I can't tell where the canvas stops.

Trip to West Bengal and Sikkim

About month after being back in country after my trip to Canada, myself and five other brave volunteers embarked on a journey to North-East India. We fought the cool temperatures, crazy jeep rides and endless restaurants with horrible service to get a taste of Buddhist serenity, the Himalayas, and a glimpse in to Tibetan culture. To sustain ourselves we gorged on kurkure, momos and wai-wai and some how made it out alive.

The Cast: Jen R, Jen G, Nancy, Joyce, Terri and myself.

Kolkata

Our first and last stop for most of the gang. Kolkata was still sweltering from the last of the summer heat as we walked and shopped in New Market. We rose to the challenge of taking the city buses that seemed to crawl to our destination.

mmmmm guavas.

Siliguri

This town was just a stopping place to get us to our next destinations. This is the end of the line so to speak... the Indian rail can't go any more north due to the rocky terrain. It's here that you can rent jeeps to take you to Gangtok or Darjeeling. In order to save money on our jeep ride Jen R and I sent the Filipinas to negotiate our fare to Gangtok. This is because if you look really fast Filipinas could be mistaken for North Indians and therefore will not be overcharged as tourists. Jen R and I are basically giant white women so we hid around the corner until the negotiations were done. It took all of 20 minutes and we were on our way. Little did we know then just how bumpy and twisty the jeep ride would be... and it was the first of ten.

In the crazy jeep!

Gangtok

This quiet city tucked away in the foothills of the Himalayas was just what we all needed after the hustle and bustle of the larger cities. Right away I noticed that Sikkim was not like the India that I knew. The streets were clean, the cows were non-existent, the dogs were liked and well fed and there was a bar in almost every restaurant. As a plus, no one gave us a second glance as we toured around... unlike the unwanted glaring I am used to receiving in Bhubaneswar. We were in heaven. We spent our time there seeing the sites of Tibetan monasteries, gardens and mountain view points, (via the crazy jeeps) and shopping in M.G Marg.

Prayer flags that line the way to the Namgyal Institute of Tibetology.

Prayer wheels that are believed to say a prayer with every rotation.

Namgyal Institute of Tibetology

Joyce stopping to smell the roses at Rumtek Monastery.

M.G. Marg "A litter and spit free zone."

Houses on the way to Lake Tsongmo

Some men tried to sell us Yak rides around the lake. (poor Yak!)

Jennisa and I at Lake Tsongmo.

Landscape at Lake Tsongmo.

View of the mountains from our hotel in Gangtok. (Hotel is called Kanchen Residency. Great price, good food and excellent service.)

Pelling

Pelling was even smaller and quieter than Gangtok. It is a sleepy town with not too much going on. We took a tour and covered the sights in a day. Again, it was a nice break from the busyness of a typical Indian city.

Khechuperi Holy Lake

Rice fields

Coronation Throne of Norbugang (park)

Darjeeling

Darjeeling was a last minute addition to our trip and I'm really glad the group soldiered on and voted this in to our itinerary. We were only there for about thirty hours but we made every effort to see the most of it...splitting up so that each person could see what they wanted. I ended up on my own and had a great time walking the streets where I stumbled upon a view point for the mountains and a Tibetan Refugee Camp. Our one morning there we rented a jeep to take us to Tiger Hill, unfortunately you could not see ten feet in front of you that morning... let alone the mountain range. We all woke up at 4am to watch the sunrise over the mountains...too bad they did not want to show themselves.

Back to the bustle of an Indian city.

Darjeeling

Tibetan Refugee Self Help Center, Darjeeling (Facts)

View walking back from the center.

People crowding around our indoor viewing area on Tiger Hill. Alas, Kangchenjunga did not show!

Relaxing with a little tea tasting.

Kolkata

On our return trip to Kolkata we had a day to kill before our night train back to the Bhub so Jen R and I hit South City Mall to live it up in western luxury. This mall was amazing! They had western stores galore, coffee bars and even vegan gelato! Jen and I spent our time browsing (because we couldn’t actually afford anything), putting on perfume samples and chatting over coffee. We even splurged on Thai head and neck massages which was nice after ten days of those crazy jeeps!

Somg from title: Danny Callahan by Conor Oberst

Road rules apply.

OAB Update

After two weeks back to work I have won my battle with my NGO and they provided a computer for me that will host the job matching software. I was really beginning to think that it may never happen and that I would have to go home without seeing this year of work finally come together. I have successfully set up the software in the office and I am currently chasing the OAB around for people to train. I keep reminding myself that this is India and this is how things work. The Commonwealth Games fiascos in India over the past little while are a really good example of how some things in India are accomplished. I notice again and again that things do happen but with little planning and last minute luck. It's sort of like this:

1. Don't talk about upcoming events, holidays, or goings-on until shortly before they happen.
2. Throw a plan together and execute quickly without too much attention to detail.
3. Invite import guests and audiences the day before or the day of events.
4. Frantically call for banners, programmes, prizes, tiffins and flowers very close to the event.
5. Begin the event about an hour later than scheduled while still setting up.
6. Complete the event a little off schedule typically meeting your goals.
7. Rejoice that everything worked out despite the amount of stress and running around it took to get things done.

OK. So I realize this is a big generalization and yes I'm sure that not every NGO, business and person is like this in India but it is something that volunteers talk about again and again. This is how I have seen most programmes, workshops and seminars put together at my work and I have heard story after story from volunteer friends that add up to the same. At this point we just repeat our mantra “This is India!”

So, I am again waiting on my NGO to provide me people to train in spite of handing them a paper with instructions, dates, and times. All they have to do is “fill in names here”. My plan is to stay home creating a detailed plan for my training and making two manuals (one without pictures to be printed in Braille). I hope that my absence will prompt them to do work for me. It has worked in the past. At least I have something with which to keep myself busy.

Here are some stories and highlights of the issues with the facilities at the common wealth games. This situation highlighted perfectly some of my experiences with planning in India.


Dirty Washrooms Picture from www.theage.com.au


Collapsed Bridge Picture from www.heraldsun.com.au

JB

It has been a dream of mine to adopt a street dog since I came to India. After a lot of research, planning and finding a good vet in Bhubaneswar I was able to bring my doggie home. The experience has been bittersweet because I had picked out a dog that I called “Jaggy” (after Lord Jagannath) and told him that I would take him in from his street life when I returned back from Canada. He was living outside my work and I would visit him everyday... I have know him and his litter since they were nursing last December. Unfortunately I have not been able to find him since I have come back. I'm hoping he has settled down somewhere else and is not hurt or dead. I waited as long as I could (there are timed vaccinations I wanted done before Canada) and then chose another puppy that I had befriended that is actually from the same Mother... meaning that he is Jaggy's brother. So, Shea and I have named him JB as a tribute to our lost dog and I have had him with me at home and in the office for about a month. He is smart, playful and sweet. Can't wait to get him to Canada.

A day before I took him home.


Sleeping on his bed.


Exploring.

Song from title: Shirts and Gloves by Dashboard Confessional