Kashinagar to Darjeeling: Via Pheuntsholing

Greetings from Darjeeling - in the northern part of India's West Bengal province. The stories are not so exciting this time, sorry. More frustrations than excitement.

FEB 2. Something strange about this small town (Kashinagar - where I last wrote) that was freaky. As of about 6pm, there was almost no lights in the village. By 10pm when I left the net bar, the street was completely dark. No lights at all - only from the moon - which gave me enough light to wander back to the monastary (1 km or 1/2 mile away). The wierd thing was that there was very loud music playing with some wierd voices. So here I am walking down
one of the only streets in the village listening to music which sounds like it should be played in a haunted house. I awoke from the Tibetan Buddhist monastary early due to the morning exercises outside. Actually, where I stayed look just like a hotel - a single room with two beds and a table inside. But there was no toilet, no heat, and lots of misquitoes. In the morning I walked around the very small village and looked at all of the monastaries/temples set up by different countries to honor the place where Buddha died. I also saw his cremation stupa (where his remains lie). Afterwards, I walked out to the main road to wait for a passing bus to take me to Gorakpour (the nearest train station). After a few minutes, a jeep came by. I had read that many people use shared jeeps like buses here - so I got in. This jeep is made to hold 7 people comfortably. When I got in there were only 7. By the time we reached Gorakpour there were 21 of us in there!

Back in town, I went to the train station and used a computerized terminal to look at train schedules (wow - china needs this). I found there was no train to Darjeeling - where I wanted to go, but I quickly figured out that I can take a train to Hajipur (across the river from the Bihar provincial capital Patna) and then another train from there to New Jalpaiguri (Siliguri) - the closest train station to Darjeeling. I went to the counter and waited in line to buy the train ticket (similar to buying tickets in China). I asked for a ticket to Hajipur and got it - only 67 rupees (12.5Y or $1.5). Cheap. But then I noticed something - there was no train number or time or seat on the ticket. Hajipur is 240 km away (150 miles) yet the train will take 7 hours to get there! So although India does have the largest railway system in the world with the most stations - and they do have computerized terminals - some of the trains are really really slow. I tried to find someone in charge but there appeared to be nobody! In China, you have a train number/time and then go line up based on signs. You are not allowed to go out to the train platform until time to board your train. India is completely different. Everyone can go to any platform anytime they want and get on any train that comes by. Nobody is checking tickets. There were no electronic / temporary signs. Only some signs painted in Hindi (common language of north India - looks more like Arabic than English) lying against a wall. I went to the computer terminal but found no trains coming anytime soon! Finally, I found 2 different people and asked. They both told me it was train 3020. One said it was at noon on platform 2. The other at 12:30 on platform 2. I went back to the computer terminal to look up train 3020 and get info. According to the computer, train 3020 arrives in Hajipur at 7:20pm but it does not show Gorakpour (where I was) as a stop to get on the train - so I am still not sure of the official time it should arrive!

So I went to find platform 2. Platform 1 is the one right next to the train station. So I walked up a ramp and over a bridge to the next platform. It was platform 3! Where is #2? It turned out that #1 and #2 were both right next to the train station - #2 was down about 100 meters. Efficient system, I guess - but confusing. There were no signs. I went there and at 12:30 there was an old train with no lights on. Again - no signs anywhere. Was this my train? I asked a few people and someone said - no the train is late - just wait. Then I met the "Moment Control" Colonel Army Officer stationed at the train station. He invited me to his office to have tea and cookies and had one of his soldiers watch for my train. Very friendly guy. Warned me a lot about the trickiness of India vendors etc. He said several times - do not eat/drink any food that anyone gives you - it is very common that people drug foreigners and then steal their bags. I inquired about my train ticket and why there was no information on it. The man said it was because I had bought my ticket at the lowest class "unreserved" ticket office. "Reserved" (higher classes) have information and reserved seats/beds. China has 4 classes (hard seat/standing, soft seat, hard sleeper, soft sleeper). Not too dificult to understand. India has something like 7 classes! Confusing. When the train arrived at 1pm (supposed to arrive at 12:40 and arrive in Hajipur at 7:20), I saw the lowest class - very very crowded and dirty - more than in China! The army officer took me to the next highest class "sleeper class" where people sit on what looks like hard beds in China. He told me to stay there - so I did. Nobody ever came to check tickets - so I guess I could have ridden for free! However, signs on the train say you will be fined 1000 rupees for travelling without a ticket. The train arrived in Hajipur around 10pm - only 3 hours late! I went to inquire about the train to New Jalpaiguri. I was told it left at 5am but since the "reserved" ticket counter was closed and you can only buy "unreserved" tickets for the day of departure - I could not buy a ticket until midnight.

I considered a hotel - but I thought I might oversleep the train. So I decided to stay in the train station area. I walked down the street - it looked like small shacks and really poor. There was really really loud music playing. I walked towards it - there was a Hindu shrine there and a couple of people dancing in front of it. Very wierd. Very loud! I found a restaurant on that street furtherest from the music and it was still very loud. I went in and sat at a table. In India (and also Nepal) people eat rice and curry with their right hand. Very messy and strange looking to a foreigner. So people are in there sticking their hand in their mouth and I am just waiting waiting. The owner serves several Indians but ignores me for about 20 minutes. Then he comes over and says "Where From" and I say USA. I've learned that when I say America - people understand 1/2 the time. If I say USA, they usually get it. It is very difficult speaking English to Indians. Chinese speak English much better, I think. Indians speak with a very strange accent - I can barely understand anything. There is no menu - but I am able to order chicken and rice (sort of like curry). Soon, he brings me like 5 plates of food - rice, curry sauce, vegetables, chicken, etc. All the Indians eating there had just 1 or 2. Now I'm worried - since there is no menu - he can charge me whatever he wants! I ate a lot and it was good - and very spicy. After finishing, I sit there and read my travel book. Or I try - the owner comes over and tries to talk. He says something. I say What? He says Yes that's right. I say I don't understand. He says Good. I have no idea what we were talking about! Who knows what he thinks I told him. I did understand a few things. And he was very nice and friendly.

Then he gets out some hard liquor and starts drinking and gets really drunk. Now he is just annoying. He goes to his "sweet" cabinet (he also has a bakery and Indian sweets are very sweet - rich even by American standards). He gets three or four pieces and tells me to eat them. I wasn't hungry after such a big meal and didn't want to eat sweets at night. And who knows what this will do to the bill! Then he said - no money - just eat! So to humor him i took a small bite from all three and said they were good - but didn't finish them because I didn't want him to give me seconds! Well, he got up and got three or four more different treats and said eat! some of them were really good, but I just wasn't hungry. Then he went and got thirds and fourths, etc! Finally, I said no - I'm not hungry and refused to eat. He then picked up one of the sweets and pushed it (and his fingers) into my mouth! Soon after, I tried to leave and go to the train station. My meal cost 90rupees ($2.1 or 17Y) which isn't bad for all the food - but an average meal should be about 30 rupees. When I tried to leave, he grabbed my arm and leaned on me and would not let go. So I had to come back to the restaurant to get rid of him. The other employees (maybe sons?) were laughing. I distracted him by pointing at one of his sweets and when he turned his head I got away.

FEB 3. It is now 3am and I am at the train station buying a ticket. 125 rupees (23.5Y) for unreserved ticket - more than 500 km. The train (#5010) should leave at 5:20 from platform 3 and arrive at 6:30pm. I found a quiet place with storage bags and tried to rest (there was another Indian guy doing the same thing right next to me). I didn't sleep well. About 4:20, I awoke as a train left from platform 3. Couldn't be my train, right? At 5am, I walked over to platform 3. There was an old cargo train there. At 5:20 it moved away. At 5:30 a train pulled up. This had to be my train, right? I got on in the sleeper class - found an upper bed and went to sleep. I awoke at 8am when the ticket man came and checked my ticket. He made a strange face, then nodded, and gave the ticket back. That concerned me. So I went down to talk to some people around me just to make sure this is the right train. I told them I was going to New Jalpaiguri. They said this train (1030) does not go there. They said you need to get off at the next stop (Somisipa?) and take the Assam Express - which goes there. The train stopped 2 min later and I got off the train. I ran around the station and asked a man when will the next train to New Jalpaiguri come. He said it has already come. Then he said no wait - the train is late. So it will come in 30 minutes. It was train #5010 - the train I had been waiting for before. While there, I met some nice guys about my age. They just stared at me for about 15 minutes and then started talking. You from where? I told them I came from China and they didn't believe me. They kept asking which airport you flew into? No - I came by bus. Yeah right funny man. Frustrating. Then they asked me what is your qualification? I said what? A passport and train ticket? He said no - i mean education. I told him I have a masters degree in finance and he said wow - that is my major i will graduate this spring with that major. Then he asked me do you have paper? Can you draw a sketch of me right now? I thought, that is a wierd thing to say. Then he said I really like sculpture. Are you good at it? I said no. Then I realized that "finance" sounds like "fine arts". He thinks I have a masters in art! I never corrected them and so they still think I am an art expert. My train arrived finally and I confirmed several times. Nothing eventful for the train arrived. Yes, it was late - I arrived at 8:30pm - 2 hours late. Went up the road 5km to Siliguri and got a hotel for 125 rupees (23.5Y, $2.9) across the street from the bus station. Lots of misquitoes.

FEB 4. Got up early to catch a bus to Bhutan (a nearby country that borders India and China and is in the Himalayas). I bought the ticket at 7am - bus left at 7:30 - directly from the country Bhutan ticket booth. Now to take care of another problem - my pants are really dirty and I don't often have places to wash (and dry them) so I decided to buy a new pair. I found a store and bought some quickly. Probably could have negotiated more - he asked 400 and I got them for 200. Back to the bus station - it is now 7:25. All the buses are green and say West Bengal (the state I in India), except one bus - it is white and says BHUTAN all over it. Surely this is my bus, right? I got on the bus. We left. It is good that I like maps and directions. I thought we should be headed north and west but the bus was going east. Maybe we will turn soon I thought. Yes, we did. We turned and started going south. I asked around and quickly found this was the wrong bus. I told the driver and they stopped and let me out on the side of the road by a farm. I quickly found a small jeep/van going to Bagdogra (back towars Siliguri) and then from there another back to Siliguri. I got another ticket - this one run by India to Jaigon (the city on the border of Bhutan) leaving at 8:45am. The buses sure are slow. The whole time some guy has his head stuck out the window yelling trying to get other people to get on. Not just in town - the whole way. 169 km (105 miles) took more than 4 hours. At times we drove fast, but we stopped so much it really slowed us down. I got to Jaigon and walked to the border. Previously, foreigners were allowed to cross the border to the border city of Pheuntsholing for the day but this was stopped in 2004. Before leaving China, I read on the web that several people had tried to go since then and had been turned away - but one guy had been able to sweet talk the immigration officer into letting him go across. So this was my goal.

Indians can go across with no visa. When I approached with a big crowd of Indians they stopped me. They asked to see my passport and asked to see my visa. I told them I have no visa but I really want to see your country and eat your national food. They told me you can see from here and you can eat similar food in Jaigon (the Indian border town). There were actually 3 guards there. I think if there was only 1 maybe it would be easier - but none of the 3 want to look weak to the others. I showed them in my India travel book (written in 2003) that foreigners could cross. They said that was never the case - even in 2003. Only Indians. After sweet talking them for a while, they went to get their supervisor. He said no - impossible. Then after talking to him for a while he went to talk to his supervisor. He came back (i've been at the border 30 minutes now) and said No it is impossible. I kept talking to him and after another 5 minutes he decided to let me go! :) But limited me to eating in the nearest restaurant and said he would accompany me. All of the other guards looked Indian (brown skin) but this guy looked more like a Chinese in facial features. We went in (he hid me in the back and kept saying he could get in big trouble for doing this) and he helped me order some traditional Bhutan dishes. Good and spicy. Very friendly guy - told me about his family, religion (Buddhist) etc. Then he told me "I'm having financial troubles." I thought - oh now he wants a bribe or something. But actually, I asked him if he wanted money and he said no. I paid for his meal (it was a very nice restaurant but only about 28Y or $3.5 for both of us to eat). He asked for my email address and said he wanted to be friends! Afterwards he let me walk around Bhutan a little (just in that area) and take some photos. He also wanted some Chinese money so I gave him some. Then I went back and caught a bus back to Siliguri. This bus was even slower - 4.5 hours! I was really frustrated with how slow it was. I had planned to get back early enough to get transportation to Darjeeling, but because the bus was so slow I had to stay in Siliguri again. Stayed in the same hotel in Siliguri again. They were surprised to see me again.

FEB 5. This morning I got up early and got a 5:50 am jeep to Darjeeling. Arrived at 8:20. (Just so everyone knows - when it is noon in China, it is 10am in Bangladesh, 9:45am in Nepal, and 9:30am in India). Darjeeling is cooler (I've been burning up during the daytime because I'm still wearing a winter coat - it doesn't fit in my bag very well!) and in the Himalaya mountains. So the coat is more handy here. Walked all over the town. Beautiful mountains. Nice city. Tonight I'm at the Aliment Hotel on a mountain in Darjeeling. No heat and it's cold - so I'll sleep in my coat! They have Internet access in the lobby.