sorry, it's been forever...

Erin and I are in Darjeeling, where it is freaking cold! Well I guess it's only like 40 something degrees, but people leave the windows open like it is the middle of summer. Most buildings are without heat and a hot shower is a things to come across. In Pelling we had to order hot water by the buckets, only available in the morning or before dark in the evening (5pm)...so we opted not to shower at all...at least we stayed moderately warm.

Anyways, Tomorrow we are planning to get up around 330AM to catch a jeep out to Tiger Hill, about 11km from Darjeeling town....to watch the sun come up over the mountains. It's been a bit foggy/cloudy, today we didn't have a very clear view but on our drive in Kanjengdzonga (I have no Idea how to spell it) was clear as crystal. It was seriously unreal, almost like a backdrop of a movie set or something. It's the third highest peak in the world and a pretty holy place to the people of Darjeeling and Sikkim. From Tiger Hill we are supposed to get an incredible view of the Himalayas. I guess Mount Everest is even supposed to be a speck on the horizon..so we're hoping for clear skies...

Sikkim was an amazing place. It was so relaxing after four months of Kolkata, we were in dear need of a break from the city life. It was quite, clean, and the freshest air I think I may have ever breathed, it is just a really chill place. People were friendly and unintrusive, and we had heavy blankets and a great hot shower in our hotel in Gangtok, the capital of the state of Sikkim. Apparently Sikkim is the capital of Eco-tourism, I am not sure exactly what that means, but stores are prohibited from giving out plastic bags and there were signs all over warning of serious fines and even jail time for dumping. It's almost like a different world from the streets of Kolkata.

We met up with a friend Dan (another IPSL Student) in Gangtok, after our overnight train out of Kolkata. We were actual;ly sitting at a cafe, hanging out and drinking some tea when he came up an put his hand on my back. It was great to see him, and we were a bit worried we weren't going to find each other, but it worked out spectacularly...I guess that's traveling in Sikkim for you. The three of us hiked up a hill together just above Gangtok town. An approximate 6100ft hill, to a little viewstation called Ganesh Tok. It was abit cloudy, but the mountains (the Khangendzonga massif) seemed to be trying to poke its head out, so we were able to see a few peaks. After some soul and body warming momos (dumplings with a spicy garlic sauce) and tea we walked through a zoo/park area with red padas, snow leopards and I think my favorite a Himalayan black bear, who looked like he was doing yoga. We walked around a corner and he was just sitting, looking up at us holdinmg his feet out in front of him by his paws. He had small round ears and a white stripe around his neck, which made him look almost like he was wearing a necklace. It was a pretty hilarious sight. I don't think I've ever seen an animal sit in a similar fashion...

So we hoped on a share jeep after two days in Gangtok (share jeep with about nine other people) for a five hour drive to Pelling, just a little south west of Gangtok, still within the state of Sikkim. Pelling was also I think, at about an elevation of some 6000 or so feet. It was a much smaller town that Gangtok, but beautiful as can be. Our first day was cloud covered, but the next day was clear as could be, and the Khandjegzonga range was out like a monster staring us in the face. It was massive! We took a hike out of Pelling to Khechopalri Lake, a wishing lake neighboring a Buddhist monastery. We didn't make it all the way there, but hitched a ride on a jeep carrying twelve others only a few kilometers from the actual lake. We had hiked down from Pelling to a river, crossed on a crazy ricketey bridge, and were only about 8km from the lake, but they offered a ride and we gladly accepted after the four some hours we had already been walking. The lake was pristine as could be and surrounded on almost all sides with a sea of Tibetan prayer flags. Aparently from the Buddhist story the birds living around the lake remove all the leaves from its surface. We reached it just as the sun was beginning to set, and a group of monks came to the little walkway leading the lake edge, for a short cerimony. They lit a bunch of incense and started chanting, it was really beautiful...

Darjeeling is wonderful, lots of other tourists, but it's nice to talk with them about their travels and hear about tricks and all that is going on elsewhere. Erin is headed back to Kolkata and then home on Saturday and I am headed on to Kathmandu, Nepal. I'll be meeting up with three other friends from IPSL there, I've heard only the best about Kathmandu and Nepal so far. It's great to be done with the IPSL program, relaxing and yet stressing in a whole new way. Things are really wonderful here, don't really know if they could be much better. Got lots to bring back...
love to all.

more to come soon of course...