7 Nights in Gangtok

Going to Sikkim is like going to another country. Technically we’re still in India, but to me this feels more like Tibet. Sikkim is the northern most state of India which borders Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet. In fact Sikkim was its own kingdom until 1975 when it became a state of India. The local tongue is Nepali, not Hindi, but almost everyone speaks some English. Tourism is a major industry for Sikkim and the government is trying very hard to make tourists feel welcome. In Gangtok, the capital of Sikkim, there are fines for spitting and littering, and for the first time in India we actually saw real trash bins in public spaces. When we arrived in Gangtok, there were virtually no tourists here because of the strike in Darjeeling shut down the only road to Gangtok. What few tourists we did see were all Indian nationals except for about 4 other foreigners (we can tell they were tourists because like us, they had cameras). This suited us well as all the hotels were empty and discounts for rooms were readily offered.

Typically we like to stay at budget hotels because, well, we’re on a budget. But the weather was very cold and we both came down with colds. Our $40-per-night room at the Bamboo Grove Retreat was great, but even with a space heater and extra blankets, we couldn’t get warm. So we did something we almost never do – we moved to a 4-star hotel. This is India, so 4-star hotels like the Nor-Khill can be had for $110 per night after some negotiating. The Nor-Khill was a beautiful and opulent British colonial-style luxury hotel that looks like it has been frozen in time since it was built in 1932. The staff wore uniforms right out of old b&w movies and they were very eager to please. In fact, the hotel facilities used to be the guest house of the former king of Sikkim when royalty still ruled the land. But the most important thing was that our room was warm and we could take hot baths.

Gangtok is a very walkable town despite the fact that the entire city was built on the side of a mountain. There were several Tibetan monasteries and Hindu shrines in the area, so we visited them all. The markets were fun, the food was cheap and the entertainment rather cheesy (“live music” in Gangtok really means a guy singing with a karaoke machine). But the best meal we’ve had for a while was a tasty Sikkimese dinner at our hotel, complete with a fermented barley drink called chang. We would have stayed in Sikkim longer, but the weather didn’t cooperate. Many of the better tours from Gangtok involved a 4 or 5 hour drive north to the base of the Himalayan mountains, but the weather forecast up north was either cloudy or snowing. And the strike never let up, so we gave up on the idea of going to Darjeeling as well.

The next stop on our itinerary is Singapore, so when it came time to leave we had some decisions to make. We could just retrace our steps back to Bangkok to catch a cheap flight to Singapore, but we wanted to avoid the dirt and grime in Siliguri and Kolkata if at all possible. The nearest airport from Gangtok was in Bagdogra and fortunately SpiceJet had cheap flights from there to Chennai which would also allow us to make connections to Singapore. Since we had the time, we decided to make an unscheduled stop to see what’s around Chennai. Our guidebook recommended Auroville, so that’s where we’re headed next.

(See more pictures of Gangtok)

2 Nights in Siliguri

The last stop on the Darjeeling Mail is about 3km from Siliguri, a mini-Kolkata with a population of 1.5 million. Siliguri is known as the crossroads town of northeast India with trains, buses and taxis coming in from all directions. Typically, we would just hire a taxi or take the Toy Train directly to Darjeeling, but the recent political unrest and subsequent police killing of two protestors has prompted a general strike in “the Hills” and all transport going north have been cancelled. All, that is, except government-owned buses going north past Darjeeling to the state of Sikkim. So we booked the Hotel Manila for its central location in Siliguri and started looking around. What we saw was more dirt, grime, poverty, smog, and the constant honking of horns – just like in Kolkata, but this time in close-up. A walk through the shanty town next to the train station was heart-breaking. But even among all the extreme poverty, we saw plenty of smiles and glimmers of happiness. It just so happens that I’m currently reading the novel Shantaram where the slums of Mumbai were vividly described. But even so, I was not totally prepared for this experience.

If Siliguri was a nice place, we would have just hung out and waited out the strike. But we just got out of Kolkata to escape this urban madness, so Siliguri was the last place we wanted to be. We quickly changed our plans and decided to head to Gangtok in the state of Sikkim instead. We went to the Sikkim bus station to get our permits and to buy bus tickets. Permits were not a problem (and they’re free). But bus tickets would be a different story. There were hundreds of other people at the bus station (almost all locals except for us and a few odd tourists) also trying to get on the 15 or so daily buses going north. We asked around and those lucky few to score tickets have been in line since 5am. Not very good news, indeed.

Then I got lucky. While asking about buses going to other cities besides Gangtok, I accidently ran into the bus station’s general manager. He told me to come see him at 9am the next morning and pointed to his office upstairs. He then took my name and made sure I already had a permit. When I showed up the next day, he had already reserved two seats for us on “bus number two,” a bus that apparently only he can sell tickets to. While I was in his office, there was a constant stream of other people who somehow also knew about this alternative ticketing system. We felt really sorry for all the other people downstairs who had to stand in line for hours, but we were also ecstatic that we somehow managed to score tickets on the “VIP” bus.

With tickets in hand, we went to the Internet Café and booked a room in Gangtok and then boarded the standing-room-only bus for a 4-hour climb up to 4,000 ft above sea-level on twisted mountain roads. All the north-bounded buses left together and traveled caravan-style, complete with police escort. About halfway there, we crossed into the state of Sikkim, and made a pit stop in the border town of Rangpo where we snacked on momos and fresh orange juice. It was dark by the time we arrived in Gangtok, so we have no idea what this town really looks like. I guess we’ll find out in the morning.

(See more pictures of India)

2 Nights in Kolkata

We thought Thailand was a land of contrasts – until we arrived in Kolkata. This city of 14 million people has got to be the poorest city we’ve ever landed in. Crowded and dirty, there were heart-breaking scenes of homeless women sleeping on the streets and children begging everywhere. The guidebook says that the British moved the capital of India to Delhi in 1911 “leaving Calcutta to rot” and it shows. The buildings are crumbling, the busses and trams look like they’re about to keel over and it feels like the city is being held together with duct tape. Even the airport feels like it has seen better days. Yet among all this poverty and deterioration, there are 5-star hotels and brand new shopping malls with valet parking.

For us, Kolkata is just a stop-over on our way to Darjeeling, so we booked the Hotel Trimoorti which is one of the few budget hotels available in the city. This is a relatively un-touristed city, so services are harder to find. We found a cybercafé, but WIFI doesn’t seem to exist anywhere. We couldn’t find a city map so we had to rely on our guidebook, which didn’t help much since there are virtually no street signs. There is plenty of street food available, but we weren’t brave enough to try any. Restaurants are harder to find, but the mall did have a nice food court. One thing Kolkata does have is plenty of taxis. My guess is that for every person who can afford a cab, there must be at least 20 cabbies fighting for their business. Every time we flagged a taxi, at least 5 other drivers would try to steal us away. And the metered fare? Usually about $1 or $2 within the city center (it was $5 from the airport to our hotel). And for that measly fare, the cabbie has to negotiate the most insane traffic we’ve ever seen. Plus everyone here honks – a lot – so there is this symphony of car horns blaring all day long, a constant sound texture that may take a while to get used to.

We hired a professional tour guide named Shanti Bhattacharya (98-3022-4803 or santi_bhatta@yahoo.co.in) for a day and it was the best $30 we spent since we left home. Shanti is a 75-year-old retired history teacher who was born and raised in Kolkata. His immense knowledge and sense of humor gave us great insight into Indian culture as we saw the city through his eyes. Although we only touched upon the highlights of Kolkata, the gems we did see were unbelievable. Since we arrived on the eve of Shri Saraswati Puja, one of West Bengal’s special holidays, the next day Shanti took us to see a centuries-old ritual -- the dumping of the Saraswati Puja into the Ganges River. We were told that over 40,000 statues would be dumped into the river by the end of the day. Another highlight was a visit to the dusty private home of Raja Rajendra Mullick Bahadur’s family, also known as the “marble palace.” Like the rest of the city, this “palace” was badly in need of some care, but it was fun to walk through haunted rooms and halls jam packed with art and antiques collected from all over the world.

The most interesting tidbit that Shanti offered was an explanation of why Kolkata’s economy has collapsed. Since the communist party has been in power, tenants have stopped paying rent. Landlords can’t kick out the tenants because of the corrupt court system. And without income, landlords can’t do any repairs or pay taxes. With no tax income, the government has no money for services and repairs, which explains the decrepit scenes we’re seeing city-wide.

Overall, Kolkata was a little overwhelming for us, so we re-booked our trains tickets and cut our stay short. Next, we’re headed north towards Darjeeling. Unfortunately, today’s front page newspaper headline told of new political unrest in “the hills” so we’re not sure we’ll even be able to get to Darjeeling.

Footnote: Kolkata time is GMT plus 5.5 hours. And I thought all time zones jumped by one hour, so that extra 30 minutes threw me for a loop. So why is this very critical piece of information kept a secret? This is India, I guess.

(See more pictures of India)

Thailand Epilogue

It’s been over a month since we’ve arrived in Thailand, so it’s time to move on. But before we take off for India, I thought I’d note a few random thoughts about this amazing country.

Without a doubt, Thailand is very friendly to farangs. All the Thais we met were genuinely welcoming, helpful and honest. Many of those serving the tourists were obviously very poor, but they seemed happy and content with life despite working very long hours for very little profit. With the exception of a few lepers, there were surprisingly few beggars on the streets. Street vendors rarely harassed us. When bartering, once a price was agreed upon, it was firm. No one wanted to cheat us and when the change was returned from a sale, it was always accurate. In fact, at least twice I was called back because I had walked off without getting all my money back. We quickly built up a mutual trust with the Thais. For example, when dropping off laundry, no receipt was given and none was expected. Somehow, they always remember your face and hand back the correct laundry bag every time.

Just about everyone speaks a little English, but whenever I ask where they learned the language, the answer is always “from tourists.” And since English-speakers from around the world have a wide range of accents, I’m sure those English lessons did not happen in ideal circumstances (just imagine trying to learn English from a native German speaker). And since English is not the only foreign tongue spoken by tourists in Thailand, some Thais have picked up a few other languages as well. In one instance, a Thai waitress at an Italian restaurant took my order in English and without blinking, took the order at the next table in Italian.

There were, of course, a few surprises. For one, the Thais don’t eat with chopsticks. Unlike other neighboring Asian countries, they use forks and spoons just like the Europeans do. The exception is when they think you’re Japanese – then they bring out the chopsticks just for you. 

The other big surprise was the Thai’s acceptance of lady-boys in their society. In our culture, if a man wore a dress and make-up to work, there would be hell to pay. But in Thailand, we saw lady-boys working as receptionists and hostesses (if you owned a restaurant, why not put your prettiest lady-boy front and center to welcome customers?). In fact, while we were in Thailand, the big news was a new Thai airline announcing the hiring of the first three lady-boy flight attendants in Thailand’s history.   

All-in-all, Thailand was a fabulous destination. It was a very welcoming country and we’ll definitely consider going back.

Chiang Mai

Bangkok was a little too crazy. Koh Phangan was a little too quiet. For us, Chiang Mai was just right -- small enough to walk around in, yet large enough to have the cultural vibe that makes a destination interesting. We arrived in Chiang Mai late on a Thursday night and checked into the Eurana Boutique Hotel -- chosen for its central location and its heavily discounted rooms on Expedia. The next day was spent shopping for a more permanent home in the same neighborhood. We saw guesthouses with rooms from $6 to $60 per night and eventually settled on Yindee Guesthouse. At $30 a night, Yindee was a great value -- a nice balance between comfort and style (they even provided a communal refrigerator, a microwave and eating utensils for their guests). And it looks like we arrived in Chiang Mai at just the right time. During our stay, there were two festive events happening almost simultaneously – the Chinese New Year celebration and the annual Flower Festival. The weather has been perfect -- low humidity, high in the 80s during the day and low in the 60s at night, and mostly sunny just about every day.

Founded in 1296, Chiang Mai was originally a walled city (remains of the old wall are still visible in several spots around the perimeter of the old city). Our guesthouse is located in the farang ghetto, which is in the northeast part of the old walled city. Our neighborhood was a perfect starting point to explore Chiang Mai -- within a few blocks of our guesthouse was a local market surrounded by tons of street vendors. Around the corner was an Irish pub, a Japanese restaurant, and a vegetarian restaurant. Like all tourist corridors in Thailand, our neighborhood had plenty of services including an abundance of the three Ts -- tours, tattoos, and Thai massage.

Yes, Chiang Mai is a tourist destination, but it’s a tourist destination for Thais as well as foreigners. Although you see plenty of farangs walking around, foreigners are definitely in the minority here. When shopping at the famous Night Bazaar or the Sunday Walking Street, there were more Thai customers than foreigners. While we were here, we took a bicycle tour through the country-side south of the city and I indulged in a vegetarian Thai cooking course. But the highlight of our stay had to be a day trip to the Elephant Nature Park. Founded by Sangduen Chailert (a.k.a. "Lek"), this park rescues circus and working elephants who have suffered abuse and unbelievable hardships all of their lives. At the park, there are no elephant rides or performing elephants – just happy elephants living in adopted family groups and not being forced to do tricks or hard labor. In fact, the park is not fenced in – the elephants can leave any time they want to. But they don’t because for them, this is indeed elephant heaven.

Chiang Mai is not perfect. The traffic is pretty heavy and the petrol fumes can be rather irritating. And on certain streets, there is a distinct and persistent sewer odor. But all-in-all, this was the best destination on our trip so far.

(See more pictures of Chiang Mai)

Good-bye Paradise

Koh Phangan is a great little island and Thong Nai Pan is a great little beach resort community. So why is it that after only two weeks, we’re itching to leave this perfect tropical “paradise”?

Could it be the heavy humidity and the constant dampness? Could it be the aggressively hungry mosquitoes hiding in the beautifully landscaped grounds of our cottage? Or the sand flies feasting on us as we tried to dine on the sand at beach restaurants? Could it be that we got tired of drinking Chang beer (and we haven’t been able to get our hands on a Guinness since we left Bangkok weeks ago)? Or maybe it’s because we’ve tried all the restaurants in the area worth eating at and got tired of ordering the same things over and over?

Whatever the reason, it was definitely time to move on. Like Europe, Asia has a ton of low-cost airlines flying all over the place, so we booked a flight to Chiang Mai with Nok Air for about $180 the day before we decided to leave. When we changed planes in Bangkok, we noticed another change: almost all the foreign tourists disappeared. This was a good sign. I think we’re back in Thailand again.

(See more pictures of Koh Phangan)

Full Moon Party

Until now, I’ve never been to a frat party. But after attending my first Full Moon Party, I can now say I have. Billed as the biggest party in the world, Koh Phangan’s monthly Full Moon Party is an all-night affair that supposedly attracts up to 30,000 people in high season. It’s high season now, but I doubt there were more than 10,000 people at last night’s party. True, 10,000 people is nothing to sneeze at, but as far as parties go, I’ve been to more interesting ones in Champaign-Urbana.

The party takes place on Sunrise Beach in the town of Haad Rin, which fortunately is on the opposite side of the island from where we are staying. Party-goers from surrounding islands start arriving at dusk and by midnight, the entire beach is packed with very drunk people. Upon arrival, you are greeted with rows and rows of vendors selling “buckets” of booze – usually a pint of hard liquor and 2 or 3 kinds of mixers inside a small plastic toy pail. The concoction is mixed for you with ice and then you stick a straw into the mix and start drinking. Next, you can hire a local artist to paint your body with designs using fluorescent paint. Then you head for the beach and dance all night long to really bad DJs playing trance music. That’s essentially the ritual. What makes this a frat party is that just about every party-goer is white, in their early 20s and doing exactly the same thing. No variation, no creativity, just the standard conformist follow-the-herd mindset you see on any college campus frat row. Even everyone’s haircuts looked pretty much the same.

As usual, the very enterprising Thais rise up to challenge of servicing thousands of people all night long with booze, food and even emergency medical help -- all for a price. Even the taxi rates go up on party night – perhaps the extra surcharge is for putting up with the drunks all night long. So I guess I can say "I went." But if we’re staying another month, I have no urge to go again.

(See more pictures of Koh Phangan)