Hotel Sinclairs Darjeeling

... that I probably won't put any pictures from the Annapurna basecamp online until I get home. Oh well, that's just part of the fun of using strange computers in strange places...<br><br>Tomorrow I hope to catch a night train to Kolkata (Calcutta). I'm on the passenger-waiting list so we'll see what happens. I may have to thumb a ride.<br>

... day here!!. This train must have zig zagged about through just about the whole of India and seemed never ending..but there was some breathtaking scenery. I also love it at the stations when all the hawkers jump aboard (and off at the next station) shouting out their wares and sell you everyting through the window, fruit, curries, chai ... you name it!!. you also get the beggars puting their hands in for money, I saw so many small kids on the tracks collecting rubbish ...

... day of training. After a few, a young chap came and slid into our booth and introduced himself. His English wasn't great so the conversation was a bit stilted, but we are used to having people want to talk with us to practice their English. It can be quite fun. Anyway, after about 10 minutes of poor quality chat, he asked me to buy him a beer. It was a bit weird as he had basically invited himself over and we ...

... year old poor girl begging for money. A man who I met in Bodhgaya who is from Romania and has been in India for a while was telling me how the beauty of India is that it forces you to meet yourself. You can't escape from the fact that you really are furious at the poor people, and that you really do feel guilty about all the advantages you have in life, and that your **** doesn't disappear when its flushed down a toilet because it sits there on the streets. I feel ...

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... and they wander the streets garbed in their respective cultural dress. We had the treat of watching a Gorkaland strike, with thousands of locals parading by, singing and dancing. The Gorkaland movement is one of many independence movements in India. The people of this region believe (and are probably correct in believing) that they are sufficiently different from the rest of the population that they deserve their own state ...

... After the 14 hour bus ride, it was a piece of cake!! Of course we had the blaring music but when he heard me yelling over the sound to talk to Gabe , i think he got the hint! The town, so far, still has its fair share of trash and you'll look over the mountain and tons of trash will have been dumped. Saw water buffalo and monkeys along with the cows of course. But it is such a sensory relief to be around some greenery.. Huge palm fronds, bananna trees, tons of bamboo ...

... Yongda all'improvviso è uscito dalla sua immobilità, come se le mie parole gli fossero arrivate in ritardo, ed ha iniziato a discorrere. E per me e Lenka le due ore successive sono state una scoperta, un racconto interessante. "Allora, non conoscete neppure i cinque veleni? No? Bene." Ed è da questo argomento che ha pazientemente iniziato. Quel giorno, era attorno alla metà del nostro soggiorno in Sikkim, durato due settimane. Un minuscolo stato dell ...

... are about 6 compartments, separated only by a half-wall. One side of the aisle has 2 berths, an upper and a lower, the lower converting from 2 seats into a bed. On the larger other side of the aisle there are 6 berths, 3 on each side. The middle beds fold down and hang on chains from the top one. Like this: Bring your own bedding! But it's all part of the experience! The experience got even more intense as everyone went to bed. I was ...

... had been impressive town square, is now centered by gaping hole. Weeds, garbage are focus now, where perhaps a statue honoring tea workers could stand. Nepal, a country of smiling, hard working, people and stunning vistas. Those vertical vistas make hydropower seem a natural to an engineer, Will Nepal become a shining example of green power in the future? I will need to return to Nepal in coming years, hoping to see that progress.