Boo’s Bit
I believe our last week has shown us not only God’s magnificent beauty, but also His guiding hand. What a singular experience we’ve had, traveling to my beloved Darjeeling! The entire time I was thinking of my family, all of whom are tea and trekking lovers. Reillys and McIntyres – Darjeeling is the place for our next joint vacation – it is our paradise!
The journey to Darjeeling took 11 hours, a private car, a wagon, a local bus, and travel bus, and a jeep. The journey home took 9 hours, a rented car, a taxi, and a private car. Needless to say, the journey home was quite a chaotic rush, and an experience none of us ever wish to repeat – but what memories we made! We were supposed to leave the beautiful cloud city on the 21st and have a nice relaxed journey back, but my trekking friends informed us that all the Siliguri (the city we drive to before the border) taxis and jeeps were going on strike the following day, and wouldn’t let anyone in the city. So, at 1:30 pm we, with the help of my friends, arranged a private car to rush us to Siliguri and beat the strike. However, I wasn’t aware that the border closed, and after the three hour drive down from Darjeeling, we reached the bus station in time to find out we couldn’t make the border before it closed. Wanting to try anyway (hey, God guided us by providing friends with knowledge about the strike, He can do anything), we paid an arm and a leg (in rupees, not dollars) to have a taxi driver rush us to the Indian/Bangladesh border. Of course, because God was protecting us, the driver knew people at the border, and during the 2 hour drive was in correspondence with them, urging them to keep the border open, we were coming. We reached the border, rushed out of the car, and went through all Indian and Bangladeshi customs etc in 1 hour, instead of the previous 2 ½ hours. The guards are all so pleasant, and again we made more friends – such generous people always willing to help. So, we left Darjeeling at 1:30, and were home by 10:30, amazing time by anyone’s standards. No one can deny God’s merciful hand there.
I have been to Nepal! YES! No visa, no trekker friends, no knowledge of Nepalese, but still I trekked (briefly) in the Himalayas and spent a night on Nepal soil! Of course there are too many stories to write in one blog update – I hope you are interested because I’d LOVE to share them in a week or two, IN PERSON!! Every corner I turned while walking with Alicia and Didi seemed to have some kind of trekking/tour agency, and with so much selection I could not ignore the intense pull I felt. I searched around, talked to a million people, and worked in figuring out what my best options were. A one day hike just wasn’t enough, and Ali and Didi preferred not to do any trekking at all. Granted, just walking around town was hiking, the entire city is built on the steep Himalayas. I chose a company I felt I could trust, and became immediate friends with the two men that worked there. I expressed my desire to go, and also my concern that I was only one person, and a female at that. The boss, Mr. Sankar, was truly sent by God, for he understood and reassured me in every way. He promised a good guide who spoke some English, agreed to my bargaining, and later called the guide various times to ensure that I was ok with him. He, by the way, was also the one that jumped to help us find a car for our requested price, and ended up renting out his company car, as well as helping us pack and leave the city. Oh, also, he’s offered me a job at his school in Nepal, and mentioned if I come he’ll help me trek around Nepal. Oh how God took care of us! So, I embarked with Mr. Amir Tamong to trek to Tumling, Nepal, and then back to Manebhangang via Tonglu, India. We took a jeep about 29km from Darjeeling to Sukhia Pokhari, changed jeeps for the 7 km drive to Maneybhanjang, supplied the necessary passport info etc, ate breakfast, and began walking – uphill (or upmoutian).
Here is a good time to mention that all public transport (share taxis) seat about 5 normally, and drivers don’t move unless there are at least 9 “seated.” People wondered why the weird American girl was laughing, but I couldn’t help it, when strangers were sitting in my lap, and 5 grown men share 3 small seats up front! On the ride up to Darjeeling from Siliguri I was smooshed between a vomiting girl, and a man who was sitting on top of the gear shift – haha, every time the driver had to shift I laughed because we all have to adjust to whatever gear he needed.
Anyway, the hike altogether was only about 13 km to Tumling, so it wasn’t too long, though very steep. We passed two tea houses, and stopped for soup/lunch at one. I met some more American trekkers who were going all the way to Sandakphu (where I wanted to go). We hiked together for a short time, maybe ½ hour, before my speedy guide passed them, and I wearily followed. When you are only one person with the guide, you feel the need to keep his pace! If I had been with a friend perhaps I would’ve set the pace, and saved my poor heart – I don’t know that I have ever been so physically exhausted. Even climbing Devil’s Tower doesn’t compare, because there were huge breaks between each belay. To Tumling was just one great huge mountain. The path traveled along the Indian Nepal border – I was constantly in two countries!
I’m writing too much, I know, I’ll cut it down a bit. We spent the night a little lodge in Nepal, it was very cold. I stayed in the kitchen with the workers, made new friends with the sherpas, and attempted to learn some Nepalese. It was one of the best nights I have experienced. There No power in the mountains, cold, windy, cloudy – and beautiful. I woke at 4:45 hoping to catch the sunrise on Kanchandzonga, though all the previous days/weeks the weather had been too cloudy for anyone to see anything. But, again, God blessed me – the day was crystal clear, blue sky, and I was able watch the sunrise on the largest mountain range I’d ever seen. Even to the side I could see Everest range! Family – don’t get too excited, Sandakphu was in the way of Everest, so only the tip of the range was viewable – but still I saw part of the range with my own eyes! I was SO CLOSE!
Of course the trek down was much quicker, and also much more painful. Only from going down did I become incredibly sore. The roads were too steep for my poor knees. Enough from me. Now its time to begin packing and saying goodbyes. Leaving here is leaving family, thus a week is certainly not long enough. There is no way just break from Bangladesh, part of me is here with this family now. A few of the brothers and sisters are coming to Dhaka to see us off on the 1st, its very difficult to think about now. I’m feeling disorientated! Much love – bye for now.
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