Darjeeling

For the past week I've been living in Darjeeling, a hill station famous for its views of the Himalaya. A view that until today was denied to me by some very English weather. Fortunately, the town has plenty of stuff to do and can get pretty lively. The town has a big Ghurka population who want an Independent State. Theres always demonstrations and strikes going on, and the odd political assignation is'nt unheard of either. My local bar that plays Hendix, Stones, Doors etc, has a doorman outside armed with an old Lee Enfield rifle! Not sure why, nowts happened yet, guess Ghurkas just like guns and knives, must be why the British Army like to employ them.



In the Darjeeling Planters Club, with temporary membership! A place with hunting trophies on the wall, tea on the table and a slight wiff of Empire in the air. Ended up playing snooker with some guys that were on 'The Rickshaw Run'. A race in rickshaws from Kerala in the south to Kathmandu! I won, so 1-nil to the bikers:)



Tibetan Refuge, where Tibetan exiles make carpets, textiles and handicrafts.



Young monks. I'd like to think they know at least some kung-fu.



View from Tiger Hill, with Darjeeling in the fore ground and Kanchenjunga in the background. Kanchenjunga is the 3rd highest mountain in the world, and I can confirm that its fucking massive! Its 60miles away in the picture! Also saw Everest, zoom wasn't strong enough.



Me and Kanchenjunga. Apologies for the hat, but its cold in the Himalaya in winter. Who'd have thought it!

Pictures

Puja ceremony at the main ghat, Varanasi.



Ghats, Varanasi. To right of the picture are the burning Ghats, with boats full of wood. The wood is paid for by weight on huge scales at the river bank.



Underneth the Bodi Tree, BodhGaya.



Monks praying at the Mahabodi Temple, BodhGaya.



Darjeeling, with tea plantations on the lower slopes.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you all had a good one:)

Well, where to start? Since my last post I've visited a few mad places. Mad, even by Indian standards. After Lucknow, I travelled down to Varanasi, the most important town in the Hindu faith. The town is on the west bank of the Ganga, the main attraction being a series of Ghats (steps that lead down to the waters edge) that run for about a mile. On the Ghats, Hindus perform their rituals, praying, lighting candles, bathing in the Ganga (which this far down the river is more raw sewage than water. Probably healthier having a bath in your own poo. But they seemed to enjoy it)+ the odd game of street cricket.
Varanasi is also a very auspicious place to die, since dying here breaks the cycle of re incarnation. Which means Varanasi has a couple of 'burning' Ghats, where the dead are publicly cremated on an open funeral pyre. Not something you see everyday, not in Leamington Spa anyway. Seeing a pair of feet or a head poking out off a fire is not as shocking as you think. In the context of where its happening, and all the relatives look on it as a celebration, it seems perfectly alright. Bet it tastes like chicken.

Seeing as though its considered 'bad form' to take photos of bodies, here's a picture. Carn't upload any pictures on this computer anyhow.

Well, Varanasi was a bit intense, so after 3 days I made my way to BodhGaya. Its a town famous for being the birthplace of Buddism. In the 6th century BC the Buddha sat under a Bodi Tree and became enlightened. For the past couple of days I've been sitting under the same tree and nothings happened! Although it is entertaining watching Monks 'fight'(in a Buddist way) over the fallen leaves from the revered tree:) BodhGaya is a very peaceful place to spend time. Its the most un-Indian town I've been to so far. The population is mainly made up of monks from around the world- mainly Nepal, Tibet, Bhutan, Burma and Thailand. Every Buddist country has its own Temple or monastery built in the native style.

Off to Darjeeling tomorrow for some serious tea drinking.

Best wishes for the New Year everyone:)