Half a World Away

Trip Start Dec 04, 2005
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35
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Trip End Jun 16, 2006


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Saturday, April 29, 2006

M: We left the delightful cool of Darjeeling to head to the further cool of Pelling. Our new friend Tricia traveled with us in the miraculously not too full jeep along very curvy roads with beautiful vistas. We spent the first evening walking around the incredibly small town of Pelling, eating momos and hanging out. The next day, we walked to another monastery. Again, the Tibetan influence wreathed the exterior in fading prayer flags and brilliant colors of paint while the inside held sculptures of various gods, murals, prayer wheels and a very interesting (and HUGE) sculpture, whose meaning was not entirely clear to any of us. It was a gorgeous day - not too hot, but warm enough in the sun. Until we got back to the hotel and the sky turned gray. When the rain came, it was torrential. We stayed inside, ate our mixed pakora and stuffed paratha, read, played backgammon, etc. That night, as it continued to get colder, the three of us had a slumber party in our room. We watched Spiderman and had Indian snack foods - it was fantastic Another Great View of the Himalayas
Another Great View of the Himalayas
 .

The next morning, we were able to see the mountains. They were incredible. Snow-capped and gigantic against the bluest sky. We decided to move on from Pelling to Gangtok, the capital of the state and, apparently, a more bustling location. Again, we drove along beautiful roads and past scores of small children in uniforms going to school. I know the arguments against school uniforms, but if you saw these kids in their little outfits, you might change your mind too. And actually, this brings up another point: Darjeeling and Sikkim were some of the most diverse places I've ever been. People come from such different backgrounds - Tibetan, Indian, Nepal - that it clearly reflected in the population. I had no idea and was a bit bowled over by the beauty of it all.

In Gangtok, we went to a disappointing orchid exhibition (J: And when she says disappointing she means lame as it was all these cut flowers, most of which were dying, in not actual vases), explored the town, had delicious daal and vegetable jalfrezi (VERY different than at home). The second day there Jessie and I went to a monastery on the top of a hill early in the morning. We were rewarded for our efforts by getting to see the very smallest M.I.T.s (monks in training or novices) starting their school day Door to Rumtek Monastery
Door to Rumtek Monastery
 . Clustered into small spaces, they were chanting call and response style the prayers written on chalkboards with one little one in the front point to each bit that was then recited. (J: Honestly, I am not sure this could have been much cuter. Plus there were grown-up monks visiting too and they were obviously completely taken as well, getting their photos taken with the M.I.T.s and video taping the school lessons. Too much.)

Tricia, Jessie and I took in one final monastery at Rumtek (a drive away). Very large with a college of sorts attached, this one was also impressive in its murals and colors. The view was also beautiful. It's hard to beat the clarity and beauty of the mountain region. That night was another delicious dinner of stuffed naan, a different kind of daal, a paneer curry and a mixed vegetable curry. Have we mentioned how much we love the food here?! The next morning we took a VERY early taxi to the airport to fly to Delhi to gleckel on...
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