three of us, the Newcastle guy (returning from a year in Australia), myself and another English guy.
We were of course outnumbered by the people running the restaurant who seemed very nice, friendly and much like the Nepalese. Coming here isn’t really like returning to India except of course for the many Indian tourists who also seem pretty cool because they’re on holiday, no need to hassle so much.
Chatted to Dave for ages. He had been a prison officer in Australia and was therefore very interested in my reactions to the time I spent in Thai prison. I had related a short version of events to the other three earlier on, it’s certainly an experience which interests other people and when I’m in the right company I feel alright talking about it.
As I explained to Dave it is all now part of my past. I don’t feel any resentment because of it. Although it was an experience I wouldn’t like to go through again I’ve learnt a lot from it.
I also probably become rather blasé about the whole experience which is one thing I must try to avoid doing. It’s difficult not to feel a little ‘one-upmanship’. When I start thinking like that I always remember Stan which brings me down very quickly.
We left the restaurant at 8-15 p.m. and went back to the hostel although I got a little breathless walking up the hill. I must take it easy tomorrow although I’d like to meet Geoff & Kim if possible, I’ll see how I feel tomorrow. I had the hardest shit since the start of this trip (must be the medication) although I had some pretty solid ones on opium.
All this bowel talk must be the influence of Kim, Geoff & Brom to whom it seems second nature, they are more open (no pun intended). I then sat at my ‘desk’ for a while although it probably made me seem a little anti-social.
When I’d finished writing I joined in the general conversation of the dorm which is full to capacity tonight. There are nine beds in all with mine being the odd one out (no locker but the compensatory writing table & mirror). Four Indian students arrived today for at least a week’s stay. There is also an oldish Iranian guy who has been here for a while and although he can’t speak English very well is still an extremely nice person. The remaining four are all ‘westerners’.
At 9-30 p.m. I made up a joint from a little local grass Dave had, which we smoked on the balcony looking out at a beautiful night, cloudless with a half new-moon. It is incredible to think how fast time is now racing by, in another week it will be two months since I was kicked out of Thailand and four months ago that I flew out of Frankfurt.
If I’m well enough tomorrow I’ll try and visit the ganjha shop to see what sort of selection they have, it will seem strange going to a shop to buy the stuff.
After a little more conversation the lights were switched off at 10-45 p.m. and everyone tried to sleep. Perhaps because I had slept so much yesterday and despite the medication I couldn’t sleep so I took some valium and was asleep by midnight.
Thursday June 11th
Woke up after a good night’s sleep at 8-00 a.m. but still not feeling top-fit with the sniffles and a cough, but that is probably due to the damp atmosphere at the moment.
There is a dramatic change when the sun shines through for a while. Had a wash, got dressed and went for a meal at the restaurant just down the road.
Sat there in a deserted place for at least ten minutes before anyone deigned to make an appearance. I had three fried eggs on plain brown bread and two teas, which provided a good start to the day (unfortunately they don’t have such luxuries as muesli or curd here).
Got back to the hostel at 9-00 a.m. and after chatting to the Indians for a while I got down to writing a letter to my sister. The weather is pleasant with a few patches of blue sky and the sun manages to force its way through every so often.
I was interrupted several times by the English guy who was also writing some letters and seemed to want to talk a lot. He also helped me a little though by making a ground-up mixture of black peppers which I took and which helped clear up the sniffles for a while.
As he also wanted to get a lot done I gave him a couple of dexys which he dissolved under his tongue (because they work faster). In exchange he gave me two tabs of ‘Daprisal’ which are meant to be speed mixed with some barbiturates.
After an hour’s hard graft I managed to get letter to Chris written, mostly a summary (hopefully detached) of what had happened in Thailand. As you can imagine it was very difficult (even with my small writing) to fit even the most basic facts into the aerogramme but I think it was quite successful.
Two of the girls from Ghandrung, the Australian girl and the Swiss one (Irene) came to the hostel checking it out. The third girl had left for Calcutta today and they felt like a change. They like the place and moved in later that day (although I didn’t see them again until the next morning).
As it was pouring with rain outside we sat around chatting and they also had a look at some of my stones & settings. The English guy also produced some of his many stones which he sets himself in earrings. We sat around talking for ages until the storm cleared at 1-00 p.m. and the girls went to collect their stuff.
Can’t pin it down exactly but it was at this time that I started feeling exultant and really happy & content inside. I could tell that the rest of the day was going to be really great and as it happened (hard to explain) the day just generated good vibes and everything went really well.
I was intending to go to the Post Office, post my letter and check for a telegram but was delayed when I got chatting to the Australian ‘yogi’. I found him fascinating; really inspiring to talk to, no pushiness about his Buddhist faith but we sustained a really refreshing conversation for well over an hour.
His attitude was so open and I felt a real empathy with him, he explained a little about how he had got into the faith and the effects it had on his life (obviously completely changing his outlooks and attitudes). I also explained a little of my background and the reasons for my scepticism about differing religions.
When he had finished talking though I felt the same as I do towards my parent’s beliefs, that when they are so genuine & sincere then all I can do is step back and respect their utter devotion and strength (whether derived from another source or from within themselves).
Comparing him (Dave) and my mother for instance (although the religious beliefs are different) I could sense the same peace, contentment and gentleness (not softness) within them brought about by the confidence that this life is only part of a greater scheme of things.
As Dave said, I may look back at this period of time in a year’s time as the start of some sort of spiritual search although he explained that the term ‘spiritual’ could cover many things. For instance, a finding out of one’s self rather than any religious commitment (which I feel I couldn’t enter into again).
It was a fascinating chat and Dave has certainly got his act together much better than the English guy, who like many westerners in India get very mixed-up, lose a lot of their initial aims and consequently go a little crazy (as the western world would see it).
In India the sight of sadus (people who give up all possessions, relying on other Indians’ generosity, and wander the country in search of ‘truth’) is a normal thing so that many ‘western freaks’ are accepted because basically India is very tolerant of such things.
About 2-30 p.m. I managed to drag myself away and headed down a muddy path towards town smoking one of my pre-made joints. By the time I reached the Post Office I was feeling in an excellent frame of mind and as the afternoon progressed this great feeling persisted.
I posted my letter to Chris and checked with Post Restante. There was no telegram and also no message from Kim & Geoff (maybe they decided to head straight to Kashmir instead).
The day was still overcast with patches of sun although that seems to be the pattern at the moment, which I don’t mind. I usually wear a T-shirt, jeans, cardigan and flip-flops at the moment and feel quite comfortable, although I might start wearing my shoes again soon as the flip-flops tend to splash mud onto my jeans after a heavy rainfall.
The more I see this place though the more I like it. Just to give the reader a small idea of what Darjeeling is like I’ll quote a few lines from ‘Fodor’s 1981 guide to India & Nepal’:
“The town is built like a series of landings joined by flights of steps and almost vertical lanes. The ‘top floor’ is mainly for visitors. Along the Mall or Main Street are the large hotels, café’s, handsome villas and attractive shops. The ‘middle floor’ is very Indian in flavour: the smaller hotels, Indian restaurants and more shops are here. The ‘ground floor’ is the most fascinating since it is here that Darjeeling’s working population, Nepalese, Tibetans, Bhutias, Lepchas (probably the original natives of Darjeeling) all in colourful tribal costumes throng the bazaars and market places.”
After the Post Office I wandered around for a while before heading down to the square near the toy train railway station. There were a couple of grubby little restaurants near the station, one of which had a small wooden bench where I sat drinking tea, watching the people and events. My happiness seemed infectious and I amused the two young boys in the restaurant.
On leaving the restaurant I made what could have been a terrible mistake. In my state of euphoria I left my money-belt (passport, T/Chqs, plane ticket) on the bench as I hadn’t been wearing it. I still haven’t learnt the lesson of being extra-careful which should by now be deeply engrained.
I realised my forgetfulness about a hundred yards away and literally raced back to the shop. As I got back one of the boys had seen the wallet and was about to come racing after me with it when he saw me returning. We exchanged pleased glances, I grasped his shoulder and went on my way again, grateful that this wasn’t another part of India.
Here you seem to get more pleasant reactions to courtesy and a smile with less hassle even than in Nepal. A couple of young kids have approached me here for money but a gentle ‘no’ with a regretful smile works wonders, whereas in other parts I’ve seen, such as Delhi & Varanasi or even in Kathmandu, the hassles happen much more frequently and can be strangely upsetting.
After the incident with my money-belt though I wanted to be a little more generous towards people and feeling good meant that I could do this, but in slightly different ways, by being polite to shopkeepers and often getting good vibes in return as well.
Even the Indians I met with their standard opening-line of ‘Where are you coming from?’ didn’t get my usual blunt reply. After buying a paper (Times of India) I sat on another wooden bench (accommodating three this time) in the confines of the station.
I sat there for a couple of hours reading the news, watching people, with a strange clarity of mind & purpose which I haven’t felt for a long time. I chatted to several people as I sat there giving cigarettes to my companions and having some very interesting conversations.
There was one incredibly dark guy, obviously a local, fairly old (anywhere from 50-80) with the brightest blue eyes I’ve ever seen in an Asian face, a fantastic sight.
Later I was joined by an ex-army local with whom I had a great conversation about Britain and the way Darjeeling had gone downhill in the years since British rule, especially the cleanliness of the place although I explained to him that England wasn’t exactly a haven of cleanliness itself.
At 5-00 p.m. I left my vantage point and walked to the lower end of town where I spent ages window-shopping, looking around some great bookshops, souvenir shops and craft shops The Indians produce some great books, some very humorous and others on a huge variety of subjects.
Spent a long time looking around the markets and slowly making my way back up the hill as dusk came on. I also bought an umbrella for R18, a really sturdy one with a wooden handle, strong material and a metal tip, which will double as a walking aid going up all the hills here. I just hope it is waterproof, if so then it’s a real bargain.
After such a good day I decided that I deserved a good meal and a big treat to end off the day in style. For my feast I chose a really posh looking place called Gleneray’s Restaurant which, once inside, looked like a remnant of the British Empire, really pucker, top-hole and all that.
The only ‘problem’ was that I was the only westerner eating there. My fellow-guests were a mixture of upper-caste families, groups of men (drinking beer) and some young fellows, obviously from the local public school. It all seemed very jolly & colonial (except for the lack of British officers & officials of course).
Waiters were all in white uniforms with numbers on their breast pockets; No. 13 looked a bit haggard from the responsibility. They also had little blue caps with silver stars on the left hand side. I was attended to by the head guy dressed in an impeccable suit at my table-clothed table with accompanying flowers in a beautiful vase.
I was very English and proper with him, although with the correct amount of politeness (despite my flip-flops, jeans & T-shirt amongst the very proper dinner dress of the Indian diners). I ordered a Navraton Palao (recommended by an Indian at the next table) with vegetable curry (suggested by the big boss, how could I refuse?).
My weakness also prevailed and I had a nice cold beer. It was called Guru and is reputed to be the best (R14, very expensive luxury for 650 ml.). The beer was excellent though, nicely cooled and gave me a nice buzz to kick me one more stage near happiness.
Had a really good time there, looking at people and people looking at me, creating a smile from a kid sometimes. They also had music, old colonial (Indian) style which was very entertaining. The meal arrived quickly at 7-30 p.m.
I’d arrived just before the rush of people and I was served with all proper pomp & circumstance (and cutlery) and managed to eat my way through two delicious platefuls of excellent palao & curry. The food was very spicy which was good as I quenched my thirst with the cold beer.
After sitting around observing, I paid the bill which came to R27 and left a R3 tip. It seemed the British thing to do you know. I thanked the boss, sent compliments to the chef and walked out feeling like a king.
As you may have gathered by the number of pages, today I fell in love with the town of Darjeeling. I would add that at the moment there are a lot of clouds around but even so the glimpses of beauty I’ve seen over the tea plantations, across the mountainsides & valleys and the town itself have sold the place to me.
During the afternoon, while sitting around at the station, I had real clarity of feeling. Things all seemed so simple and clear to me. I’m not sure whether it was the grass, the tabs, or something else trying to tell me something special (India, especially an area like this near Tibet, can do that to you sometimes).
As well as really enjoying my time at the café and in the restaurant I also had another couple of ideas, one large & one small. The small one was that I should send Jan a copy of the Times of India which I think she’d find interesting, especially some of the articles which refer to the Indian way of life.
The other idea occurred to me as I was reading the paper and saw job advertisements for English teachers and reports of shortages across the country. All of them (the big ones) need people with degrees but perhaps there is a shortage in this area and if I put on my flash clothes, took copies of my exam certificates they might find a job for me starting in September.
Some hope but the thought was very clear and made me feel even better, it added to the whole magical feeling of the day. At the time both these thoughts filled my mind and seemed so fresh, the small one will be easy (if I remember) but the large one I must enquire about.
After the meal I wandered back to the room where I arrived 8-30 p.m. intending to write reams about what a great day I’d had but other things intervened.
All of us in the room, it’s a good crowd, got chatting to each other and time went very quickly, even the Iranian managed to join in a little with his limited English. The others were the four Indians (very proper chaps but very nice with it), Dave the Australian ‘yogi’ (Tibetan Buddhist as I’ve found out since), Phil (the English guy) and myself.
At 10-30 p.m. Dave, Phil & I went out and smoked a joint of Phil’s Kerala grass (meant to be some of the best in India). It was excellent and topped the day off really incredibly. Unfortunately I felt so good and relaxed that I couldn’t write my diary (not incapable).
Phil & I have just smoked a chillum of Kashmiri hash oil & tobacco, beautiful smoke which went down like a dream and gave a really mellow high which suited my mood beautifully. With a big thunderstorm in the distance and later rain (which sounded like the crackling of fire to my stoned ears), Fred fell into a blissful, valium-induced sleep at 12-15 a.m.
Friday June 12th
Woke up after a good night’s sleep at 8-00 a.m. but still not feeling top-fit with the sniffles and a cough, but that is probably due to the damp atmosphere at the moment.
There is a dramatic change when the sun shines through for a while. Had a wash, got dressed and went for a meal at the restaurant just down the road.
Sat there in a deserted place for at least ten minutes before anyone deigned to make an appearance. I had three fried eggs on plain brown bread and two teas, which provided a good start to the day (unfortunately they don’t have such luxuries as muesli or curd here).
Got back to the hostel at 9-00 a.m. and after chatting to the Indians for a while I got down to writing a letter to my sister. The weather is pleasant with a few patches of blue sky and the sun manages to force its way through every so often.
I was interrupted several times by the English guy who was also writing some letters and seemed to want to talk a lot. He also helped me a little though by making a ground-up mixture of black peppers which I took and which helped clear up the sniffles for a while.
As he also wanted to get a lot done I gave him a couple of dexys which he dissolved under his tongue (because they work faster). In exchange he gave me two tabs of ‘Daprisal’ which are meant to be speed mixed with some barbiturates.
After an hour’s hard graft I managed to get letter to Chris written, mostly a summary (hopefully detached) of what had happened in Thailand. As you can imagine it was very difficult (even with my small writing) to fit even the most basic facts into the aerogramme but I think it was quite successful.
Two of the girls from Ghandrung, the Australian girl and the Swiss one (Irene) came to the hostel checking it out. The third girl had left for Calcutta today and they felt like a change. They like the place and moved in later that day (although I didn’t see them again until the next morning).
As it was pouring with rain outside we sat around chatting and they also had a look at some of my stones & settings. The English guy also produced some of his many stones which he sets himself in earrings. We sat around talking for ages until the storm cleared at 1-00 p.m. and the girls went to collect their stuff.
Can’t pin it down exactly but it was at this time that I started feeling exultant and really happy & content inside. I could tell that the rest of the day was going to be really great and as it happened (hard to explain) the day just generated good vibes and everything went really well.
I was intending to go to the Post Office, post my letter and check for a telegram but was delayed when I got chatting to the Australian ‘yogi’. I found him fascinating; really inspiring to talk to, no pushiness about his Buddhist faith but we sustained a really refreshing conversation for well over an hour.
His attitude was so open and I felt a real empathy with him, he explained a little about how he had got into the faith and the effects it had on his life (obviously completely changing his outlooks and attitudes). I also explained a little of my background and the reasons for my scepticism about differing religions.
When he had finished talking though I felt the same as I do towards my parent’s beliefs, that when they are so genuine & sincere then all I can do is step back and respect their utter devotion and strength (whether derived from another source or from within themselves).
Comparing him (Dave) and my mother for instance (although the religious beliefs are different) I could sense the same peace, contentment and gentleness (not softness) within them brought about by the confidence that this life is only part of a greater scheme of things.
As Dave said, I may look back at this period of time in a year’s time as the start of some sort of spiritual search although he explained that the term ‘spiritual’ could cover many things. For instance, a finding out of one’s self rather than any religious commitment (which I feel I couldn’t enter into again).
It was a fascinating chat and Dave has certainly got his act together much better than the English guy, who like many westerners in India get very mixed-up, lose a lot of their initial aims and consequently go a little crazy (as the western world would see it).
In India the sight of sadus (people who give up all possessions, relying on other Indians’ generosity, and wander the country in search of ‘truth’) is a normal thing so that many ‘western freaks’ are accepted because basically India is very tolerant of such things.
About 2-30 p.m. I managed to drag myself away and headed down a muddy path towards town smoking one of my pre-made joints. By the time I reached the Post Office I was feeling in an excellent frame of mind and as the afternoon progressed this great feeling persisted.
I posted my letter to Chris and checked with Post Restante. There was no telegram and also no message from Kim & Geoff (maybe they decided to head straight to Kashmir instead).
The day was still overcast with patches of sun although that seems to be the pattern at the moment, which I don’t mind. I usually wear a T-shirt, jeans, cardigan and flip-flops at the moment and feel quite comfortable, although I might start wearing my shoes again soon as the flip-flops tend to splash mud onto my jeans after a heavy rainfall.
The more I see this place though the more I like it. Just to give the reader a small idea of what Darjeeling is like I’ll quote a few lines from ‘Fodor’s 1981 guide to India & Nepal’:
“The town is built like a series of landings joined by flights of steps and almost vertical lanes. The ‘top floor’ is mainly for visitors. Along the Mall or Main Street are the large hotels, café’s, handsome villas and attractive shops. The ‘middle floor’ is very Indian in flavour: the smaller hotels, Indian restaurants and more shops are here. The ‘ground floor’ is the most fascinating since it is here that Darjeeling’s working population, Nepalese, Tibetans, Bhutias, Lepchas (probably the original natives of Darjeeling) all in colourful tribal costumes throng the bazaars and market places.”
After the Post Office I wandered around for a while before heading down to the square near the toy train railway station. There were a couple of grubby little restaurants near the station, one of which had a small wooden bench where I sat drinking tea, watching the people and events. My happiness seemed infectious and I amused the two young boys in the restaurant.
On leaving the restaurant I made what could have been a terrible mistake. In my state of euphoria I left my money-belt (passport, T/Chqs, plane ticket) on the bench as I hadn’t been wearing it. I still haven’t learnt the lesson of being extra-careful which should by now be deeply engrained.
I realised my forgetfulness about a hundred yards away and literally raced back to the shop. As I got back one of the boys had seen the wallet and was about to come racing after me with it when he saw me returning. We exchanged pleased glances, I grasped his shoulder and went on my way again, grateful that this wasn’t another part of India.
Here you seem to get more pleasant reactions to courtesy and a smile with less hassle even than in Nepal. A couple of young kids have approached me here for money but a gentle ‘no’ with a regretful smile works wonders, whereas in other parts I’ve seen, such as Delhi & Varanasi or even in Kathmandu, the hassles happen much more frequently and can be strangely upsetting.
After the incident with my money-belt though I wanted to be a little more generous towards people and feeling good meant that I could do this, but in slightly different ways, by being polite to shopkeepers and often getting good vibes in return as well.
Even the Indians I met with their standard opening-line of ‘Where are you coming from?’ didn’t get my usual blunt reply. After buying a paper (Times of India) I sat on another wooden bench (accommodating three this time) in the confines of the station.
I sat there for a couple of hours reading the news, watching people, with a strange clarity of mind & purpose which I haven’t felt for a long time. I chatted to several people as I sat there giving cigarettes to my companions and having some very interesting conversations.
There was one incredibly dark guy, obviously a local, fairly old (anywhere from 50-80) with the brightest blue eyes I’ve ever seen in an Asian face, a fantastic sight.
Later I was joined by an ex-army local with whom I had a great conversation about Britain and the way Darjeeling had gone downhill in the years since British rule, especially the cleanliness of the place although I explained to him that England wasn’t exactly a haven of cleanliness itself.
At 5-00 p.m. I left my vantage point and walked to the lower end of town where I spent ages window-shopping, looking around some great bookshops, souvenir shops and craft shops The Indians produce some great books, some very humorous and others on a huge variety of subjects.
Spent a long time looking around the markets and slowly making my way back up the hill as dusk came on. I also bought an umbrella for R18, a really sturdy one with a wooden handle, strong material and a metal tip, which will double as a walking aid going up all the hills here. I just hope it is waterproof, if so then it’s a real bargain.
After such a good day I decided that I deserved a good meal and a big treat to end off the day in style. For my feast I chose a really posh looking place called Gleneray’s Restaurant which, once inside, looked like a remnant of the British Empire, really pucker, top-hole and all that.
The only ‘problem’ was that I was the only westerner eating there. My fellow-guests were a mixture of upper-caste families, groups of men (drinking beer) and some young fellows, obviously from the local public school. It all seemed very jolly & colonial (except for the lack of British officers & officials of course).
Waiters were all in white uniforms with numbers on their breast pockets; No. 13 looked a bit haggard from the responsibility. They also had little blue caps with silver stars on the left hand side. I was attended to by the head guy dressed in an impeccable suit at my table-clothed table with accompanying flowers in a beautiful vase.
I was very English and proper with him, although with the correct amount of politeness (despite my flip-flops, jeans & T-shirt amongst the very proper dinner dress of the Indian diners). I ordered a Navraton Palao (recommended by an Indian at the next table) with vegetable curry (suggested by the big boss, how could I refuse?).
My weakness also prevailed and I had a nice cold beer. It was called Guru and is reputed to be the best (R14, very expensive luxury for 650 ml.). The beer was excellent though, nicely cooled and gave me a nice buzz to kick me one more stage near happiness.
Had a really good time there, looking at people and people looking at me, creating a smile from a kid sometimes. They also had music, old colonial (Indian) style which was very entertaining. The meal arrived quickly at 7-30 p.m.
I’d arrived just before the rush of people and I was served with all proper pomp & circumstance (and cutlery) and managed to eat my way through two delicious platefuls of excellent palao & curry. The food was very spicy which was good as I quenched my thirst with the cold beer.
After sitting around observing, I paid the bill which came to R27 and left a R3 tip. It seemed the British thing to do you know. I thanked the boss, sent compliments to the chef and walked out feeling like a king.
As you may have gathered by the number of pages, today I fell in love with the town of Darjeeling. I would add that at the moment there are a lot of clouds around but even so the glimpses of beauty I’ve seen over the tea plantations, across the mountainsides & valleys and the town itself have sold the place to me.
During the afternoon, while sitting around at the station, I had real clarity of feeling. Things all seemed so simple and clear to me. I’m not sure whether it was the grass, the tabs, or something else trying to tell me something special (India, especially an area like this near Tibet, can do that to you sometimes).
As well as really enjoying my time at the café and in the restaurant I also had another couple of ideas, one large & one small. The small one was that I should send Jan a copy of the Times of India which I think she’d find interesting, especially some of the articles which refer to the Indian way of life.
The other idea occurred to me as I was reading the paper and saw job advertisements for English teachers and reports of shortages across the country. All of them (the big ones) need people with degrees but perhaps there is a shortage in this area and if I put on my flash clothes, took copies of my exam certificates they might find a job for me starting in September.
Some hope but the thought was very clear and made me feel even better, it added to the whole magical feeling of the day. At the time both these thoughts filled my mind and seemed so fresh, the small one will be easy (if I remember) but the large one I must enquire about.
After the meal I wandered back to the room where I arrived 8-30 p.m. intending to write reams about what a great day I’d had but other things intervened.
All of us in the room, it’s a good crowd, got chatting to each other and time went very quickly, even the Iranian managed to join in a little with his limited English. The others were the four Indians (very proper chaps but very nice with it), Dave the Australian ‘yogi’ (Tibetan Buddhist as I’ve found out since), Phil (the English guy) and myself.
At 10-30 p.m. Dave, Phil & I went out and smoked a joint of Phil’s Kerala grass (meant to be some of the best in India). It was excellent and topped the day off really incredibly. Unfortunately I felt so good and relaxed that I couldn’t write my diary (not incapable).
Phil & I have just smoked a chillum of Kashmiri hash oil & tobacco, beautiful smoke which went down like a dream and gave a really mellow high which suited my mood beautifully. With a big thunderstorm in the distance and later rain (which sounded like the crackling of fire to my stoned ears), Fred fell into a blissful, valium-induced sleep at 12-15 a.m.
Saturday June 13th
Woke up at 8-00 a.m. after a really good night’s sleep, feeling refreshed and ready for another enjoyable day (as it turned out to be).
Had some breakfast of fried eggs, brown bread and a couple of teas at 9-00 a.m. and then returned to the room for the morning. Everybody else had gone out somewhere so I had a couple of hours of peace & quiet to write, read and generally collect my thoughts.
Dissolved a couple of dexys under my tongue, they certainly work a lot more quickly. The weather was fairly normal with cloud cover and the occasional glimpse of sun.
I did a lot of thinking (or dreaming) about the ideas of yesterday and the clarity I’d felt about them for those couple of hours. The teaching idea was a cracker and made me realise how versatile job-wise I have been and also could be in the future
Letting my thoughts wander for a while I created a nice little dream, where I was teaching English, probably to secondary school children and learning some Hindi at the same time.
I let my daydream flow, being supplied here with a small house, teaching during the daytime, taking in the beautiful mountain air, going for treks and holidays to other parts of India in the long holidays (two weeks at Christmas & Easter and two months in the summer).
It would probably all be for a comparatively paltry salary and one couldn’t save much on it but in these surroundings (and in my present frame of mind) I don’t think that would matter. I might even be able to summon up enough energy and enthusiasm to get into writing again as I seem to be doing now.
The atmosphere seems conducive somehow to stimulating the mind and evolving new ideas, definitely something I need at the moment. The only drawback to that at the moment is that I’m starting to find the people around me so interesting again (maybe because my outlook is changing as well) that my writing urge is tempered by wanting to talk to other people.
That also leads to a greater desire to write about what I’m learning from others, which in turn leads to devoting a considerable time trying to record my thoughts. The only problem with that is there doesn’t seem enough time in the day to fit everything in. What a great way to be when you’re not even working.
At times like this I feel that I’m learning again, becoming open to new ideas, which is why travelling is so good. It exposes you to so many different views, ways of living, different experiences that one is bound by definition to become more open-minded and mature.
This trip is certainly proving to be my greatest ‘teacher’ although of course all my other ‘excursions’ have provided the foundations on which I can build. My next trip will hopefully be a further extension of the learning process although where it will all end for me personally, I have no real idea.
If I do return to Frankfurt to work, then hopefully I’ll be able to maintain some of the things I’ve learnt on this trip, putting them into practice and being more open, honest and ‘available’ to people (although I can already see that it will require a lot of strength).
About midday a group of us gathered in the dormitory; Phil, Dave, Irene, Gail (the Aussie girl) and got involved in a really interesting conversation touching on many subjects including the differences of concepts as seen both in the east and the west.
At 2-30 p.m. Dave & I walked down the hill and smoked a really nice joint which he’d rolled with a little hash he had left. He doesn’t smoke very much now but still enjoys an occasional blow.
Checked at the Post Office but there was still no news from either Rita or Kim & Geoff. I have no expectations of getting anything at the moment so if something arrives then it will be an unexpected surprise. I’ve stopped worrying about what Rita is planning or doing now. I feel that whatever happens will happen anyway, the ball is no longer in my court.
Dave & I then wandered around and walked down through the town and a short way down the hillside where we sat on a fence looking out over some beautiful tea plantations. We became quite a spectacle for the passing local people as we sat engrossed in conversation.
A lot of our ideas and concepts we found to be along similar lines. As he explained, Tibetan Buddhism and what he believes cannot be explained in normal western religious terms. The eastern concept of religion is something completely different and in western eyes would probably not even be classified as a religion as such, more a way of life.
We had a fascinating couple of hours discussing our ideas and the way we interpreted them as we walked through the winding streets of the town again and ended up at the little café I had frequented the day before. Unfortunately my little bench was piled high with wood chippings so we were forced to sit inside and carried on our discussion over some tea.
At 5-00 p.m. we started to make our way casually back up the hillside to the hostel where we again joined Phil, Irene and later the Indian guys + the Iranian who had been out on a day-trip. The conversation flourished again although I didn’t take an active part most of the time as I was trying to write my diary.
At 8-00 p.m. Phil, Dave & I had another blow of Kerala which was excellent, some of the best grass I’ve had in my life; very clean, mellow but with a nice upwards kick to it. Dave & I then went to the restaurant nearby and had another enthralling conversation over mo-mo’s (a Tibetan delicacy, steamed with pork), an omelette and tea.
We talked about my situation with Rita (he had a similar situation in the past) and gave me some very honest advice about what I should do. Even if a telegram arrives I should ignore it and disappear for my remaining 6-8 weeks here and forget about her.
Back at the hostel we all had a good laugh trying varying yoga positions which two of the Indian lads have practiced since childhood. My western muscles weren’t subtle or lithe enough to do any except the simplest exercises.
At 11-00 p.m., when the others were already resting, Phil & I went out for another joint before I returned to writing my diary by candlelight. Phil was restless and I seemed to be getting nowhere fast (although writing a lot) so at midnight he dug out a chillum from his case along with the remains of some Kashmiri hash oil which he made up for us.
We sat out on the balcony smoking which was another great experience although I still haven’t got the knack of smoking a chillum properly. The hash oil and tobacco mix went down so smoothly and gave off a beautiful hit and we just sat there for a while before going back inside.
Wrote my diary before lying in bed for a while, really mellowed out by the Kashmiri stuff, before drifting off into a pleasant semi-conscious state where everything seemed so surreal (there was a lot of electrical activity in the distance). From this state, at some point, I slipped completely into a really relaxed sleep.
Sunday June 14th
Woke up at 8-30 p.m. after a good night’s sleep and some really pleasant dreams although I couldn’t remember many details upon waking.
After a wash I got my thoughts together, got dressed and went to a restaurant for breakfast. I had fried eggs on brown bread and a couple of teas. Returned to the room and spent most of the day just writing, talking to some of the others and generally having a relaxing day.
A Sunday atmosphere seemed to prevail and although there was some beautiful sunshine earlier on, it clouded over and there was a lot of rain so that everyone took the chance for a good laze-about. There was one exception, Dave, always very decisive, packed his things and about midday said his farewells.
He is heading back to the monastery where he has been staying in Kathmandu as he wanted to get back especially for a big ceremony at the monastery to celebrate the new moon on the 17th.
Phil & I took a couple of tabs, one dexy and one daprisal each, which kept us going for most of the day although we also had a couple of smokes. We had a really enjoyable day with the four Indians, Phil and myself. Irene also popped in every so often to make tea but most of the time Gayle and her spent in their room.
I managed to get a lot of my diary written in between sundry interruptions, mostly from the Indians who are really nice (from Bombay) although very inquisitive and because of their upbringing quite naïve. They had a look at a lot of my stones and settings and also some of Phil’s work.
He spent a lot of the day trying to get some earrings made but was out of practice and probably because of the speed couldn’t handle all the delicate work involved. He has a lot of loose stones & moulds which he wants to make into a hundred pairs of earrings selling at R30 a pair.
The Indians were also interested in how I made joints (they have never smoked grass) so with them all seated around I separated out the sticks & seeds, cut up the heads finely with some tobacco and rolled up a joint for their entertainment (which I smoked later).
At 3-00 p.m. the Indians went back to bed for a siesta but I was still full of energy and managed to get my writing up to date.
Later in the afternoon I walked down to the town with instructions to buy a couple of things at the market. I smoked the joint I’d made on the way down the hill and had a nice buzz on by the time I reached the market at the lower end of town. I had a really enjoyable time wandering about the market area.
Bought a few things after a lot of searching around, including 100g loose tea for Irene, some cigarette papers and a couple of beautiful Tibetan greeting cards. It is Gayle’s birthday on the 15th (tomorrow) so I got the cards for us all to sign and hopefully give off some good vibes for her 31st birthday & 32nd year.
I wandered slowly back up the hill, along many dark alleys and unlit streets on the other side of the hillside before reaching the restaurant where I had a couple of lemon drinks and some mo-mo’s. I went back to the hostel and read for a while (feeling mentally exhausted from all the writing I’ve done here).
Later on Phil and I had a chillum made with some opium (although we were careful to keep well out of the way). I really enjoyed it, the first time I’ve smoked the stuff. We later joined the girls in their room and had a good laugh.
Phil & I then had another smoke, a joint with hash oil which again was very smooth and kicked me onto another level. Back in the room, the laughs continued and soon it was midnight, so we wished Gayle a happy birthday and I gave her the card which Irene and everybody in our dormitory had signed (including the Iranian who wrote most of his message in Persian).
Gayle seemed quite chuffed, although she says that birthdays don’t mean so much to her anymore. Getting on for 1-00 a.m. the girls went to bed. Phil & I went out for another blow (of Kerala) which really knocked the top of my head off.
Went to bed reeling a little but once I was lying down everything was beautiful and I lay there just letting my mind wander where it wanted to, feeling really good and at peace with myself. I was awake for a long time holding onto that feeling of peace & contentment before drifting off into a dreamy sleep.
Monday June 15th
Was awoken at 8-30 a.m. feeling a little heavy-eyed but still pretty good, my pupils were still like pin-heads.
Had breakfast at the nearby restaurant and also chatted to a German guy from Berlin who is staying there. I felt at ease with him and had quite a good conversation in German for the first time in ages. I ate a veg. omelette, two toasts and drank a couple of teas before returning to the room.
The Iranian guy left early this morning and is heading up to Kashmir. The four Indians have gone out for a trip and so Phil & I were left alone in the room although Irene popped in a couple of times making boiled eggs and also some tea (the stuff I got yesterday, very tasty).
It is now 12-30 p.m. and after a morning’s writing I’ve caught up with myself again and the diary is back to the present. It seems amazing that I’ve already been here a week. In a lot of ways so much has happened but time is simply flashing by. I have to renew my special permit as it expires today, hopefully I can get another two weeks here.
The rest of the day turned out to be a bit of a bummer and even though I had a smoke my good humour evaporated quite quickly. I walked down into town but noticed that my left side is giving me a lot of pain. I diagnosed it as a recurrence of what had happened to my right lung. My left one is now congested but hopefully it won’t involve going back to the doctors.
Checked at the Post Office and again there was nothing. There must be something really wrong somewhere along the line. I then went to the foreign registration office where I sat down at a desk and filled out a form. The guy checked my passport & wrote a separate permit but only for another week until Sun 21st.
I asked if there was any possibility of extending it beyond two weeks but he said that was only possible if I went to Calcutta to apply. This pissed me off a lot and although it was a beautiful sunny afternoon I felt pretty down (been taking too much speed lately).
Sat in a restaurant at the top of the hill trying to get my ideas together and analyse why I was suddenly so down again. The sun shone down as I drank a cool Limca but I still felt unhappy and there was that element of uncertainty again.
After that I walked for ages, along hillsides, through the market and also to the Tourist Bureau, who couldn’t help me very much about teaching. They suggested I go to some of the schools, especially a nearby Tibetan one and ask but I ended up not having the courage.
I bought another 10g. of grass which I spent two hours later on ‘refining’ (getting out all the sticks & seeds) and making into fifteen different joints. I also found myself back near the Post Office so I went to a restaurant for a snack, 2 teas, egg sandwich + egg & chips as I composed a telegram to Rita, it wasn’t easy.
Having decided on a suitable message I paid & went to the telegraph office where I had to fill out a form with the message & address all charged at R2 per word and takes 24-36 hours to arrive. The message read as follows: “Rita, was machts du, stop, antwort sofort an PR Darjeeling” (cost with the address R50).
I then headed back to the hostel where I read a paper I’d bought before setting out on the mammoth task of rolling up a few joints. I was watched by one of the Indian guys who was taking a really detached interest in what I was doing and we discussed a lot (with Phil as well) about drugs although the Indian guy has never tried it.
Had one joint at 8-00 p.m. but it wasn’t that good because of my chest (or rather lung) problem. I went to the restaurant where I had vegetable soup and a couple of hot lemons (no help at all) and also chatted for a while to a Danish girl who has been staying at a nearby monastery but leaves tomorrow.
When I got back to the room everyone had already crashed, so I sat writing my diary for a while and deciding whether to go straight to bed (as I feel a bit rough) or have a small pipeful of some opium mix we still have. The latter will probably win. It did. I went to sleep quite quickly, not feeling too bad, at 10-00 p.m.
Tuesday June 16th
Was woken at 6-45 a.m. by some of the Indian lads to look at the snow-capped mountains which were appearing above the clouds.
Felt rough after a disturbed night’s sleep and every time I coughed my left side was very painful. I had a quick look at the snow-capped peaks, especially at Kanchenjunga which is the most dominant mountain here at 28,156 ft. However, I was not in the mood to appreciate so much beauty and after a couple of minutes dived back into bed.
I stayed there until early afternoon, dozing most of the time with my left side giving me a lot of trouble, especially when I breathed deeply or coughed. Phil bought me a cup of tea which eased my chest (and maybe the congestion a little). I kept trying to convince myself the pain was in my mind but that didn’t make it go away.
About 1-30 p.m. I got out of bed and joined the two girls and Phil in the other room. The afternoon was quite entertaining and we all had a good laugh although it sometimes hurt. I found out that it is Irene’s birthday tomorrow, the 17th (apparently the Buddha’s and a Lama they know as well). It also happens to be full moon tomorrow night.
Later on Phil and I went out for a joint which was quite effective. There are some fascinating views around the two valleys today, sometimes looking like cotton-wool, other times steam and often just plain rainclouds. The whole day wasn’t particularly active, more like a Sunday, as I had a hot shower at 4-00 p.m. and afterwards did a little writing before joining the others again.
Gayle went down to town at 5-30 p.m. and we all went down later on to meet her, smoking a couple of joints on the way. Even Irene indulged for the first time in a while, it was good. After stopping off for tea & samosas on the path down we eventually got to a restaurant with windows overlooking the market area where we’d arranged to meet Gayle.
Irene and I had a bit of a laugh between ourselves listening to three German girls. Gayle eventually joined us and after paying our bill Phil took us to a restaurant of his choice at the bottom of town, pure vegetarian and as he said ‘really clean’ (no traces of meat having been cooked there or animal bodies hanging around).
We had an excellent meal which I enjoyed very much. It consisted of dahl, vegetables, chapattis & rice and we bought as much as we could eat. Because of the method of serving food the turnover of people was quite fast, almost a fast-food place (by Indian standards). After the meal we slowly made our way back up a winding path to the hostel.
We had a quiet evening in the girl’s room where we drank some tea and also some brain tonic Phil had bought. It was funny walking around with Phil in town (because of the way he is and the way he dresses) but I really like the guy now. He has a way of life which suits him and all four of us seem to get on with each other pretty well.
It had been a strange day. None of us had felt on top-form (even Phil) although towards the end of the evening we felt much better. The girls occupied themselves sewing & chatting. Phil & I had a couple of pipefuls of opium and later a joint with Irene to celebrate her birthday. We also got a card organised and Gayle had a couple of small presents which she gave to Irene.
I was tired and went to bed at 12-45 a.m. and drifted off fairly quickly into a pleasant sleep.
Wednesday June 17th
Was awoken at 8-30 a.m. by the Indians who were already bouncing around (they do go to bed a lot earlier).
Phil was already awake doing some work on his earrings and feeling a lot better. I also felt much better, both mentally and physically, with the pains in my chest much relieved (the congestion in my left lung seems to be shifting as quickly as the right did with all that medication).
Got up, had a wash and did some writing for a while. Also chatted to the Indians, the four of them who have been here a while; they are college students, therefore quite young (18 & 19), and have run out of things to do around Darjeeling. They complain they’ve seen everything and are just waiting to leave on Friday.
They’ve certainly seen all the local tourist attractions of which I’ve seen only a couple. The difference is perhaps that they are tourists and I’m just a traveller.
Weather outlook is pretty indifferent with a lot of cloud again. I will probably leave on Sunday when my permit finishes although I’ll see first if the girls manage to extend their permits beyond tomorrow. If Rita really wants to come to meet me here then I should get a telegram by the weekend, if not then I’ll simply assume the whole thing is off.
It’s amazing how an hour can make such a large difference in one’s thinking.
About 11-00 a.m. after writing a couple of postcards I headed downtown. It was very rainy and stayed so most of the day. I had a good chance to test my umbrella which proved to be waterproof enough to keep out the very heavy showers (must be associated with the monsoon weather which has now reached Calcutta).
I went first to the Post Office and after waiting in line for a while, got the necessary stamps and posted the cards. Also checked Post Restante and was pleasantly surprised to get a card from Kim & Geoff along with a telegram from Rita (hastily sent in response to mine of Monday or to the letter and card I don’t know).
Kim & Geoff, despite having booked their bus tickets & having their passports stamped for Darjeeling at the last minute got tickets to Delhi and have headed up to Kashmir, maybe we’ll meet up with them there.
Rita’s telegram was nice and straightforward; “Arrival 27-6, 5 a.m. Bombay – All my love, Rita.” I sat in a restaurant for a while reading over the card & telegram which had just decided my direction for most of the remaining time I have in India.
Ate some samosas and had a couple of teas as I mulled over what I must do now. Decisions have at last been made for me. I will leave here on Sunday or Monday and then have a choice of going to Calcutta which is a day’s travelling away either by train or bus.
From there I can reserve a berth to Bombay arriving on the morning of the 26th, arrange a room, go on speed for the night and head out to the airport in the evening to meet the flight in the early hours of the 27th.
Another alternative depends on when the two girls decide to leave, they are trying to extend their permits until the weekend and if we leave at the same time could travel together to Varanasi. From there Gayle also has to go to Bombay as she has some friends there.
After getting this news I don’t feel elated or depressed, just happy that there is now less uncertainty. How Rita & I will get on together on a different continent and after the experiences I’ve been through is a different matter.
I went back to the hostel at 12-30 p.m. with the rain still pouring down although the sun was also shining and steam was rising from the paths as it rained, quite a sight. Gayle was the only one there as Phil & Irene had gone out. We sat talking for ages until they came back at 3-00 p.m.
We were all planning to go to a monastery twenty minutes away by bus to see the Lama whose birthday it was today. Gayle had ordered a cake with his and Irene’s name written across it in icing. The last bus we could really catch to get to the monastery for a while, before returning at 6-30 p.m. (the last bus coming back) was at 4-00 p.m.
No-one seemed to get their act together very well although Irene and I managed to meet up shortly after 4-00 p.m. The other two didn’t get there until quarter of an hour later. Then the fun started. We got on a bus and had to stand but after ten minutes they were still trying to cram more people onto the bus.
Phil lost his cool a little as they (the bus lackies) tried to make us squeeze together even more. We stood our ground and refused, even getting some support from the locals. As it became obvious they weren’t going to drive off until we were crammed like sardines, not people, we acted (or rather I did, being nearest the entrance).
Got off the bus (with some difficulty) and the other three joined me. We started looking around for jeeps & taxis but they were either too expensive or only wanted to go all the way down to Siliguri. I decided to be positive, having lost any enthusiasm to go to the monastery and arranged to meet the others later.
Walked up the hill with the intention of getting a paper and sitting down for a cup of tea. I was still buzzing from a joint I’d had going down the hill to the bus station. It’s a ‘nice’ habit I’ve got into, every time I go down the hill into town there’s a winding path I take with not so many people and it always seems pretty cool to have a smoke.
On my way back up the hill I stopped for a while watching a couple of very skilled guys playing the local game (which I’d seen played in the Youth Hostel before). I got really enthralled and watched for ages before I saw the other three wander past and I caught up with them.
We went to the really flash restaurant ‘Glenary’s’ initially for afternoon coffee and to eat another cake to celebrate Irene’s birthday, a really delicious cherry one which Gayle had also arranged earlier on. We had a good laugh and later on also indulged in some beer.
I had a bottle of Sun lager and the girls had one between them. It was nicely chilled, tasty and gave me a nice buzz, most West Bengal beer seems to be pretty good. Gayle & I split the bill between us (R18 each), firstly because it was Irene’s birthday and secondly because Phil has arranged to cook us a super-vegetarian meal this evening.
Made our way slowly up to the hostel under the protection of our umbrellas and smoking another joint. It had been a strange day. Would the evening be even better with the influence of the full moon?
We got back to the girl’s room at 7-30 p.m. Phil started his cooking amidst short electricity cuts, on his small stove. Irene helped him by cutting up the vegetables. Gayle & I just lay around writing, reading and talking. I also arranged some music, borrowing a tape from one of the Indians, ‘Let it Be’ by the Beatles.
It was great to hear again and we also listened to some of the tapes the girls have, four of ‘folk songs’ from Nepal & the Himalayas which are surprisingly good with some really way-out sounds.
Phil & I had a couple of smokes of Kerala which were really good. The meal finally emerged, completed as the full moon poked through the heavy cloud cover at 11-00 p.m.
It was a really good meal; chapattis, a vegetable mix, rice & dahl with mangoes as after’s, well worth the wait. With the limited facilities Phil proved to be an excellent cook and I can see a little how involved it’s possible to become in pure vegetarian eating, although of course Phil’s ‘obsession’ is connected with Krishna & higher things.
He’s proved to be a magic guy; whatever his outward appearance and certain ’abnormalities’ are, fade into insignificance against that. Phil believes of course that all his power emanates from another source and so refused to take any credit for the cooking.
Shortly after midnight we had another blow which wiped me out. Irene has also been smoking a little today although Gayle doesn’t as a rule. Went to bed at 1-00 a.m. after another interesting day and a big one for me as far as arrangements for the rest of this trip go.
Thursday June 18th
I slept well but had some pretty strange dreams. Came to once during the night and heard the dogs all over town baying & barking at the moon. Woke up properly at 9-30 a.m. feeling a little subdued after yesterday’s excitement.
Phil was already up and trying to get some earrings made. Gayle had gone downtown already. Phil & Irene also went down later on but I sat at my writing desk all morning writing about yesterday and also trying to frame (or rather pen) letters to both Rita (to warn her what to expect) and my Mother (which I’ve wanted to write all week).
Physically I’m feeling a lot better although the weather is still pretty overcast. If anyone is expecting to see me brown as a berry on my return home they’re in for a surprise. At the moment I’m as white as a sheet.
It took ages to write the letter to Rita and I didn’t finish it until after 1-00 p.m. so Mother’s letter has been delayed a little longer. Basically I gave Rita some hints on what to expect in India (although that is difficult to express in words). I also asked her to try and come here with an open mind, both about India and about me. I’m sure she’s changed her attitudes in five months and I know I’m not the same person that left Frankfurt.
Walked downtown (it is literally downtown), posted the letter and wandered about stoned from the joint I’d had walking down. A lot of the market area was closed, either because of the rain or because it’s Thursday, no idea which.
Bought a newspaper and sat outside a restaurant near the bazaar, looking at everything happening around me. Ate a masala dosa and had a cup of tea. I also bought some pain-killing tablets as the nerve in my tooth is playing up again.
Went back to the hostel at 4-00 p.m. after an interesting afternoon’s wander. Had also spent ages watching the local board game being played, it really is very skilful and this time was getting serious with a couple of side bets going on.
After talking to the girls briefly I had a shower and sat writing for a while. Irene & Gayle are planning to leave on Sunday as they managed to get a short extension to their permits. I am not certain yet but will probably leave on Sunday or Monday.
At 6-30 p.m. I joined Phil, Gayle & Irene to try and lift my spirits a little. I had felt a little down again thinking of all that travelling ahead of me in the next week or so. We had a really enjoyable evening despite a little tension in the air (or so I felt).
Phil cooked another meal which he had started much earlier this time. During the evening, as the meal progressed, Phil & I had a couple of smokes which were excellent. The sky was almost cloudless and the clouds there were seemed to be silver because the moon so bright.
One could also see the snow-capped mountain tops which glistened under the glare of the moon. It was all incredibly beautiful and impossible to describe adequately.
We had the meal at 9-30 p.m. and it was delicious, the same basic ingredients as last night, but it seemed to taste so much better (perhaps the munchies had intensified the sensitivity of my taste buds). After washing the dishes and cleaning up we sat around chatting for a while before I went to bed at 11-00 p.m.
My tooth was giving me some pain still so Irene gave me a couple of Librium to knock me out. They gave me some pretty spacey feelings before I dropped off into a deep sleep.
Friday June 19th
Woke up really early this morning although I still missed the sunrise. The Indians were moving on today and all got up at 5-30 a.m.
It seemed such a beautiful cloudless day that I got up as well feeling really spritely & alive, it was a real spur of the moment thing, I nearly turned over and went back to sleep again. Having washed and dressed I got my camera and a film out knowing that I would use the film up this morning. Once I get a film in the camera it gets used up very quickly.
I took a few snaps from the hostel of the surrounding valleys and snow-capped peaks which were the clearest I’d ever seen them. One can use so many superlatives about the scenery but …..
At 6-15 a.m. I said goodbye to the young Indians from Bombay. The Japanese guy is also leaving for a day or two so that there will be only three of us left in this dorm, an Indian guy from Calcutta, Phil and myself.
Walked around, first along the hilltop to get snaps of the surrounding area and then down into the town to see people setting up their stalls, opening shops and on their way to work. Even at 7-00 a.m. the place was a hive of activity as the market slowly came to life.
I was snapping so many pictures that before I realised it there were only two photos left. I had intended saving them to get a picture of Phil, Irene & Gayle but things worked out slightly differently. I had just taken a photo of the mountains over the rooftops when a local guy asked to have a look at the camera which seems to be a novelty here.
It is a foldaway Kodak mini-instamatic which has always come in handy travelling although my use of it is very erratic. Before I knew it there were a whole crowd of local people gathered around looking at the camera, none of them could speak English but it was soon obvious that they would all consider it a privilege to have their photo taken. They formed themselves into a group and I got what I hope will be a great photo.
The great thing was that they were all thrilled being photographed and I was only too pleased to have the photo and without any hassles. Too often in Nepal I’d shied away from taking shots of people because they hassled for money too much. Here the attitude (at least in this instance) was completely different.
I think a place like Darjeeling, which has become immune to the intrusion of westerners because of the slow process of colonisation, is so different to a place like Nepal where progress and the influence of the west has all come too quickly, spoiling a lot of the locals and their customs.
About 7-30 a.m. the clouds started coming in from the east (my film was also finished) so I started to walk back to the hostel with an idea at the back of my mind to get some breakfast on the way. Then, lo and behold, to cap off a beautiful morning I ran into Mike & Chris, the Danish couple with whom I’d travelled from Kathmandu.
It was great seeing them again; they were also out early because it had been so lovely so I joined them in a search for breakfast. They felt good and were going for style. Glenary’s was closed so they took me up to the Oberoi Manor Everest (one of an extremely posh chain of hotels). It was a real experience.
We were shown through carpeted areas of extravagance, the reception area with its marble tables, up the carpeted stairway, along oak-panelled hallways, through an incredibly fancy restaurant, arriving finally in a beautiful breakfast room overlooking the valley.
The tables were perfect with white tablecloths and silver cutlery. I was tempted to lift a souvenir but as we were the first guests it would have been a little too obvious. We had a nice light breakfast consisting of a large silver pot of tea, endless toast & jam and Mike had a couple of boiled eggs. The service was impeccable and despite my comparatively scruffy clothes was served as a gentleman should be (well, almost). Had a very interesting chat during the meal about various things.
At the end of the meal Mike insisted on paying the bill which came to R44 because they still have a lot of money (they were intending to travel around Asia for longer but have decided to see some of Europe instead). We went our different ways a short way down the road and may well run into each other again, either here or in Europe.
I went back to the hostel at 8-45 a.m. My normal day wouldn’t even have started yet. Phil and Irene were still asleep and Gayle was out, although she returned shortly afterwards.
A young Japanese guy moved into the room and before I knew it had rolled a joint of hash and was offering me a smoke. I told him it was a little uncool in the hostel but helped him finish the joint anyway. Also saw the lump of beautifully soft Nepali hash he had. It was a great smoke and made the grass (even Kerala) pale by comparison.
It’s two weeks since I had a smoke of hash and it really blew me away, a fantastic feeling though. I got really stoned and never even got the writing done I’d intended to. Instead I lay on my bed, my mind having a ball of a time.
Must have dropped off to sleep for a while because Irene woke me at midday as they were making chapattis. They commented on how healthy I was looking (really pink they said) and also that I still looked stoned (which I was).
I had a sudden burst of energy and a great idea of something to do. I dashed down to town, bought a cassette and was back at the hostel within half-an-hour, so I must be getting fitter again. My idea had been to get some different music for the girl’s cassette recorder and I found the one shop that sold western tapes called ‘Das Studio’ (an Agfa based photo shop).
There were about ten different tapes to choose from including Donna Summer, Jefferson Starship and Emotional Rescue by the Stones. Eventually I got a tape called Man Machine by Kraftwerk which turned out to be an excellent choice.
Raced back up the hill with the tape (R35) and back to the hostel in record time and got there just as the last of the chapattis were being prepared. They were delicious with a tomato mixture and some garlic. The music was also appreciated.
After my mad rush into town (for the second time today) I am now sitting in the girl’s room writing my diary. The weather, after a cloudy morning, has turned really nice again for a while.
I have decided to book a bus ticket to Siliguri with the girls for Sunday. We can do that tomorrow as it is much better to reserve seats ahead of time (to avoid fracas like the one we got into the day before yesterday). Spent most of the afternoon in the girl’s room writing my diary, a letter to my Mother and a postcard to Bobby.
At various times Gayle, Phil & Irene all went downtown. I gave Phil R10 to buy some vegetables and he managed to get enough for two good meals for the four of us. He did the cooking again for the evening, with Irene helping out as well. He has proved to me that vegetarian eating doesn’t have to be boring. The meals we’ve had the last couple of evenings have been delicious.
We had the meal at 9-00 p.m. and were really lucky as the electricity went shortly afterwards and didn’t come back on until much later on. It was an excellent & satisfying meal of chapattis, a vegetable dahl with rice and a few cooked vegetables.
Afterwards Phil & I had a smoke. The night was beautifully clear again with the moon shining really brightly and the stars twinkling through the atmosphere. Everybody was tired, especially me after my early start today. I went to bed at 11-30 p.m.
Saturday June 20th
Phil woke me up at 4-30 a.m. to see the sunrise which was really spectacular and I went a little crazy taking a few photos. It was also very cold until the sun started to get up in the sky a little. The mountains looked incredibly powerful in the early morning light.
The other three were also up and about. Phil is going to take the girl’s room when they go and seems to have moved in already, he has slept there the last two nights. After watching the sunrise I went back to bed again, not having the energy to do what I’d been doing yesterday morning.
Slept well until after 10-00 a.m. Then after washing myself I washed some of my clothes, a pair of cotton trousers and some T-shirts for the heat of India which we’ll be going back to tomorrow afternoon. I hung out my washing (although it started to rain shortly afterwards) and hope that everything will be dry by this evening so I can get my packing done.
I sat at my desk writing for a while. Phil and I have both taken a couple of tabs of speed to liven up the day and Gayle will reserve a seat on the bus for me. We should leave tomorrow at midday and be in Siliguri by 4-00 p.m. in the afternoon. From there I can start making decisions as to which way I’ll head across to Bombay.
Around midday I went into the girl’s room where Phil was busy cooking plum jam. I tried some on bread and it was delicious. The speed then started taking effect and I had to be on the move. I headed down into town and had a smoke so that I was pretty smashed by the time I reached the Post Office.
I posted the diary to Jan, a postcard to Bobby and the letter to my Mother. I also checked Post Restante on the off-chance and found another telegram from Rita which must have arrived a couple of days ago. It just said, “Ankunft 27/6 5 a.m. Bombay OK”.
Rita had obviously assumed that I would reply but I hadn’t even considered it. I quickly worded a short confirmation which, because it included the address, still cost R30. The reply I sent was short and to the point, “Alles Klar, Danke, Fred”.
After all this excitement at the Post Office I headed down to the market under a full head of steam (read speed) and wandered about for ages losing direction all the time. Eventually I got what I wanted at a small stall, five black pens of the sort I’ve been using here. I also managed to find the stationery store and get a duplicate book & some more carbon paper.
The guy at the shop assumed I was a teacher and asked me where I taught. I said that I was travelling but would love to teach in the area, he gave me a couple of hints and suggested I should contact a few of the local schools. Most of the schools were closed (including the Tibetan one) but I managed to get an address to write to in Delhi.
After watching a snake charmer for a while, I bought a Times of India and went to a nearby restaurant where I could also watch the action in this street. The snake-charmer later joined me in the restaurant although keeping his eyes averted he avoided any contact.
I had three teas, two samosas and two biscuits before doing some more wandering about. Then I bought two tickets for a movie at the Rank Cinema hoping one of the others would come along with me. The film starts at 5-00 p.m. and is the old classic, ‘The Great Escape’.
Eventually I headed back up the hill (it gets shorter every time I walk up). Got back to the hostel at 3-30 p.m. and Gayle had booked our tickets for the bus tomorrow. They cost R10-60 each and we should arrive there at 4-30 p.m. Then the fun starts. I’ve had it easy the last couple of months as far as hassles go. They’ll probably be starting again soon.
Gayle agreed to go to the movies with me and before we knew it, it was time to go. We agreed to meet at the cinema as she wanted to buy a painting first from an Art Exhibition.
She got to the cinema as the film was well underway and I had to explain what had happened, which wasn’t easy. Before leaving the Youth Hostel I had a couple of blows of hash, a joint walking down the hill and along with the speed I got well into the film. Although a bit melodramatic at times it was still a great film.
The film was over all too quickly and after getting a cauliflower and some dahl we walked (at a brisk pace) up the hill and back to the hostel where we arrived at 8-30 p.m. Phil was able to start cooking, Irene is washing and cutting vegetables while Gayle & I are writing on the bed. That is exactly how we’ve been for the last three or four nights and it seemed right for our last evening in beautiful Darjeeling to be so again.
It’s now nearly 10-00 p.m. as we’ve just had another electricity cut (there was one in the cinema but they had their own generator). The scene has changed. I’m writing by candlelight and the cooking has ground to a halt for a while. Hopefully the cut won’t be for too long. After all that smoking I’ve really got the munchies, and bad.
Nobody has even thought of packing yet so it will be a mad rush tomorrow morning. I still have clothes drying on the line and correspondence all over my writing desk. I’m too out of it to bother this evening.
It’s hard to believe that this trip will be over in five or six weeks, I’m really starting to get into ‘places’ at the moment. Kashmir will be another, but also a different story, as I’ll be travelling with Rita and living off the last of my money.
At 11-15 p.m. we decided that the electricity wasn’t going to return for a while, so we had the rice & dahl which was still being kept warm in Phil’s porcelain pot. We ate it with some bread Irene had, which was really delicious although we missed the chapattis and vegetables. We are hoping that the electricity will be back on by tomorrow morning and we can have the chapattis for breakfast.
Left the other three (after chatting with Irene & Gayle until nearly 1-30 a.m.) and went off to bed. Irene gave me a couple of Librium to knock me out as I was still pretty speedy.
Sunday June 21st
Woke up at 7-30 a.m. to a really misty & rainy day. I rescued my clothes which were damp and hung them up on the clothes line Phil has erected in the other room. I also gave the others a shout in case they wanted to get up soon.
There was still no electricity so breakfast will have to be delayed and there was also no hot water for showers. I had a very exhilarating cold shower which really woke me up I started to get a few things organised for moving today. It will probably end up being a last-minute rush for all of us.
It is now 8-30 a.m. as I sit writing my diary for a while and planning to do my packing. It shouldn’t be too difficult although I seem to be accumulating more and more books (mostly copies of my diary).
At 9-15 a.m. I had a little breakfast with the others before getting down to some packing in earnest. The packing went quite well and I was finished by 11-00 a.m. when the electricity also went back on by some miracle, it had been off most of the time since yesterday evening.
Took my sheets & blankets downstairs to the deputy warden and paid him for my stay at the Youth Hostel, thirteen nights at R6 a night was only R78, incredible value. I then went back to the girl’s room which Phil was slowly taking over along with Dave, an Australian guy I’d known when I was first here who has just returned from ten days in Sikhim. They should make a good pair.
Phil’s a good laugh & can cook well while Dave is a good conversationalist and also has his cassette recorder with a varied selection of cassettes. Both of them enjoy smoking as well so they should have a whale of a time. As Phil made chapattis for breakfast all three of us guys had a smoke of the Kerala which was excellent and got us pretty well out of our heads.
What a great way to leave Darjeeling, on the crest of a wave (a grass wave that is). The deputy warden spoilt our little farewell party a little by coming into the room and asking Phil not to smoke in the hostel but he was quite pleasant about it.
We managed to consume a lot of chapattis before Irene made a move at 12-15 p.m. to get some bread from Glenary’s, the bus was due to leave at 12-40 p.m. The rest of us left five minutes later with Phil & Dave along to act as porters & guides (although I carried my own bag). We walked quickly down the hill and literally met the bus coming up the road.
Gayle & I dallied around for a couple of minutes getting our luggage organised and waiting for Irene who came rushing down the road at the last minute. We piled into the bus, said some hurried goodbyes to Phil & Dave as the bus sped off up the road, well almost. We crawled through the bazaar so that Phil & Dave kept up with the bus for quite a way.
I felt a bit sick at having to leave Darjeeling but maybe I’ll be back again one day. I was also still pretty stoned and after the last minute rush for the bus just sat in my seat really dazed.
We left Darjeeling eventually at just before 1-00 p.m. and made a stop for ‘ten minutes’ at 2-30 p.m. when we almost missed the bus again. The conductor came looking for us as they’d driven about 200 metres down the road before realising we weren’t there. Apart from that it was a pretty good journey.
We climbed from Darjeeling up to Ghoom which was in even thicker clouds, before starting our downward descent to the plains and the heat. As we descended the weather got noticeably warmer and the air quite close and humid. We reached New Jalpaiguri at 4-30 p.m. where, although the weather was hot, there was a cooling wind.
The reservation office was open until 5-00 p.m. so we were able to get some arrangements made although they weren’t all that satisfactory. By then I’d decided to go with the girls anyway although it would have been simpler to get the Darjeeling Mail (19-45) to Calcutta as I would have got a reserved seat (they have a special foreign tourist quota available).
On the train we wanted to catch, the 1-30 a.m. (tomorrow morning) to Maghal Sarai (10 kilometres from Varanasi), there is no quota available so we have been placed 16th, 17th & 18th on the waiting list for reservations. We are pretty confident of getting places on the train although we must also try to see the head ticket collector when he comes on duty at 9-30 p.m. to try and speed things along.
We had plenty of time to waste so we sat outside on a grass strip providing entertainment for the rickshaw-drivers and relaxing in the sunshine and cooling wind. We watched a nice sunset before moving inside the station as a thunderstorm started to break. It was by now 7-30 p.m. and time was passing quickly.
Went to the refreshment room to escape the elements, have something to eat and drink. Had a really nice Thali meal of rice with various vegetable curries and salad. We all sat around after the meal writing. I caught up on my diary, Irene wrote hers as well while Gayle wrote letters to kill time.
As long as we get on the train (ticket cost R50-45) then we should be in Maghal Sarai by 6-00 p.m. tomorrow evening. We must try and get our tickets extended to save money, Gayle & I to Bombay and Irene to Delhi (where they’ll meet up later).
Sat in the refreshment room for ages. Gayle left at 9-15 p.m. and five minutes later came back to tell us that the waiting rooms and corridors of the station were rapidly filling up. We paid our bill, completed our writing for the day and joined Gayle at 9-45 p.m. She had found a nice out of the way spot where we left all our luggage.
Gayle got out her sleeping bag and managed to get some sleep while Irene and I wandered around the station. At 11-30 p.m. Irene also lay down and rested. I sat on a nearby wall watching all the action and keeping an eye on the luggage as we were in quite a shady area. The girls slept well though and had at least some rest before the ordeal to come.
Went down to the platform at 1-15 a.m. where there were already a lot of people milling about waiting for the train’s arrival. The train arrived on time and after a lot of hassle as Gayle chased around after the ticket-collector trying to get some beds sorted out on the train. We didn’t have much success and everybody had to just board the train in a second class sleeping carriage where the military appeared to have taken over.
There were a lot of soldiers on their way to Delhi (from Assam a good 2 day journey). Most of them were littered all over the corridors. They hadn’t managed to get beds so our chances looked pretty slim. We eventually squeezed ourselves in although it was hard-going and my bag ended up pushed in above the wash-basin.
Irene managed to perch herself on the edge of a seat and get some sleep. Gayle & I spent most of the night standing up, continually having to move because people wanted to go to the toilet (especially at 5-00 a.m. when there was a long line of Indians waiting to brush their teeth). I had to move my bag then and perch it on my lap as there was water all over the floor.
It wasn’t a bad night though, I had quite a laugh with a couple of the soldiers and also got a lot of reading done. If I’d thought about it I would have bought some speed to make the going a little easier.
Monday June 22nd
At 5-45 a.m. we tried moving into the carriage and grabbing seats when the beds were lowered (the middle ones) leaving theoretically either an upper berth or a seat. We chose a section which had been wired off although at the time we didn’t know why.
Later found out it was reserved for a group of railway workers who had been especially assigned to this particular coach because it had been prone to breaking down. Two young lads with the group had been sleeping on the top berths and they were eventually kind enough to let us have places.
First though I was offered three seats in a Ladies Car for an extra R50 for all of us, which I promptly refused to pay on principle. As it worked out, after a lot of hassle we were able to sort something out. Irene sat down the bottom while Gayle & I took the top berths to try and get some sleep. I slept really well from 7-00 a.m. until nearly 11-30 a.m.
Gayle managed to sleep even longer. I then sat down at the bottom and later Irene managed to get some sleep as well so we all eventually got some rest. I spent most of the afternoon reading my book ‘Lifetide’. It is really good, written by a biologist who has some very interesting ideas about evolution and the way we’ve reached the way we are now.
I also had quite a laugh with the railway workers who turned out to be pretty friendly even though we’d caused them a lot of inconvenience. Most of them didn’t speak English but we were still able to communicate well.
Back on the plains the weather was humid but bearable because of a cooling breeze and an occasional shower. I read later that the monsoon weather has yet to hit Bombay and some of the northern areas, which are still suffering from a blistering heatwave.
On the whole the journey was pretty uneventful though and we reached our destination of Moghal Sarai a little late, shortly after 6-30 p.m. I sat on the platform, looking after the luggage, while Gayle and Irene went off for ages trying to get our tickets extended.
After a long time and a lot of hassle they eventually succeeded. Irene’s to Delhi cost another R20 and Gayle’s & mine to Bombay for another R50 each (also another 30 hr. journey).
As we also had to wait until the morning to get reservations (10-00 a.m.) we decided to try & get beds in the Retiring Rooms which are provided at the station. We enquired and were then shown to a small dormitory with four beds, three of which were free at R5 each.
In the meantime quite an interesting incident had taken place. I had been hassled a lot by small boy ‘beggars’ on the station as I looked after the luggage. On principle I gave them nothing but there was one old boy who (when the girls came back) I took up to the stall and bought him some chapattis & curry for R1.
He scampered along the platform really pleased with himself, a great sight which lifted me a little as well. The girls reckoned that he looked like Ghandi, it must have been his glasses and white hair.
After having a look around at the flooded areas from the monsoon weather we decided not to venture far and headed for the veggy restaurant on Platform 3. There we had a standard meal and a specially requested coffee for R6.
Afterwards we had a couple more coffees at the stall where they had been fetched from before, because they were so delicious, before returning to our luxury room for the night where there was an Indian businessman from Assam with his ‘boy’ (servant), who slept elsewhere.
Had a short chat with him before having a really nice and refreshing cold shower. I then sat around trying to write my diary and also chatted to the girls for a while. They’re both really nice and great people to travel with and we seem to fit in well together and seem to have our different talents. Mine is being polite and doing the more gentlemanly work. I read a little before we all went to sleep at 11-30 p.m.
Tuesday June 23rd
We were woken first of all by the guy in charge of the retiring rooms who awoke Gayle (I feigned sleep). She had to fill out a form and sign in my name because the booking had been made under Fear and I was still asleep and shouldn’t be woken, as Gayle told him.
He came in again at 7-30 a.m. and woke me to tell me off because Gayle had left the door slightly ajar and also because he wanted us out so he could lock up and go home. I told him we would be there at least another two hours to which he promptly jumped at the chance of extra money. I gave him R1 to get a couple of teas.
We had decided only to take a few essentials to Varanasi and leave most of our stuff at Moghul Sarai as we would be travelling from there. I decided to just take an extra T-shirt my toothbrush and some toothpaste. Put this in Gayle’s bag so I ended up walking away with just an umbrella while the girls both had bags.
First though we’d had to discuss the matter for ages with the left luggage clerk who wouldn’t take our bags at first because we had no locks on them. Eventually we persuaded him to do his job and he gave me a form (meaning that I had to be there & sign again to get our luggage back), which I filled out. They locked away our stuff which was quite an achievement, nothing compared with our next one though.
Gayle and Irene (mostly) spent nearly two hours rushing around getting approval stamps from non-existent ticket-collectors before being able to reserve anything. Irene managed to reserve a berth for her twelve-hour journey leaving on the evening of the 25th but Gayle and I only got on the waiting-list for our train which leaves on the morning of the 25th and which takes 30 hours.
There was a lot of monsoon-type weather around with heavy showers, high winds and very humid air. We were sweating like pigs by the time we’d finished rushing around getting stamps on the tickets and also going through the rigmarole of getting the left-luggage transferred into Irene’s name so she could pick up her backpack separately on Thursday evening.
We then walked to the ‘bus-station’ to get a bus to Varanasi. The streets were covered in water and when we eventually got the bus (and amazingly enough seats) for R1 each, my trousers were already covered in mud. There were a couple of young Indian guys who were very helpful, pointing out the sights along the way.
The journey took an hour and we were in Varanasi by 1-30 p.m. We then walked with one of the guys who had said he would walk with us to the centre of town. On the way though we were intercepted by many different people and eventually went with one young guy (Vicki) who took us to Shiva Lodge, a place nearby to the Ganges river.
Got there (really hot) shortly after 2-00 p.m. and decided to take a room just for a couple of nights. The rooms were quite simple with mats to sleep on the floor but cheap at only R8 for all of us per night. The lodge has a great view over the river and the high wind had a cooling effect even though our room later proved to be really hot.
There were also a French couple next door who have already been here a month and intend staying another three before going to Thailand. They have a room at the front of the small lodge and have decked it out quite simply but beautifully.
We were all thirsty so I popped out, winding my way through numerous alleyways past a lot of temples. Including all the small ones there are nearly 36000 in all in Varanasi which is the oldest city in India). I eventually got three drinks which I took back managing to find my way through the alleyways with no real problem.
Sat drinking these but we were still thirsty afterwards so after I’d smoked a joint (nice Nepali) we all went out to a small tea-shop that Vicki also happened to own and drank a really nice lassi and lots of tea. The three of us then went down to the River Ganges where we wandered about for ages.
I was out of my head after the smoke and really appreciated everything a lot more than on my last dash through the city. Having a different attitude made me capable of seeing a very different city and I wasn’t worried about being hassled and bothered by the beggars and even some real nutters.
Irene and I sat down in front of a temple by a small tea shop on the steps which led down into the Ganges. There were a lot of young boys swimming about and I felt tempted to join them to cleanse myself as well. The Ganges is meant to be one of the cleanest rivers in the world despite all the ashes & bodies that are thrown in there every day.
Gayle went off for an hour or so and we just sat talking and looking at everything going on around us. Afterwards she re-joined us and we walked off on what turned out to be a massive window-shopping expedition, which I really enjoyed because it was so nice being with the girls. It provided much more chances to have a laugh and joke with the stall keepers and the numerous kids around.
I was in a very nice mood and had a great time as we wandered through streets of shops and market alleyways. We were also shown to one of the three famous ghats by a young guy (who later turned out to be one of many silk designers). We looked over a site where they were burning about ten bodies at the time.
You don’t see much of the bodies except, it’s said, for the pelvis area of a woman and the chest of a man which don’t burn. There are some sorts of people whose bodies are not burnt, such as lepers, children and holy men who are thrown into the river in a sheet weighted by a stone.
It was all quite interesting and Irene even reckoned romantic although I didn’t feel too sure about that. At 8-00 p.m. pleading tiredness we were given directions on how to get back to the lodge and once in the general area we found a place to eat.
We had the set Thali meal which cost only R3-50. Irene was saying that a set meal in the south can sometimes be had for only R1-50. It was a very enjoyable meal although it did funny things to my stomach because it is was very spicy.
After the meal we headed back to the lodge where we arrived about 8-45 p.m. I spent the next hour or so having a smoke from a chillum with the French couple in their little ‘apartment’ and listened to some music, a cassette from Nektar and later on the one from Kraftwerk and another from Bob Marley.
Michelle (the French guy) confirmed a rumour that I’d first heard whilst trekking but never read for myself, that Bob Marley had died from throat cancer. Spent an enjoyable time smoking & listening to music both in their room and later on in our room.
I bought a good piece for R10 (I don’t want to carry any on the train to Bombay as searches are pretty regular) of which I smoked some later on and listened to the music through a door connecting our two rooms.
We all went to bed at 11-30 p.m. after I’d attempted to write my diary. I slept next to Irene which I must admit made me feel a little randy (after my long abstinence).
Wednesday June 24th
I didn’t wake up until 9-00 a.m. after a restless night’s sleep. Gayle had been out since 4-00 a.m. and left a note for Irene and I to that effect. Irene had slept the last three hours on a bench outside the room because it was cooler.
After having a smoke with Vikki and the French couple (Michelle & Chris) I went out with Irene. I was pretty smashed and everything looked set for another enjoyable day as it turned out to be. Irene was very good company and I also chewed a little gear which gave me a nice little lift later on as well.
First of all we went to a tea-stall. Sat in the shade as it was very hot without the wind which was only blowing a little during the morning. After three teas we wandered off down some of the many alleyways looking at various souvenir places along the way.
Irene bought a load of bangles, glass ones, which cost R5 for 12. I got a small bargain for R5 when I bought a couple of beautifully carved cigarette holders. They are really nice anyway and could make a nice couple of presents for people at home.
We wandered about for ages and Irene bought a really nice brass jug with a copper cup for R38 which was pretty good value considering the normal price was anywhere from R45 to R70 (she had been pricing them for a long time).
At 1-00 p.m. we were joined by quite a nice Indian guy who showed us around a couple of shops in which he obviously had an interest. He also bought us some tea and a leaf of betlenut bitters & tobacco which I chewed for a while, as the Indians often do.
The chew gave me a nice hit and although an Indian’s resistance is much higher I can now understand how some of them get really out of their heads. It also turns the gums & teeth of the chewer very red which looked strange when I first came to India but it is now one of those accepted things.
There are many things which I’ve probably never described which are a way of life in India and would now never occur to me as particularly different because I’m so used to them. The presence of beggars, cows & shit in the street is now the norm for me. It will take a lot of getting used to Europe after all this.
We first went into a small shop selling handicrafts. There we ended up sitting there for ages and I literally sold my shirt, well almost. Irene & I both bought a little marble box & incense holder (R5 for the pair). Our ‘friend’ also really liked my black ‘Granny’s’ T-shirt from Ibitha (which was too small anyway) so I swapped it for a really cool cream cotton shirt which normally cost R13.
I wasn’t worried and thought their comparative values were about equal. Irene thought that it was a bad deal although she changed her mind later on. After that we went to a silk and linen shop where we sat for ages looking at different cloths and drinking teas.
Left at 3-00 p.m. with the promise to return later on. We went back to the lodge after losing our way a couple of times and meeting the Indian guy again. After three-quarters of an hour we got back but there was no sign of Gayle yet. I had another smoke which put me back up there again but got rescued from another boost by Irene for which I was quite grateful.
Went for a lassi at a small street front shop and we met a guy from Newcastle who I’d met before in Darjeeling. He was out photographing and has managed to arrange an exhibition with the British consulate in Calcutta from August 10th although of course he doesn’t get paid for it.
Then Irene and I spent ages walking along the riverside seeing a lot of strange sights, people and temples. We ended up spending time there until sunset, watching some amazing things as people (or rather pilgrims & locals) bathed in the holy river. We heard of the amazing floods they have here in August/September which raise the level of the river by some forty or fifty metres. This completely submerges the waterfront and turns a lot of the town into a little Venice. Everybody turns to boats for a while.
We drank a few more teas, orange and a soda as our thirsts constantly needed attending to before having a meal of masala dosa, a lemon soda and a coffee. At 8-30 p.m. we went back to the lodge but there was still no sign of Gayle.
I made up four joints from my remaining gear, probably three for tonight and one for tomorrow. As I write this it is 11-45 p.m. and I’ve smoked two and the going’s getting heavy as I sit here writing sweating like a pig.
Gayle got back at 11-00 p.m. and has been relating her day’s experiences to us which largely involved trying to change a Swiss Franc T/Chq and having no cash. Also being chased by strange Indians and buying numerous things (scarves a plenty) so I’ll be carrying a little extra luggage on our trip to Bombay tomorrow.
I’ve had a sort of shower and am sitting around trying to write & get all the details of the day up to date before the hassles of the day ahead. We’re not going to get much sleep, it’s already nearly midnight and Gayle & I should be leaving at 4-30 a.m. in the morning.
I probably won’t get a chance to write on the train tomorrow so Thursday’s account may be a little shorter than today’s little epilogue although I haven’t included half of the day’s events because of the lack of time, apologies.
Thursday June 25th
Although I went to bed just after midnight I couldn’t sleep. Later Irene suggested we should all sleep on the roof as it would be cooler. I agreed and we moved all the bedding up onto the roof at 1-15 a.m.
It was great to be lying out in the open with a cool breeze fanning me and the tree above rustling in the wind. There were also many night sounds including the sound of bells from temples, people chanting and also shouting at each other across the rooftops. With all this going on and the effects of the smoke wearing off, I didn’t get to sleep until quite late.
We had borrowed an alarm clock off the French couple and we relied on that and the alarm on my watch to wake us up at 4-00 a.m. As it worked out, neither Gayle or I heard the alarms go off. Irene had heard one of them but assuming we had also heard she went back to sleep.
Gayle awoke at 4-30 a.m. and woke me & Irene up. Hurriedly we got everything together, had a wash and were on our way by 4-45 a.m. I smoked the last of my joints so that I wouldn’t be carrying anything with me on the train and got well out of my head.
This was fine as I sauntered along with the other two trying to find a tri-shaw that would take us to Mughal Sarai for a reasonable price. But that early in the morning it was very difficult and the most reasonable offer made was by the first guy which was much too high (R15).
If I had been on my own I probably would have taken that, but being with the two girls we had to have the ‘proper’ price which Gayle had found out was R3 each. We walked on, waking a couple of drivers up only to find that they wouldn’t go lower than R20 or even R25.
We walked for ages before eventually arriving at the square where buses departed to Mughal Sarai for R2-50 each. We jumped in saying hurried goodbyes to Irene who I’d really like to see again one day.
Eventually we got underway shortly after 5-30 a.m. I was already resigned to the fact that we had missed the 6-00 a.m. train and would have to catch a later one. However, we were reassured by some Indian businessmen in the mini-bus that the train wouldn’t leave until 6-30 a.m. and that we still had plenty of time to spare because the ride should only take half-an-hour.
True to their word we got to the station shortly after 6-00 a.m. and I rushed off to recover our bags before we had a hurried coffee on platform 4 where our train was due to leave from. Gayle made enquiries and discovered that we had moved to the head of the waiting-list for a berth, a good sign.
The train arrived at 6-20 a.m. and we were on board by the time it left twenty minutes later, thanks to the help of an Indian gentleman who proved to be really friendly and ended up helping us a lot. He was quite an extrovert for an Indian, a really big guy with suave moustache & flowing white shirt & trousers which made him look like an Arabian sheik.
When he spoke he sounded more like a jovial (coloured) Welshman who had somehow turned up to help us. As he said he always liked to aid travellers he met and his help was certainly much appreciated during the next three or four hours. He filled us in on some of the background to Indian ways as he saw it. This involved the basic principle of money making the world go round.
He tried to get us berths reserved through the ticket collector which he warned us could cost us R10 each on top of the reservation fee of R7. However, when the inspector eventually got round to dealing with us (giving Gayle a berth in the Ladies Compartment and me a top berth) he refused to take the extra ‘bribe’ money.
He jokingly said that it was the Indians’ dishonesty that led to this corruption so why should we as foreigners pay for it. A nice attitude although I also saw another collector later on refusing to take the ‘extra bucks’ from some Indian salesmen who also managed to get hold of some berths.
Our train is certainly not as crowded as I had expected and at least I have a place to sleep tonight. I was thinking of three nights without much sleep ending in the meeting of Rita.
The guy talked & talked which was sometimes a bit much, but he also helped us again at Allahabad (near to his own village) when soldiers boarded the train and, as I’d been warned by the French couple, searched us because we were foreigners. They went through Gayle’s handbag which I wasn’t worried about until she told me during the search, “Ich habe etwas”.
I stayed cool as they gave me a pretty thorough body search after finding nothing on Gayle. The soldier who carried out the search asked if I used morphine and even checked my arms for ‘user’s marks’. Our Indian friend complained in Hindi that we weren’t like that & he got quite annoyed at the heavy-handiness of the soldiers.
It was only later that I discovered Gayle was carrying a small amount of grass for a friend of Irene’s in Bombay. Our new found friend left us with many handshakes and farewells at a small station outside Allahabad. We thanked him for all his help (little did he know).
He also warned us to be careful with our luggage for the next couple of hours as we were passing through some dodgy areas. I also had to promise to visit his brother who is married to a German woman and lives in Eschersbach (near Frankfurt).
As I write this account it is 5-30 p.m. and we are sitting at one of the many stations along the way to Bombay for half-an-hour or so. We shared a dinner (R4) earlier on and have drunk numerous teas along with a couple of mangoes. Gayle had bought some bananas and I’ve done some reading.
We have also passed through some very interesting landscapes and a variety of weather patterns including very heavy monsoon rains which were turning large, normally barren & scrubby areas into giant lakes, quite spectacular.
There were also some exceptional cloud patterns which combined with flat-topped hills, small villages & differing peoples to make very interesting viewing from our window side seats. Gayle will move to the Ladies Compartment later when she wants to sleep.
It was a fairly uneventful evening although Gayle & I chatted for some time and found out more about each other. The Indian businessmen we were with seemed baffled by the apparent contradiction that I was travelling with Gayle and yet on my way to meet my girlfriend in Bombay.
I think they eventually concluded that I was some sort of playboy, little did they know that I had in reality become a monk.
At 8-30 p.m. I escorted Gayle with her luggage to the Ladies Compartment where she settled in for the night. I decided to call it a day as well as my arse was sore from sitting on the wooden bench all day and I was also very tired after getting so little sleep last night.
Went to sleep at 9-30 p.m. with my head on my bag (as a pillow) trying to get comfortable on the wooden berth which was my bed for the night.
Friday June 26th
Woke up several times during the night as I was uncomfortable but managed to get to sleep again fairly quickly. On the whole a pretty good night’s sleep.
At 6-30 a.m. I woke up again for a while but as I was on a top berth managed to stay there and get some more sleep. The weather was much cooler with a lot of rain beating down. Had some really funny dreams involving a lot of people close to me before being woken up by the ticket collector who wanted to check our ticket and even had the cheek to tell me (jokingly I think) that I shouldn’t be sleeping past 7-00 a.m.
It was 8-30 a.m. by then and the rain was coming down in buckets. We later discovered that Bombay was under the same raincloud (so to speak) as the monsoon proper was getting underway (nearly two weeks late).
Gayle re-joined me at 9-00 a.m. We had some tea & bread for our breakfast, read a little and chatted the rest of the journey away, arriving in Bombay only a few minutes late at 11-30 a.m. We arrived at Victoria Terminus (or VT as it is now commonly called) with rain still pouring down.
I never dreamt that the onset of the monsoon would be so dramatic & sudden.
As I sat with the luggage Gayle telephoned a friend, firstly to see if he had any advice on accommodation for Rita & I and secondly whether he would take us out for a meal. Neither idea came to much so we went to the enquiries desk and found out as much as possible from the guy there.
He advised her that there wasn’t much around the station of value but gave a few other possibilities: 1/. YMCA @ R40 per person 2/. YMCA International Club @ R50 per person 3/. Salvation Army hostel at R30 per person (these were supposedly the cheaper places and confirmed what I’d heard about Bombay being expensive for accommodation).
His other suggestion was to get to a bus to the Collabah area (near to India Gate & the seafront) where there were also some relatively inexpensive hotels, namely the Ashoka Carlton (where I eventually ended up), Diplomat and Imperial.
After a cup of coffee Gayle took her turn minding the luggage while I went in search of places near the station. The rain had stopped for a while although there was ample evidence that the monsoon had hit. I searched around for a little over half-an-hour but couldn’t find anything suitable.
Either a double room was too expensive (R80-R120) or the place was too dirty (R35-R45) and not appropriate for Rita’s introduction to India. Other places which could have been alright were full-up.
Returned to the station and told Gayle that I would try the Collabah area instead so we decided to go our different ways and I would phone her later to let her know where I was staying. As we were talking the rain started again and how. Within five minutes of the downpour starting water was flooding most of the station’s concourse area. We had to seek cover in a corner near the front of the building where we amused ourselves by using the weighing machine.
I was 64 Kg. (10 stone) as opposed to 68-70 Kg. when I left Germany. For five months travelling that’s not too considerable a weight loss although Rita is bound to notice the difference.
At 2-00 p.m. the rain lessened a little so Gayle decided to get a taxi and we went our separate ways. I tried to phone her later on in the day but it was either engaged or no-one answered.
Whilst escorting Gayle to a taxi under my Darjeeling umbrella I got in the way of a wooden sign which blew off its hinges and landed on my exposed right foot. Pretty painful at the time although it caused no significant damage.
I then sat around for half-an-hour talking to a young Indian guy employed in the navy who enthused about Prince Charles (who had visited his ship) and his forthcoming marriage. He also told me that the Queen had been shot a few days ago which I had difficulty believing as I’d heard nothing about it, must check with Rita.
At 2-30 p.m. with rain still pouring down I decided to paddle my way out to the bus stop. After a long wait a No.3 (double-decker & red) bus came along. I paid my fare of R0-75 for the journey to the Regal arena (near Gate of India) which took twenty minutes.
On arrival I went to a place called the Café Royal where I had a Masala omelette and chips + a lemon and hung around waiting for the rain to subside again. When the rain had reduced to a mere shower I set off again in search of the lost room.
I checked several places which were full before coming across the Carlton Hotel which lies behind the massive and impressive Taj Mahal Intercontinental. The price for a double room was R65 a night including breakfast which was fairly reasonable. The only concession I got was to pay R10 less for the first night than normal.
Left the hotel again at 4-30 p.m., firstly in search of a comb, secondly for info on how to get to the airport and thirdly, most importantly to get some drugs for the night ahead. In three hours I was only successful in proving my umbrella was pretty ‘monsoon-proof’ letting in very little water even in the heaviest downpours which were starting to flood some of the streets.
At times I was paddling around in ankle-high water, slipping and sliding about on my flip-flops. I got a comb, found out about a night bus which leaves from in front of the Taj Mahal hotel for R6 to the airport, although I couldn’t ascertain at what times they leave. Will go at 11-00 p.m. and hang around to find out.
My third task was in vain. The chemists in Bombay are much stricter than other parts of India and all I could get were headache tablets containing some codeine (I’ll have to drink a couple of coffees at the airport as well). Gayle has also given me the names of two guys who work alternate nights for Swissair. They may be able to help me a little.
Got back to the hotel at 7-30 p.m., had a shower, washed my cotton trousers & a shirt and then lay on my bed for a while feeling exhausted already. Did some reading and wrote my diary for ages before realising it was already 11-00 p.m. and I should be on my way.
Although Rita’s flight isn’t until 5-00 a.m. I would undoubtedly fall asleep if I stayed here. My next entry will be tomorrow, after Rita’s arrival (hopefully), so all the ‘drama’ of meeting her will included then.
I rushed out of my room and down the stairs at 11-10 p.m., gave a cigarette to one of the guys looking after the hotel and at the same time saw the bus go past. I met several guys who told me that these buses ran throughout the night, going every hour and a half.
In the meantime, they asked, did I want to smoke a chillum with them? I had to do the buying of course and gave them R15, R3 for each small ball of Kashmiri (which I hadn’t tried yet). We smoked all the gear between six of us, I got on well smoking from the chillum and really enjoyed the stoned feeling the Kashmiri gave me.
Left at 12-15 a.m. in good time for the next bus and went with one of the guys (still in rain with quite a high wind) to the place in front of the Taj hotel. We stood there for a while talking, having a laugh at the rich drunken tourists. The street boys here seem alright and although they try to involve you in business deals, they aren’t too pushy at all.
The rich Indians especially made me sick because their way of acting seemed so unnatural for this country. The foreigners were also a little nauseating but I’m used to seeing that sort of action from rich westerners not the Indians. I was to see more of the same sort of thing at the airport where the Indians travelling were obviously those with some standing and class.
The bus arrived at 12-30 a.m. so I said ‘au revoir’ to a couple of the lads and boarded the bus. We seemed to sit there for ages (because I was stoned and in a mood for observation) before leaving at 24-45 (as the timetable proudly proclaimed, the Indians must have invented the 25 hour clock). It was good going out to the airport with no luggage and no worries about catching a plane.
On the way to the airport I saw my first car crash in a long time. Two taxis had run into each other at a crossroads.
Saturday June 27th
Arrived at the airport (international) at 1-15 a.m. still quite out of my head but pleasantly so. I went first into the departure area where I had a cup of coffee (R2-50) at one of the small snack bars.
After that I wandered around the terminal for a while, from Departures to Arrivals to the Viewing Gallery but I couldn’t work out how I could get into the passenger’s area because of all the security guards around. I even went out of the building once, made enquiries at the only desk outside the passenger complex but couldn’t find out anything apart from the fact that Air India had no flight arriving at 5-00 a.m.
I then bought a ticket for R3 thinking that I could get in to see the different airlines but this only gained me entrance to the area I’d been wandering around before. Eventually I tracked down an airport official who was very sympathetic and told me simply to walk into the ‘passengers only’ area.
Got in without any problem although if I had been an Indian that might have been a different matter. I first went to the Swissair desk & enquired about Rattan Pavri (Gayle’s friend) who was unfortunately out of town. The young guy at the desk was very helpful though. He told me that there was a flight arriving in at 5-00 a.m. from Frankfurt and that the relevant airline was Lufthansa (I should have guessed).
Made my way past a lot of airline officials who I had quite a laugh with and up some winding stairs, along countless corridors before I eventually found the little Lufthansa office. Inside were four officials, very German looking Indians. The guy who aided me was extremely helpful informing me proudly that the flight had only been delayed by half-an-hour and that Rita was on board.
Now that I know for definite she was coming I started to get a little nervous hoping that things would go alright. Back in the departure lounge at 3-00 a.m. I bought a magazine called ‘India Today’ and sat reading for a while. However, the seats were uncomfortable and eventually I moved into the plush restaurant where I sat in comfort until nearly 5-00 a.m.
I was constantly watching the ‘arrivals screen’ for any news of flight LH694 arriving from Frankfurt and continuing to Singapore & Jakarta. Had a couple of drinks, a coke & two coffees along with a snack of masala hamburger & Russian salad sandwiches, which took the edge off my munchies. The bill came to R22-50 which was quite reasonable for an airport restaurant.
By this time I was feeling very tired, the effects of the smoke & headache tablets having worn off. I paced up and down the viewing gallery smoking cigarette after cigarette.
At 5-45 a.m. after having heard instructions for people to check in for the onward flight to Jakarta I went up to the Spectator’s Gallery and five minutes later saw the Lufthansa 747 landing. Back in the viewing gallery I waited another half-an-hour or so before seeing Rita (although she didn’t see me).
Ten minutes later she got her bag so I went downstairs to meet her after coming through customs. We met up and for the first half-an-hour or so were both quite distant and business like. I took her up to the bank where she changed US$50 (she has plenty in reserve for any emergencies).
Her flight had cost DM1800 return which was very reasonable, especially considering it was Lufthansa. The return flight goes on the 26th July at 1-20 a.m. so we’ll have a month together (unless anything goes drastically wrong of course).
We sat around for a while until at 7-00 a.m. we got a bus firstly to the National airport (R5 each) and then a taxi to the hotel (R12), only R2 more each than the bus due an hour later would have been). The journey in all took three-quarters of an hour through the squalid suburbs and into Bombay proper, which must have been a real eye-opener to Rita.
On the journey into town we opened up a little more and got chatting about various things, including the fact that a lot of letters have apparently gone astray or taken ages to reach their destinations. This included my last letter from Darjeeling which I posted nearly two weeks ago.
Back in the hotel room I outlined what I’d said about being open and honest with each other and basically seeing how things go. I also explained my reservations about going back to Frankfurt for a longer time and my plan to return to England for a month in August.
We lay chatting & getting acquainted again (although neither of us has changed so much) until 9-30 a.m. when both of us dropped off to sleep. I was really tired and feel we should just take it easy for a couple of days before moving on anywhere.
Slept well until 4-30 p.m. although I had some strange dreams during the afternoon. Rita had a shower, I wrote for ages and Rita wrote a letter to her parents (who she’d told only two days before coming). I phoned Gayle although she wasn’t in so I left the telephone number so she can ring back.
We chatted, drank tea and were generally lazy until quite late. The weather is still pretty monsoon-like, although it was beautiful this morning with the sun finding its way through the clouds. When it’s not raining the weather is really humid. Directly after the rains is best because it’s so cool.
It was nearly 9-00 p.m. before we got around to going for a meal. We went to a nearby restaurant where we had a mixture of rice and curry dishes, a couple of lassis and a cold drink each. Although quite a touristy place the bill for two people wasn’t too outrageous. Rita found the food really spicy and although I found it alright either that or some of the water I drank upset my stomach later on and most of Sunday.
We had a short walk around the market area near to the Gate of India before going back to the hotel at 10-15 p.m. Shortly after returning we were both soon asleep, still pretty tired from our respective travelling stints.
Sunday June 28th
Was awoken shortly after 9-00 a.m. by a guy from the hotel asking us if we wanted any breakfast. As this was included in the price I thought we might as well take advantage of the offer.
Quarter of an hour later he produced a couple of omelettes with cups of tea for us both. The omelette tasted pretty good but set my stomach off again. I had the first of several ‘rotten’ shits and my stomach was on edge all day although I did take some tablets Rita had bought along.
They were made by a German firm and consisted of ‘medizinische Kohle’ (medical coals) which seemed to do the trick of blocking me up anyway. After breakfast we sat around for a while talking about where we should go in the next four weeks.
Rita has a small guidebook on India which had given her a few ideas. We eventually decided on what to do. Firstly try and get reservations on the train to Jammu (Kashmir, 36 hours journey) but also make a stopover in Delhi for two or three days.
With a rough idea of what we wanted to do we set out for Central station at 11-00 a.m. The weather was hot and the sun even managed to break through a little, although later on there were a few more heavy showers.
We caught a No. 70 bus to the station (50 paise each) and had an interesting twenty minute ride before getting there. Because the buses here are double-deckers and Bombay is quite a neat-looking city it felt a little as though we were travelling in London.
Arrived at the station about 11-30 a.m. and walked around trying to decipher various timetables, notices and the words of the enquiries man. It soon became obvious that everything was fully booked and that by ourselves we wouldn’t be able to reserve anything to Kashmir until at least July 7th.
Luckily we ran into a guy working at the station who for a few ‘extra bucks’ was willing to help us get a reservation for the next day. We sat in the cafeteria as he did all the running about for us. The guy’s name was Hari and he proved extremely helpful to us, getting tickets all the way to Jammu (changing at Delhi where we can stopover for up to a week).
For this we gave him an extra R30 and felt it was worth the money simply to get on the train. The basic cost of the ticket (including reservations to Delhi) was R92 each so an extra R15 didn’t make so much difference. Hari later explained (amidst many other stories) that this was a good way to boost his normally meagre income of only R350 a month.
After a couple of teas and a soda each we left Hari at 1-00 p.m. arranging to meet him tomorrow at 11-00 a.m. so he can give us our seat numbers (I already have the tickets) for the train, which is an additional one laid on for the summer rush, and leaves at 11-55 a.m.
I have a feeling it will be a long journey as the train stops at most stations along the way and we probably won’t arrive until late Tuesday evening which makes it a longer journey than the one from Varanasi. Oh, well at least we’re on our way north.
After arranging the tickets we went back to the hotel to consult my little bus book (a good buy for only 80 paise) and decide what we could do for the afternoon. We went out again at 2-30 p.m. having decided to catch a No. 133 which took us on a tour of parts of the city (R0-70 each).
The journey lasted half-an-hour and we also bore the brunt of the first storm of the afternoon from under cover, on the top deck of the red double-decker. We alighted near to the Hanging Gardens, which we then walked to.
They consisted of a series of gardens with platforms like barbeque ‘tables’. On these are laid dead bodies which are left out in the open for the vultures who pick the flesh clean leaving only the bones which are then disposed of somehow. There are certainly some weird ways of getting rid of bodies in this strange yet wonderful country.
We walked around for a while in the gardens which were not as morbid as one might think, before going for a couple of teas in a nearby restaurant and avoiding another heavy storm.
At 4-00 p.m. we started walking along the beach where amazingly enough, despite the rain, there were many people swimming and sitting around talking. After a while more black clouds rolled in and everybody ran for shelter. We headed for a group of stalls under cover for protection and watched the heavens open and the rain pouring down solidly around us.
For a while we were pestered by a group of what I’d call ‘professional’ beggars. My persistency in refusing to give anything eventually paid off and they left us alone. Most of them were children who had been trained by their parents to beg or mothers with young babies. They were all basically well enough with comparatively good clothes, obviously getting enough food and some of them were even wearing rings & bangles of some value.
The storm lasted for ages and eventually we decided to make a break for it. We caught a bus although having no idea where it went and paid R0-30 each to the last stop. A lot of the streets were flooded because of drain blockages caused by the sudden downpour and we joined many of the locals by paddling our way from where the bus dropped us to catch another one.
Our next bus was a single-decker and this time we paid R1-40 each to the last stop which took us over an hour to reach. We eventually alighted in a suburb to the north of Bombay called Chambur. Once there we walked around for a while through an obviously well-to-do area (Bombay seems quite a rich city, comparatively).
After a cup of tea we caught another bus which took us back into the city proper amidst some more showers. We didn’t get back to the hotel area until after 8-00 p.m. Once there we went for a meal in the Café Royal.Rita had a masala omelette and chips while I had some toasted egg and tomato sandwiches, which my stomach found a little more digestible.
Got back to the hotel shortly before 9-00 p.m., sat around chatting with Rita for a while and then had a shower. Lay writing my diary for ages and wrote a short note to Jan before packing the next section in preparation to sending it off (hopefully tomorrow).
Went to bed at 12-30 p.m., not looking forward to tomorrow’s train journey.
Monday June 29th
I woke up first at 8-30 a.m. after a restless night’s sleep with some strange dreams. My subconscious seems to have been more active since Rita’s arrival.
We had some breakfast although I only ate bread and drank tea (as well as another four ‘coal’ tablets) as my stomach was still playing up a lot. The weather was pretty rainy again so we decided against trying to reach the post office as it was too far away and will post our various letters on arrival in Delhi.
I have also written a card to Calcutta to have my mail from there re-directed to Srinagar. It’s unlikely but possible that post could end up going from Malaysia via Nepal, Calcutta and ending up in Srinagar.
After paying the bill we left the hotel at 10-15 a.m. The bill for three nights came to R185 of which I’d already paid R100 in advance. We waited around for twenty minutes before the No. 70 bus arrived and everybody piled on. The journey took longer than we’d expected, because of all the traffic around on a Monday morning so that we didn’t get to the Central station until 11-20 a.m.
We met Hari alright though and he confirmed our seat reservation numbers for us before showing us personally to the train. He had also got tickets for a couple of Polish guys so business seems to be going well for him at the moment. Hari showed us to our carriage and the two seats allocated to us which are next to each other across the aisle.
As there didn’t seem to be so many people on the train Rita took the seat opposite me (which forms part of my bed). We had a coke each before the train set off on time at 11-55 a.m.
For Rita this smooth-running electric train with only reserved seats seems to be a pleasant introduction to Indian Railways (better than mine anyway). I am writing this entry at nearly 6-00 p.m. after a pretty smooth journey so far. The seats are padded, not too uncomfortable and within another three hours we should be able to get some sleep.
Rita has spent most of the afternoon reading, doing crossword puzzles and dozing while I’ve been writing and reading (an Agatha Christie book called Destination Unknown). The countryside has been quite interesting with many small hillocks, although the towns are pretty far apart and mostly industrial.
As we moved away from the coast the scenery changed and the hills soon levelled out as we coasted over the plains which seem very fertile, helped by five or six large rivers flowing out towards the coast. There was evidence of some rain and the sky was very cloudy but we were spared any more battering’s from the rain.
On the whole though the journey is proving quite uneventful although of course we can’t be sure yet how long the trip will last. Hopefully Hari was right when he said it would only last 26 hours, although according to the timetable for this ‘summer special’ we shouldn’t arrive in Delhi until late tomorrow evening.
At 7-00 p.m. we passed through a large-looking town called Vadodara and sat there for a while. It is the first place we’ve passed through since leaving Bombay which looks anything like a large town. It is obviously some kind of junction as the tracks crossed a short while ago and there is also a large bus station nearby.
Rita seems to be enjoying the journey so far as it is obviously a whole new experience to her. To me it is now just a rather tiring, boring but cheap way of getting around the country. So far I haven’t seen any evidence of meals being served, which I’d somehow expected.
Although I’m quite hungry it’s probably better for my stomach if I only drink tea and eat peanuts for a while anyway (as I’ve been doing this afternoon). The rest of the evening I spent reading and by 10-00 p.m. I had finished the book which had been quite good.
We went to bed at 10-15 p.m. and after being disturbed several times (my berth was right by the aisle) I eventually managed to get some sleep.
Tuesday June 30th
My night’s sleep was disturbed by many outside influences; rain coming in through the window, people knocking me with their bags getting on and off the train, the noises made at various stations along the way. All this led to another night of strange (although not disturbing) dreams. If only I could capture some of them or even remember them in some detail.
I woke up at 7-30 a.m. feeling a little groggy but otherwise alright. My stomach, although empty, is much more settled this morning. The train is still making its way laboriously across the plains of north-western India, which seem to be sparsely populated due to the aridity of the landscape.
The area is mostly scrubland although attempts are being made to cultivate some small plots of land. There are a few hills in the background which seem strangely green and bright in contrast, because of the tree cover which protects their soil.
As I write it is 9-00 a.m. and the train has ground to a halt in the middle of nowhere, Rita is still asleep and the only observers are a few beautifully coloured peacocks (one of which is sitting on a milestone ten yards away from where I’m sitting, preening himself, oblivious to the numerous people nearby).
This halt is turning into an extended one and any hopes I had of arriving in Delhi early this afternoon seem to be fading. I just hope we don’t arrive too late this evening as Rita wanted to have a special meal to celebrate her last official day at Klimsch, the firm she has worked at for nearly thirteen years.
She said that her decision to come to India for a holiday reinforced her resolve and was the thing that finally helped her make the big break. From August she will be doing a Business English course sponsored by the Arbeitsamt who will pay all her costs (DM800 every three months) and also 60% of her net wage.
I’m really glad she finally made the break anyway. Thirteen years is a long time for anyone to work at one place and can only lead to a loss of perspective in life which in turn leads to narrow-mindedness of purpose. Hopefully this trip will also help Rita realise that there is more to life than just working.
It is now fast approaching 9-30 a.m. and the train seems to have become a permanent structure with people, or rather many of the passengers now disgorged along either side of the train as the problem (whatever it is) is being sorted out. Rita sleeps on through all this activity showing how adaptable to situations she can be when she really tries (or rather doesn’t try, sleeping is a natural thing).
Eventually they sent another diesel engine along to haul us back to the nearest station, a small place called Amli, a couple of miles back along the line. Apparently the other engine had broken down and we definitely won’t reach Delhi until this evening.
At the station they did a little shunting around and attached the new engine to the front of the train so that we should get underway again fairly soon. It is now 10-15 a.m. Rita woke up briefly but is now sound asleep again. She said that she hadn’t got to sleep until after 2-00 a.m. but has been sleeping soundly ever since, despite all the commotion going on.
As I write now the train has just started moving in the right direction again so hopefully nothing else will go wrong between here and Delhi. It’s all been another great experience provided for our entertainment by Indian Railways (North-west division), there’s certainly never a dull moment.
We passed through some really interesting countryside varying from desert areas with a lot of erosion to populated areas which were under cultivation with herds of goats and cows wandering about. There is certainly plenty of cultivable land available if the locals are willing to irrigate and use the availability of land in such large quantities.
At midday we pulled into the station of Gangapur City where we stopped for half-an-hour. Rita had by then woken up again and we had a refreshing mug of tea between us. I have also ordered a couple of vegetarian meals for us both which will be most welcome when it arrives (probably in a couple of hours).
The afternoon passed fairly quickly and it soon became obvious that as long as nothing more went wrong we would be in Delhi by early evening. Our lunch arrived at 2-00 p.m. and I dug into mine as I was really hungry. It consisted of rice, chapattis, a couple of vegetable curries and dahl + a small cup of curd for both of us.
Rita came and sat down while I took the berth so I could get a little more sleep. When I woke again at 5-30 p.m. we were only twenty kilometres from Delhi and the rain was bucketing down. Found out later that the monsoon had only reached here yesterday. I seem to have heard that somewhere before; it was the same in Varanasi and Bombay, hopefully the weather will be sunnier in Kashmir.
We arrived in a place called Nizamuddin at 6-15 p.m. and were soon on a local train which took us to New Delhi itself, arriving there at 6-45 p.m. I then took our tickets to the ticket collector who signed the back of them acknowledging that we were stopping over here. Hopefully that will be enough when we try to make reservations to Jammu.
After rebuffing a couple of touts we followed another who took us about ten minutes’ walk away to a place called ‘Tourist Lodge’ which looked quite nice. I was shown a couple of rooms before deciding on one situated at the top of the building with attached toilet and shower which cost R50 a night. The guy wouldn’t budge from this price although I tried hard to bargain.
We’ll probably stay here at least three nights before heading up to Kashmir on Friday or Saturday. Tomorrow we’ll try and get our air tickets organised, berths on a train to Jammu reserved and visit the Post Office to get our letters posted.
Rita took a quick shower before we went out again, which we did at 8-15 p.m. We went to the bazaar area near to the railway station and I showed Rita around some of the market areas, although a lot of the shops were already closing. After wandering around for a while through the main streets of the bazaar we stopped off firstly for an apple juice, which was really delicious.
Then went into a restaurant which was playing quite a good selection of music including the ‘new’ Police L.P. which I hadn’t heard for ages. Rita wasn’t hungry so she had a lime juice soda and a lassi while I ate vegetable fried rice. We also had quite a discussion which became a little heated at times.
Both of us are still very obstinate and although I’ve said we should be open and honest with one another there are still some things that Rita especially finds difficult to talk about. We both agreed on one thing though, that our time here together in India won’t be wasted and that it provides both of us with a chance to sort a few things out before I return to Frankfurt again.
We returned to the hotel at 10-30 p.m. I had a shower which was extremely refreshing before sitting down to write for a while and re-pack the diary (which I’d been unable to get posted in Bombay). Rita also sat and wrote a little diary of her own which she has just started.
Went to bed shortly after midnight.