Day 96, Darjeeling [Friday 7th March 2008]
Previous day: Day 95, Darjeeling [Thursday 6th March 2008]
Next day: Day 97, Darjeeling [Saturday 8th March 2008]
After a big bowl of porridge we go to sort out our permits for Sikkim, which involves going to the District Magistrate's office to present our passports and fill in a form, walking back up the steep hill to the Foreigner's Registration Office to have that same form stamped, and finally going back to the district Magistrate's office to get the passports stamped. We break up the process by having a flaming hot Thai lunch in between the stages. We also book ourselves on a trek to the Singalilla Ridge.
We take the long, winding path north of town all the way down the hillside until we reach the Tibetan Refugee Self-Help Centre. They have a great photo exhibition presenting thr startling facts of the Chinese invasion of Tibet in the 1950s, to general international apathy. Using Tibet as a strategic buffer with India, China has since flooded the region with troops, nuclear weapons and ICBMs. The authoritarian and aetheist Chinese increasingly meddle in the affairs of the Tibetan Buddhists, to the point of 'disappearing' Dalai Lama-selected Lama reincarnations and replacing them with Chinese-approved individuals. The Tibetan government has been able to escape and set up a government-in-exile, thanks to India's help for these political refugees. Darjeeling is an example of ths help — the Tibetans have a school, hospital, orphanage and lots more. Their shop sells clothes, handicrafts, paintings, rugs etc with all proceeds going back into the Tibetan community. Kate buys a shawl and I buy some letter paper.
Afterwards we go to Glenary's for tea and chocolate brownies, looking out over the misty view of Darjeeling rooftops. We look thourgh the busy market, buy some windproof clothing at the only trekking shop in town and have a big dinner of momos and fried rice!
Next day: Day 97, Darjeeling [Saturday 8th March 2008]
Previous day: Day 95, Darjeeling [Thursday 6th March 2008]