2014 – 42: Darjeeling

Lynda and Greg decorated for Diwali, the single biggest holiday of the year (think Christmas).

Colored rice was meticulously placed to create this rangoli.

Since Diwali landed on a Thursday this year, followed by Govardhan Puja on Friday, a 4-day weekend was created. We headed for the hills of Darjeeling. We were able to easily maneuver around this temporary road block.

Fortunately, we did not encounter potentially larger road blocks (note the warning sign on the right).

The view as we ascended up the mountain was bright and colorful.

The roadway was sequenced with endless billboards for tea – with everyone claiming to have the world’s best.

Darjeeling was lit for the holidays…

… and our hotel was adorned with diyas, the definitive icons of Diwali, symbolizing light over darkness.

The next day began at 3:30 am as we ascended higher to Tiger Hill in time to greet the sun rise…

…which provided a spectacular view of Mt. Kangchenjunga (bordering India and Nepal). At 8586 meters (28,169 feet) it is the third highest peak in the world.

From Tiger Hill at 2600 meters (8500 feet), we were 64 km (40 miles) from the mountains. The peaks we see are nearly 3 ½ times the elevation of our vantage point.

With Mt. Everest over the next ridge, we learned much about its first ascent in May, 1953.

Sir Edmund Hillary gets all the credit, but let’s not forget Tenzing Norgay, the Nepalese Sherpa who led the way. The two men reached the summit together.

Inspired by this mountaineering spirit, Greg successfully ascended this peak.

And of course, Darjeeling is best-known for tea. After a trade spat with China, the British began importing tea plants in the early 1800’s and in effect said, “Fine, we’ll grow it ourselves.”

They experimented throughout the Himalayan region and found Darjeeling produced the best flavor.

In Darjeeling, tea is discussed with the same manner and excitement as fine wine – the flavor is derived from the perfect combination of soil, altitude and climate.

Darjeeling tea is considered the Champaign of teas – with a brand name that’s fiercely defended.  There are 87 plantations in Darjeeling which produce only 1% of India’s total tea production, which is 1/4^th of 1% of worldwide tea production.

Tea is harvested four times a year (spring, summer, monsoon, and autumn). The leaves are brought here for withering (12-18 hours)…

… then pressed and dried. Oddly enough, the fresh green leaves have no aroma at all,

During our tea sampling, each pot of tea was carefully measured and then mixed with hot water for exactly five minutes (note the hour glass).

Darjeeling is most famous for its black tea, which we sampled along with a variety of flavors including first and second flush.

Greg was quite the connoisseur.

Visitors to our home are welcome to chose from multiple varieties including the Super Fine Tippy Golden Flowery Darjeeling Tea, which I’m sampling here.

Once tea flourished in Darjeeling, transportation was required for export, so the British installed a narrow-gauge railway.

Train lovers rejoice. This coal-fired, steam locomotive functions as it did some 150 years ago.

As we started up the mountain and the engine struggled to get momentum, everyone on board had the same thought: “I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.” This was the little engine that could.

The already narrow road was made even more narrow by the train. We whisked by businesses with virtually no margin for error.

We stopped for water…

… and at the mid-point, coal ashes were removed…

…as new coal was added to the boiler.

We all had coal soot in our hair.

But it was a great experience and a throw-back to yesteryear. Enjoy your week. ts

 

 

 

2014 – 41: Festive Season

 

We’re in the height of festive season, the happiest and most auspicious time of the year. Malls are decorated for the season. This is Ganesha.

This is the deity Rama who defeated the evil 10-headed demon Ravana with a magic arrow to liberate his wife Sita. Upon return to their kingdom, villagers lit their path with diyas (oil lamps) symbolizing light over darkness and good over evil.

We celebrated at our office on Friday which was decorated for the occasion.

Rangoli is created using colored rice.

Women wore sarees…

…and men in kurta pajamas.

With a rhythmic drum beat, K.P. was an inspired dancer…

…pulling others into the mix…

… with infectious spirit.

The smiles were ear-to-ear as we all enjoyed our Diwali party.

Then Saturday night, we attended the festivities at Greg’s school…

… which included traditional food…

…live music…

…and dancers…

…including fire dancers.

From there it was off to the Canadian High Commission…

…to celebrate Thanksgiving (with a Diwali influence).

Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving on the 2^nd Monday of October. We enjoyed turkey with stuffing and mashed potatoes. Happy Diwali everyone. ts

 

2014 – 40: Transportation

This week’s blog is all about getting from point A to point B. What follows is a collection of photos spanning the past year.

Riding in a Volvo bus is a luxury. They are high-quality buses with comfortable seats and air-conditioning.

However, watch out for imposters.

Not every bus is a Volvo (note the spelling “Volov”).

Auto rickshaws are a common form of transportation.

And again, many operators want to elevate their brand level.

I highly doubt this handles like the ultimate driving machine.

Stopping at a full service gas station leads to window washing.

This is a throw-back to the good ol’ days in the U.S. when gas cost 30 cents a gallon.

These two men are completely dressed for work on their daily commute.

This langur seems to have hitched a free ride (thanks Priyank for the click).

Even without a cup-holder, having a drink of water is still possible (thanks Pooja for the click).

It’s always fascinating to see the variety of items transported on two wheels.

I hope he’s careful around low hanging power lines.

This is a clever name for a delivery service.

And on three wheels, tricycles have been well documented in this blog as a form of transportation…

…for people…

 

… and cargo.

This appears to be moving day.

This man has stopped for a road-side drink in the midst of his journey.

There doesn’t seem to be a capacity limit.

During last year’s “Photo of the year” contest, this click came in 2^nd place.

Take a guess at the cargo in this transport cycle. Stop and think before moving to the next frame. There’s a hint in the photo itself.

This is a school bus. I pass this “bus” nearly every day during my commute.

I’m guessing there are about a dozen children inside.

The more fortunate children receive door-to-door service to school provided by their parents. This is a motorized version for an only-child.

This is a motorized version for a family of five.

This method requires pedal power. But it works. Enjoy your week. ts

 

 

 

 

2014 – 39: Pokhara

 

Before jumping into this week’s adventure, take a guess where this photo was taken…

 

… and this photo. Is it Delhi? Ahmadabad?

 

No, it’s Madison Square Garden in New York City. Prime Minister Narendra Modi just concluded a historic trip to the U.S. to foster deeper relations between the world’s largest and oldest democracies.

 

It’s ironic that Mr. Modi could not obtain a U.S. visa only six months ago, and now he’s meeting with the President at the White House.

This was huge, front-page news here in India.

 

State dinners were a bit tricky in that Modi was in the midst of his traditional 9-day Navratri fast, consuming only tea with lemon and honey.

 

The not-so-subtle human rights undertone was clear with this tour of the Martin Luther King Memorial in Washington. 22% of the world’s population look to these two men for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Mars was also on the minds of these two world leaders as both countries entered the red planet’s orbit last week.

 

India’s mission to Mars launched nearly a year ago from Andhra Pradesh. India is the 4^th earthly entity to visit Mars, and the first country to succeed on the first attempt.

 

India Space Research Organization (ISRO) is India’s equivalent of NASA in the U.S. The Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) cost 74 million USD, or about 3/4^th the production costs of the movie “Gravity.”

Thursday was Gandhi’s birthday followed by Dussehra on Friday — creating a 4-day weekend — so Greg and I took off for Pokhara, Nepal. Here we are upon arrival at the Kathmandu airport where Greg posed with schoolmates who happened to be on the same flight.

He later assisted others with the entry visa process.

Nestled in a Himalayan valley, Pokhara is all about the view. More on that in a moment.

We had the good fortune to arrive on the tenth day of Dashain, one of the holiest days of this 15-day festival, the most auspicious national festival in Nepal

With similar themes to Dussehra of celebrating good over evil, Dashain is all about family and food.

Tika is applied by elders during the last five days which began on Friday. Tika is a mixture of yogurt, red powder and rice, which is generously applied to the forehead.

Along with jamara (maize) over the ears, I received blessings for a happy and long life.

Even dogs partake.

The festive season includes leaving the earth once a year via the aid of bamboo swings like this.

Nepal has a heavy Buddhist influence (Buddha was born in Nepal)…

… however, Hindus make up 80% of the population. Here Greg poses with our tour guide in front of the deity Ganesha.

Walking the streets of Pokhara provides a glimpse into daily life (note the prayer beads).

Although being a holiday, the wash still needs to get done.

As we see in India, entire families travel via 2-wheelers…

…and there’s always room for one more on the bus.

Nepal’s primary economic driver is agriculture.

The hillsides are covered with rice terraces.

We were up Saturday morning at 4:45 am in time to reach this vantage point and wait for the sun to rise.

As the sun cracked above the horizon…

… the show began.

The Dhaulagiri and Annapurna mountain ranges here top out at 8091 meters (26,545 feet), which is substantially higher than North America’s highest peak, Mt. McKinley (20,237 feet). That’s more than a mile higher.

The Himalayan Mountains contain the highest points on earth (the highest being Mt. Everest not far from here at 8848 meters (29,029 feet).

The Himalayans were formed when the subcontinent of India smashed into Asia — 400 million years ago this area was under water. These mountains continue to grow a few millimeters each year.

Living in Pokhara, it’s difficult to imagine ever tiring of this view. Enjoy your week. ts