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DownTheRoad.org's
RoadNews Newsletter: Darjeeling, India was Great for Monsoon
Season.
September 2011 (Sent From Darjeeling,
India)
Home =
http://DownTheRoad.org
Previous letters can be found at
http://www.downtheroad.org/LETTERS.htm
 Greetings
from Drizzling Darjeeling! For the past three months, Gretchen and I have
been holed up at the Revolver, a cute little Beatles themed hotel tucked in
behind the Unity Christian Church. The hotel is built on a hillside,
surrounded by schools. Every morning we awaken to the call to prayers from
the mosque, followed an hour later by a round of “When the Saints Go
Marching In” as sung by the Christian school students next door. The Hindus
and Buddhists make their own music the rest of the day. Our
hotel is crammed full of Beatles memorabilia and, best of all, offers fast
reliable wifi internet, perfect for filling the soggy days. Monsoon is
non-stop rain up here in the Himalaya mountains. The spectacular
views of tea plantations and sweeping vistas are constantly hidden behind
clouds and we don't dare venture outdoors without raincoats and a sturdy
umbrella. It is supposed to end any day now and we hope to be riding
in the sun next week.
Darjeeling is a sweet mountain town (about 2000 meters or
7000 feet) that lacks all the hassle and craziness of most Indian cities.
Although the majority of foreign tourists have all headed off for dryer
spots, Indian tourists regularly drive up to escape the heat and humidity of
the Kolkata summer. The lively market streets are still full of walkers
hiding under umbrellas, visiting the clothing vendors, and posing for
pictures on ponies in the Chowrasta (the town square). For exercise I had a
(nearly) daily hike along a ridge road, which led passed a colorful Buddhist
monastery and a friendly goose who soon had me trained to bring slices of
bread. Darjeeling is full of hidden staircases and narrow passage ways,
making for some lovely exploring. Gretchen found the main marketplace, a
rabbit burrow of tiny shops and stalls full of spices and yak cheese and tea. We found our favorite restaurants: pretend Chinese food at a tiny
place run by a super friendly family; a passable Thai place with interesting
metal art; hot soup and momos (dumplings) at the Tibetan place that's full
of foreign monks; pots of strong coffee and bakery goodies at Glenary's; art
and pasta at Petrichor Art Cafe. Sweta at Petrichor even made me Shepherds
Pie and chocolate cake for my 45th birthday party.
We weren't the only foreigners staying in town for the off
season. Darjeeling is a nice choice for professional travelers seeking
refuge from the monsoon. We fell in with a number of interesting people who
have artfully turned permanent travel into a lifestyle. Hans from Germany
translates online video game dialogue from English to German. Fernando left
banking in New York to study Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Buddhism. Milt, British,
builds and promotes websites. Gary from Arizona writes and sells online ESL
courses. Part drop-outs, part entrepreneurs, part nomads: it's fascinating to
see what people with determination, wanderlust, and wifi can accomplish. I
have been noticing recently a growing number of international tele-commuters
who have found a way to make a living online and call the road home and I am
proud to be among their ranks.
At the moment our plans are to leave Darjeeling in mid
September and ride north to Sikkim. Once again, we'll be using Laura Stone's
book, Biking the Himalayas as a guide. After three month of no bikes, this
route is ambitious, to say the least, and the climbs will certainly be a
challenge. At least we'll still be in the cool mountains. Once October comes
around, we'll be rolling back into the plains of the Ganges delta region to
Bangladesh. As Gretchen's Indian visa will expire in October, we'll spend at
least two months traveling Bangladesh before returning to India. This all
depends on the winds of bureaucracy and what sort of Bangladeshi visa we'll
be granted in Kolkata.
We made one premature visit to Kolkata to apply for
Bangladeshi visas. After a sickening ride (I get really carsick) down the
mountains and an overnight train ride, we arrived in the sweaty chaotic
city. We found the Consulate and were informed that 1) they only issue visas
to be used in the next 30 days and 2) we won't know how long a visa we can
get until the interview. We fled the city that evening and hightailed it
back to cool Darjeeling with a new appreciation for the rain. Now we have a
month to figure out how to convince our interviewer at the Bangladeshi
consulate that he should issue three month tourist visas to a couple of
grungy bike tourists.
 We
had a companion for some day rides around Darjeeling. Cheapskate Nate,
recent Humboldt California State University graduate and water project
volunteer, has been biking the area on a cheap Indian bike while waiting for
his Bhutan work visa. With a large backpack tied by rope to the rack and the
bike practically falling to pieces beneath him, Nate's already ridden some
impressive distances into the mountains. He bought Gretchen's old single
person tent and constructed an alcohol stove out of old cans. With luck,
we'll meet up again for some real touring later on down the road.
You may have noticed some new pages and editing on the DownTheRoad.org website,
including new pages about economizing on a bike
trip and stealth camping. Currently I'm working on a page about what tools
to bring on a bicycle tour, which is turning into a big project. Gretchen
has been correcting the spelling errors and grammar mistakes on my previous
pages, hopefully making them more pleasant to read.
 /
If you're looking for more reading
material, my three books are now available in print and as ebooks for Nook and Kindle. Once again, I thank everyone who has used the links on my
website to shop at REI and
Amazon. Your support makes it possible for me to stay on the road.
This has been a hard year for me financially and all of your support helps.
See more about the books here
http://www.downtheroad.org/Publishing/
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REI - Camping, Cycling, and Traveling Gear
Recommended |
Direct Bicycle Parts: A huge selection of all things bicycle |
Bob's Bicycles: Good deals on complete bicycles and parts |
REI Outlet Store: Great deals on camping and
bike gear |
Very good prices on hard-to-find bicycle touring panniers, racks, and more. |
Altrec outdoors and camping equipment and online gear shopping |
Home =
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All of the previous letters can be found at:
http://www.downtheroad.org/LETTERS.htm
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