Darjeeling/1st month =>Awesome

Today is my 7th day in Darjeeling and the first day of the second month in this country. Long story short Darjeeling is very wonderful. I have seen most of the monastery/temple/scenery action in the town. It is interesting stuff but the people here are easily my favorite aspect. I have had copious amounts of splendid conversations with people here. Of all the places I have been in India, Darjeeling is the most enjoyable.

This morning’s activities involved riding in a jeep up a big hill to watch some sunrise action over some Himalayan mountain action. It was delightful.

A main topic of conversation here is just the culture and the way the people tend to approach life. Something they always mention is how little materialism there is in the area. For the most part people seem very content and there is a surprisingly small presence of the inequality that seems to dominate the rest of India. A few nights ago I was talking to the guy who managed the hotel I was in about this exactly and he said “Darjeeling is not like Kolkata or other places. There people focus so much on money. Here no one really cares if you have money or dont have money. People don’t go hungry either. If you need something there is always someone looking out who will help you.”  All I can attest to is the minuscule glimpse I have received in being here a week, but there does seem to be a very strong egalitarian atmosphere that encompasses a lot of friendly people.

The first 4ish days here were a very interesting experience because all I knew was that I loved being in darjeeling but did not really know why. It is definitely the type of place that just has a certain positive atmosphere.

Here is a story from here that i like. Hopefully you will too.

So as I mentioned before my camera got jacked on the train to Kolkata. I did not want to get a new one so I had been looking around for a second hand one to replace it with. After a few days of unmotivated searching that was more wandering than anything, I found a guy who literally sells everything. He has a big sticker on his window that says “We buy everything. . .” His main business is organizing treks into the mountains though. Anyway, I poked my head into his shop and asked about a camera. Long story short one of his guys (I later found out he has many of these “guys”) was coming in to town and had some cameras with him I could check out. I ended up getting one from him that is quite nice and quite reasonably priced so that was a success. The greater success was getting to know him and hearing about his endeavors in the world. The skinny on his situation is that his business is very successful and he is extremely nice and generous. He conveys a very likeable humility and it is immediately obvious that he a very intelligent person. He grew up in Darjeeling and was gone for school/work for a few years before living in Thailand for 2 years and then moved back to Darjeeling. I have thoroughly enjoyed talking with him and learning about Darjeeling and life in general.

The continuation of the story is that he took me to a hotel near his shop that was cheaper and nicer than the one I was staying in. The manager of the new hotel is named Risad and also splendidly awesome. He has lived in the Darjeeling area his whole life and knows english very well so hanging out with him has been one of the major highlights thus far. Last night he made a Nepali or me and three guys from Sweden.  After the dinner he told me he was happy we are friends and I realized all the good things that would not have happened if I had not lost my camera.

I would have spent 3 or 4 days max in Darjeeling because I could have gotten all the pictures I wanted. That would be bad because Darjeeling is awesome. I would not have meandered nearly as much because a good part of my meandering here was in search of the ever elusive second hand camera. I would not have met my friend who organizes treks and sells things. That would have been bad because he, like Darjeeling, is awesome. Had I not met him, I would not have stayed at my current hotel and met my newest friend or shared in the dinner last night. Oh how the journey of life progresses. “Wherever you are is where you are supposed to be.” I have had to relearn that very true lesson almost daily in the month I have been in India.

This month has been one of the most productive and amazing months of my life thus far. It has been an experience in continually trying, failing and succeeding in the art of progressing through life. India presents lots of opportunities to grow as an individual. I am very thankful for the growth I have seen as a result of the experience of being here. Traveling solo for the last 2 weeks has been especially eventful in this department. I strive to take the journey as it comes and be truly present in each experience. I am very blessed to be here and extremely excited to see what the second month will entail.

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