Out of Touch

Johnny is in the Himalayan mountains, and there is no internet service. He will not be able to post anything for a day or so. Keep checking.......

Day 8 & 9 -Darjeeling, India

On Thursday I felt a lot better. The weather was still cold, and with no heat in the room, there was no where to go to get warm!

So - since I felt better - I set off looking for a sweater and a scarf. This has turned from a site seeing tour - to a survival course!

Found a nice wool V-neck sweater for $4.00. Bought it - put it on - feeling better. Now looking for the perfect scarf. Just couldn't find one I liked - so just bought a 6-foot long scarf for a dollar. I had, also, liked my thick wool socks so much I went and bought another pair for 40 cents.

For breakfast - I saw a street vendor with a large wok type pan, and he was cooking eggs and warming a fresh roll, then put the egg in roll, wrapped in "sterile" newspaper and handed it to a customer. Looked so good I ordered one. He put in a few onions, tomatoes and of course green hot peppers, and heated up the bread. It was delicious, and cost 20 cents.

A good breakfast and warm clothing. This is turning into a nice day.

At lunch time I came back to his stand, and he had noodles fried in the wok with vegetables. I ordered it but declined on adding the egg. The plate he put it on was disposable but not paper.. No - it was made of several large leaves that had been formed into a saucer in a hot press!! Leaves!
He, also, had little bitty plastic forks that were disposables also. The noodles were great. They cost 20 cents also. After dinner I ordered hot tea - very good for a dime.

On Friday, dressed in my nice warm clothes, I visited the Himalaya Mountain Climbing Institute, and the Mount Everest Museum. It was very interesting. On the track back to town, I stopped at a little shop sticking out off the mountain that advertised "good coffee"! That's unusual... good coffee. I had a cup on the porch overlooking the valley - nice - but the coffee cost a dime more than LUNCH yesterday!

I returned to the same stall I had eaten at the day before and had supper. This time I went for the whole thing. I told him to add the egg.

Then I went to find out how to get to my next destination - Sandakphu, elevation over 10,500 feet, - that took all afternoon, and a lot of walking up steep hills.

When I returned to the hotel the electricity and internet were off all over town, and I was exhausted, so I decided I would stay tomorrow, update the blog, then set off for Sandakphu Sunday.

It's been a good two days.

Day 7 - Darjeeling, India

This morning it was COLD. My" cold clothing plan" was not going to work today, because I was sending one set of clothing to the laundry. So ... nothing to do but go shopping.

Walking and looking I found a little stall on the sidewalk selling pants. I found a pair of heavy corduroy and asked the price - 150 rubees the lady said. That's three dollars! I looked harder, found a pair large enough to just slip over my pants, and I put them on, paid the lady and continued on my way, a little bit warmer. Now for socks, gloves, and a hat. I found the socks for 40 cents, the gloves for 50 cents and paid $2.00 for a knit hat with a little Himalaya look.

So in about 30 minutes , my shopping was over, my body warmer! I may look for a sweater if it doesn't warm up.

Then I met my Irish friends at the train station, and we took a 2-hour trip on the famous "Toy Train of Darjeeling". I'm sure you have heard of it. It is a narrow gauge train (about 2 feet between rails) and a coal burning steam engine.

I was beginning to feel a little better, at least warmer, and returned to hotel, had coffee in restaurant and called it a day. Still suffering from what I call altitude sickness, but also feeling I was getting well.
Looking forward to tomorrow!

I got up this morning at 3:30 a.m. to check the sky for stars. I could see them, so that meant I was on for a trip up Tiger Hill to see the sunrise and light up the 5 highest mountain peaks in the world.
(It's not hard to get up at 3:30 when you go to sleep at 7 p.m.)

I had arrived in Darjeeling yesterday. Elevation 6, 600 feet, and became exhausted getting up to my hotel, and had not recovered by nightfall.

This morning I felt good, and it was COLD. So I put my cold plan into effect - and put on all my clothes! An Irish couple I met in Calcutta is also staying at this hotel, and we planned the trip together . We met at 4a.m. and walked down the hill and got a 4x4 jeep taxi taking tourist up to Tiger Hill. The sky turned out to be hazy and the mountains were barely visible, but I had seen a postcard of it on a pristine day - so I just placed that image in my mind as I looked at the hazy mountain peaks. But I was there, and those were the highest mountains in the world - so that one item is now checked off as successful.

Then we rode a taxi half way back down, got out , had breakfast at a local tea house and walked 4 hours back to the hotel. A very nice day. I ate lunch, went to my room and started to really feel bad. I mean I had no energy - and could do nothing but stay in bed under heavy blankets, because it was now very cold in my room.

I think I had some of the symptoms of altitude sickness which is extreme fatigue. I felt EXTREMELY fatigued and finished the day and evening comfortably in bed - exhausted.

Day 5 - Siliguri to Darjeeling

This morning I purchased a ticket on a 4x4 jeep taxi to Darjeeling.It cost $1.64 cents. My hotel for the night was $5.00. Now the way the taxi works is that it holds 8 passengers (close quarters) and leaves when it has 8 passengers. I left - went, got breakfast, and returned and met an Australian couple who had just purchased all 8 tickets in a jeep, and they asked me to join them. OH BOY - DELUXE travel.

Of course we had to make a tire repair stop, and then a tourist stop while driver made a phone call. I picked a little tea. Darjeeling - where we're going is world famous among tea drinkers.

The trip took 3 hours on really narrow, un-constructed roads with treacherous drop offs.
Now, Darjeeling is in the mountains, and there are no valleys here. We got off at the bottom of mountain, and our hotel - all hotels, were way up the "hill". For those of you that have been to Honduras - think - YASI with hotels screwed into the side of the cliffs, and you're at the bottom with your rucksack. Oh yea - there are NO TAXIS OR TU TUS HERE!.

By the time I reached our objective hotel I was BEAT. They had rooms but no singles without a bath. The hotel had two such rooms, but they were full and there was a waiting list. The single cost $3 and the double that included a private bath with hot water was $6. This hotel also has a restaurant. Well the altitude had a affected my brain, or either it was normal acting self, and I heard myself saying "no way". and I left the hotel walking up hill again and could see no hotels.
Then - bingo - I wake up - realize the nice room is only $1 more than I paid last nite, and 5 days here would only cost an extra $5. I went back - got the room - ate a great lunch with a view overlooking the entire valley (so does my room view)

There's something about getting in to 100's of rubees that affects good logic.
Help me Lord!!

Day 3 &4 - Night Train to Siliguri

I took a night train out of Calcutta to a small town of Siliguri. I'm on my way to the mountains.

The night trains here are all Sleeper cars, and have 4 classes. There is a First, Second and Third Class Air Conditioned, and then there is "sleeper" class. I went "sleeper". In "sleeper" class you get a bunk, no linen, and bunks are three high, 6 per semi compartment. I say semi because there is no wall between the aisle and the bunks. There are 2 bunks across the aisle from mine, so I am in close company with 7 other people.

With the bunks laid out there is no place to "BE", except laying on your bunk. But I love it when a plan comes together!!!..... From the prone position, I pulled out my socks, my windbreaker, my silk sheet, my book night light, and my book, put it all together, and Voila - there I was, laid out in my little world of comfort, the windows down, the wind whipping through the car, and clickety click and sway of the train. IT WAS GREAT! you should've been there!

Then about a hour later - we met a another train coming in the opposite direction, and we passed at high speed -"very"- close to each other. With the windows UP, this always causes the train to sway and rock , but with the windows down !! -- the initial gust of wind from the on coming train ---- well, it blew my sheet off! .... and caused little out cries of fear throughout the entire car!

So anyway - I got a few hours sleep, some good reading time, and arrived in Siguri about 11 in the morning. Oh yea, the ticket was 350 Rubees. $7.00 for 11 hour train and hotel room.

All for now

Day 2 - Calcutta

What a difference 10 or 11 hours sleep will do for jet lag. I woke up this morning feeling great and ready to go! But at 6:30 nothing is open, except my little restaurant -so I went there to get more coffee and breakfast (I had Tibetan bread and honey, and a tomato and cheese omelet), and read the local English paper.

Then I took a rickshaw (man powered) to Mother Teressas place, called Mothers House. It was a simple building, and a simple museum, but VERY impressive. I'm glad I went.

Then when I left, I was going to walk a while, and came to a new bank with an ATM. I went in, tried it - and it said "how much money you want Johnny"! GLORY, Hallelullah!!! So my card works at that bank - I hope there are more of them.

So with money in my future and in my pocket, I set out to get a SIM card for my phone and a train ticket to Darjeeling.

I went to the phone place , and was told I needed a copy of passport - which I had, and a copy of my Indian VISA in my passport, which I didn't have. So I got copies made and returned to the shop. Then I was told I needed a small photo - which I had, then I was told I needed my room receipt with a stamped stamp on it. With a smile (remember I had just been to Mother Teressas) I went back to my room, got my first nights receipt but it was not stamped, so I went over to my old hotel and got the manager to stamp it with his rubber stamp.
Returning to the shop I was then told if I wanted to keep my receipt I needed to get a copy of it, so I went and got a copy. Then I signed about 8 pages and signed the page with my photo stapled to it so that my signature was half on the paper and half on the photo, but I had to make sure that I did not write over my face.
And that was it - I got my SIM card and now have a Indian phone. All toll - it cost $3.20 and I bought $1.10 worth of time. (untill I see how it works to call home ). They told me the cost to call the states is 4 rubees, and there are 50 rubees to the dollar. So I'll see. -- Now to figure out the time here and there!

Then I went and ordered my train ticket for Saturday nite. It leaves Calcutta at 11.50 pm. and takes 10 hours. I paid a travel agent commission and the entire ticket cost $7.00. And that night I won't need a hotel room, the train is a sleeper. The old fashioned kind, but I think with out even curtans. just a bunk .

At lunch I met two young people - boy/girl from California who are here on a mission trip from there church. They are here for two months. They work in a school for street children. Very interesting.

Its 6:30 pm - going to supper -
God bless
Johnny

Day 1 part two - Calcutta

After a half nites rest - I was ready to see the town. I headed out of the hotel to a nearby restaurant for breakfast.
My first impression of Calcutta was the great number of people that lived - (sleeping, cooking, bathing) on the streets, sidewalks and by ways. In all my travels, I have never seen so many street people.
Then a possible problem! I went to get money from an ATM and it would not work for me. I went to four other ATM's and all the same. Trying to stay calm (and thinking this is going to be a long two months with no money)- I went to internet cafe and wrote Anna to check with the bank, and to get me American Expresses address in Calcutta.
Then feeling kinda jet lagged out, I cashed one of my emergency hundred dollar bills, went and got a good plate of fried rice for $1.25 and a bottle of water and went to my new hotel room. Now priced at a more sustainable price of $5.80 per night.
A good night sleep is needed.

Day 1, Calcutta, India

The trip over consisted of 10 hours of airport layovers, and 20 hours of actual flying time. 30 hours. Its a long trip at 600 mph for 20 hours. But in the 1930's it took 6 to 7 weeks, so a day and a half is not bad!.
AND here I am in Calcutta, India, a city of over 15 million people, and a country of over a billion.

I got a little anxious when I landed at one in the morning, and began to think about my one contact. That contact was via email from a hotel whose most expensive room is $16.00 and they are to pick me up here, at 1 a.m., for $8.00. I began to wonder if maybe I should have aimed higher up the economic scale..... But as I walked out of the airport, to the waiting masses, there was a man with a sign that read - JOHNNY RAY. Man - what a relief! .The PLAN had worked. The world looked brighter! I was taken to the hotel(centrally located in downtown Calcutta) and settled into my delux (the best they had) hotel room.
I HAD MADE IT - I WAS IN INDIA

This BLOG will hopefully allow me to share a portion of my two month trip to India and Nepal beginning March 17, with a 38 hour flight that will take me to Calcutta India. (Now known as Kolkata).
I hope to provide you with short little interesting facts or observations of this land that we have all heard so much about. Hope you will visit often.
Blog ya later from "CALCUTTA."

To return to my home page - CLICK HERE.