I’d planned on having a restful day today but couldn’t resist a walk into town. It’s quite a nice place when you’ve had a good night’s sleep. Built into a hillside with lots of pedestrian stairways joining the few main roads, Kalimpong practically oozes charm. I’ve included a few shots of the town but they don’t even begin to give you a sense of it. As I walked through the streets I was hit by the smell of cardamom as a shopowner sifted the husks from the ground pods. Yum. I also hit a few buddha shops where I bought two more statues despite the fact that they will be adding even more weight to my pack when I head out again. Ug. One of the shops has a swallow singing from the wires of the celing light fixture. I asked the woman if it was a pet and she said it comes and goes but returns every day to the same spot.

There doesn’t seem to be much of a tourist focus here which is such a nice change. There are actually sidewalks which are clogged with people, mostly with students at the Kalimpong college. I have run into a few other travelers though. A couple from Bombay on holiday with their little girl chatted me up at the hotel this morning and I met a young couple from Vancouver on the street hunting for a guesthouse. All of us are on the same basic circuit: Kalimpong, Gantok, Darjeeling.

I’m still debating whether to try and make it to Pelling, a small town in Sikkim. Doesn’t make much sense to plan too far ahead since you never really know what your options are until to get someplace as eveidenced by my attempts to get to Darjeeling from the Bhutan border. I sussed out the options for getting to Gantok this morning when I passed the busy jeep stand in the center of town and it looks like I can there in about 3 hours by shared jeep.

Gotta head up the big hill now to have some tea and lunch at the lovely Cloud 9. That hill felt STEEP, long, and dark last night when I finally finished my post. The power was out but the only broadband place in town has an interrupted power supply so I didn’t realize the farkness wasn’t normal since it’s a fairly deserted stretch of road but when I got to my Hotel it was lit throughout with candles - on the landings, in the hallways, in the rooms.

I’m hoping to head to a Gompa on the south side of town tomorrow where they allow photographs. I stumbled on a very cool one today called the Tronga Gompa. Those of you who have been following along might remember that Trongsa is the name of a town in Bhutan where Susan and visited and the Gompa by the same name here is, in fact, Bhutanese. I got a hang out for prayers in the main room, something I rarely see happening mid-day. There were monks ranging from 6 to 60 years old blowing horns, banging drumps, clanging symbols, and chanting the whole time. The place has some amazing wall paintings that looked very old but were uncovered unlike many of the temples in Bhutan where they’ve hung fabric in front of them to protect them from the sun.

Ok - time to face the hill, fortunately, packless this time.

Sue Borchardt in Kalimpong, India. February 27, 2006 at 1:25 p.m. where 72 degress with a warm sun and a cool breeze.

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