Bombs and possible flooding?

Just in case people are wondering, Kat and I have decided to skip visiting Delhi. There have been multiple bombings recently and there's been a flood warning as well (thanks Elizabeth!). Plus we're kind of tired of big Indian cities already. So don't worry!

Finally some mountains!

Kat and I spent the last few days in the wonderful city of Darjeeling. The climate and scenery is similar to Washington so we were very comfortable, but the culture was mostly Nepalese with some Tibetans and Indians thrown in. The people here were extremely nice. The last day we woke up early and took a share-jeep up to the top of Tiger hill to watch the sunrise over the Himilayas. We were particularly lucky because the clouds parted for us to see not only Kanchenjunga, but also Everest! In the picture at left it's the peak in the middle that's just poking out. The sunrise was gorgous! I have lots of pictures but these computers are too slow to load many.

On the way out of Darjeeling we took the Toy Train. It's a small train that runs from Darjeeling to New Jalpaiguri. We shared the car with a large Indian family that was very nice. I had actually met the man the day before and he was very happy to see that myself and Kat would be riding with them. They were great! They sang songs and shared lots of snacks with us. One of the girls even begged Kat to sing her a song. After much reluctance I convinced Kat to sing "we are the champions." Kat sang like a nightingale but the little girl was not impressed (sorry Kat!). I think she wanted Britanny Spears or something.

We also ran into a couple that trekked for 15 days up in Sikkim. They managed their way up to the 5,000m pass of Kanchenjunga! That's higher than any mountain in Washington and it's just a pass! Anyways, we had dinner and breakfast with them before and after the train. They were from Vancouver and are into the typical northwest outdoors stuff so we had plenty to talk about.

Kat and I heading out for Varanasi on the train tonight. We plan to spend 2 days there and then head to Agra for a day. From there we'll go to Jaipur for a couple of days before going to Jaisalmer for a camel ride in the desert! We don't have plans past that. But lucky for us we've been able to upgrade out tickets from the 'sleeper' class the the 'AC3' class. Kat is VERY happy about this and I suppose I am too. But I sure will miss the calls for "Chai!" at 3am and the harassment from the singing eunuchs for rupees...wait, sleeping sounds nice too.

Warm Water from 6:30 to 7:30? Excellent!!

Well, we are in Darjeeling, and like Jer mentioned, it is wonderful. The climate here is so much like back home that it's kinda funny. I have been able to wear my jeans and a long sleeve shirt- what a nice respite from the 100 degree 100% humidity weather of Kolkata. Yesterday and today we spent most of our time walking around the town and doing a bit of shopping. I decided it was time for me to go local and I got Shalwar Suit fabric, which I will take to a tailor tomorrow. Basically it's like a sari with pants- much better for walking with a giant backpack. Most of the clothing here is very colorful, so I went with a bright pink color with embroidered gold stars to help me fit in. :) We also visited the Zoo and Himalayan Mountaineering Institute. The Zoo wasn't as bad as I thought it might be- the animals were in large natural enclosures, however the fences seemed a little bit too close for comfort in the tiger enclosure... We went up to the top of Observation Hill, where if the weather is good you have a great view of the mountains and surrounding hillside. In our case, however, the weather was very cloudy and misty, so we had a great view of the ground 20 feet in front of us. Nevertheless, it was a great spot, absolutely COVERED in Tibetan prayer flags and shrines, and with the mist the whole thing seemed very surreal.
-Kathleen

Darjeeling Express - Jeremiah

Well, it was actually the Darjeeling Mail train that took us from Kolkata to Darjeeling but it was as every bit entertaining. Train tickets were scarce so we had to take the sleeper class train, but this turned out to be a pretty good experience. We heard some bad things about sleeper class but I thought it was great. It was super cheap and Eunichs come down the train every so often singing and asking for money. Also, at every train station - even if it's 3am - a guy boards the train and goes down the aisle calling out Chai! Chai! Chai!. It can distrupt your sleep.

But we made it to New Jaipalguri on the train. Then we had to do some major hassling to get on a jeep up to Darjeeling but we finally made it for a reasonable price. I really can't complain about paying 90 rupees for a 4 hour Jeep ride!

Kat and I plan to spend a few days in this wonderful city. I finally found an adapter for my camera's battery so I'll be getting some photos up soon. I also just wanted to add that Kat and I found the most wondeful hotel. We're paying 300 rupees for a room with it's own bathroom. It's super clean and there's a nice restraunt on the top floor that serves - what else - darjeeling tea! I bought some sweets that West Bengal is known for tonight to have with my tea.

From the Front Lines- Kathleen

Hello Everybody and welcome to our travel blog! Jeremiah and I are on Day 3 of our trip and doing well. I spent my first day on my own in Hong Kong, where I rode a tram up a mountain, ate some Hong Kong fast food (where I was the only foreign person there) and rode a ferry from Hong Kong island to Kowloon. The flights weren't too bad, and the food was even tasty. Now we are in Kolkata, India, about to head to Darjeeling by night train. India has been a bit overwhelmin so far, very busy and crowded and different. I was "attacked" by small street children, who, as far as I could tell, just wanted to steal by cold water bottle. We had quite the time setting up the mosquito net in our super cheap hotel, and so far our travel sheets and fleece blanket have come in handy (not because of the cold, because it is blistering hot here, but just for comfort and bug protecting). The traffic here is crazy, I think the biggest danger isn't getting sick from stange food, its from crossing the street. I had to immediatly buy a long skirt when I got here, jeans were just too hot and don't really fit in well with local customs. Darjeeling should be a welcome change, up by the mountains it will be cooler (but a little bit more rainy). Anyhoo, I hope that everyone is doing well, and I will try to post again soon!
-Kathleen

First Report- Jeremiah

So far Kat and I have collectively been to Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Kolkata. Kat spent her first day in Hong Kong and loved it! But I'll let her tell more about that herself. I spent that same day in Bangkok - and I really have to say that Thailand is amazing. I thought it would be over-touristy but it was great. The Thai people are so kind and helpful and the weather's not too bad either. Right now Kat and I are in Kolkata and it's defintely been a memorable experience. We stayed in a hovel...I mean hotel...for only $6. The food has been excellent and we even managed to find a beer. We visited Mother Theresea's tomb today near the train station that we'll be departing for Darhjeeling. Right now we have train tickets to Darhjeeling, Varanasi, and Agra. Kolkata is a very busy place. We walked for hours and the crowds never cease! We got caught in a downpour (monsoon?) and had to splurge for a coffee to get out of the rain and dry off a bit, but it was definitely an India experience.

Anyways, time to eat and get off to the train station.

I hope everyone is doing well!!!