The wonders of Darjeeling...

As you know, we decided that we would take a few days off and go to Darjeeling. Its 9 hours on the train and then about a 3 hour jeep ride up the mountain. God really answered prayer on the train there, after some weird, nasty experiences on the trains to and from Goa, we really asked God for a safe journey and no creepy neighbours and he provided 4 lovely Christians from Africa, and then 2 nuns joined us in the morning! So we were off to a good start. We got to Siliguri where we got a jeep to Darjeeling. The journey up was crazy. The roads are so steep and windy, some of them literally turned at 180 degrees. But it was good fun and despite the mist, the views were beautiful.

The roads got bumpier and the air got colder as we went higher up, and eventually we were there, right in the centre of Darjeeling. After trying to adjust to the 35 degree heat of Kolkata, to then go to 12 degrees felt pretty cold!! The houses are the cutest. They're all small and colourful and lined with beautiful flower pots.

How cute is this?!

Day one (24th) consisted of going on a long walk to find a Tibetan refugee centre but ended up only finding a monastery.. Which was pretty cool in itself... But not as cool as the monkeys surrounding it! 

The monastery. 

One of the monkeys. 

After we found out we were very close to the refugee centre but it was closed for the day, we walked back up the hill and on the way passed two guys carrying a cupboard and a wardrobe- it looked so funny from behind! Walking furniture! 

The 'walk-in' wardrobe!

When we got to the top we went for a walk around the stalls and little shops. They're all so gorgeous and sell such colourful, pretty things!

That evening we had our very first cup of Darjeeling tea. I had one called Orange Pekoe. It was really good.

The next day we chose a different path to walk down and explore. This one lead us to a view point which did have a lovely view but it was so misty we couldn't see very far. 

This small trip to Darjeeling has opened up my new favourite subject for photographs- Old people. They're like works of art!!

Anyway, when I was done asking random old people for photos, we went exploring and came across a Hindu temple/ monkey sanctuary surrounded with thousands of flags. It was pretty weird, people walked around the temple with incense sticks praying and ringing different bells for the various gods. 

Me outside the temple.

Just a small section of the flags!

We didn't feel too comfortable in the temple so we went outside to watch all the monkeys playing around. It was funny when they stole the food the people laid down for the gods.

Me with the monkeys.

The funniest thing I've ever seen a monkey do.

After this we went to lunch and then got cup of tea no.2. This time it was a spring tea called Phuguri. 

Naomi and I drinking tea

We then went looking for the church Anu got married in. And we found it- St.Andrews church. Its beautiful. 

Later on we went looking round the the stalls again and bought a few bits and bobs. The power cut out a few times as Darjeeling hasn't paid any bills for like 2 years so all their electricity is very temperamental! Before dinner we went to the tourist information place to book a car to take us to tiger hill at 4am the next day to see the sunrise and then went and had cup of tea no.3 - Puttabong (My favourite).

On the 26th we got up at 3.50 and met the guy taking us to Tiger hill. It took 40 mins to drive there and then a 10minute walk to the viewing place. 

Boy peeking out of where you buy tickets from.

We went into one of the lounges when we got there but it was so full there was no way we would be able to see anything. So after a while we decided to go outside and brave the cold to see if we could get a better view. It was packed down there too but we spied a toilet block that people had jumped onto the roof of so we pushed past loads of people and made a jump for it! It was such a shame that it was so misty. You're meant to be able to see mt. Everest but we could barely see anything. We did see the sun rise, but this is what it looked like:

The bottom line is, we were watching the sunrise, on the famous tiger hill, in Darjeeling- Even though it wasn't as good as we had expected, just being there was amazing in itself. 

After watching the sun rise we went to a war memorial where there were a group of people dressed up in the traditional clothes:

We then went to a massive monastery called Druk Sa-Ngag Choeling Monastery. About 3000 monks live there... It is massive and sooo colourful.

The monastery

The view from the monastery 

Us with some of the monks

We got back to where we were staying at about 8.30am. Crazy to think we had done so much before breakfast! 

The view outside the monastery. 

After going for breakfast we went and had our very last cup of tea. This time I had a classic Indian tea called Eastern Glory (Assam leaf tea). 

After tea we decided to try again to find the Tibetan refugee self help centre. And we did! It was really good, the people working there were amazing at what they did. Everything they made was by hand on old looms and sewing machines and stuff. 

(this also meant I got to take more pictures of old people....)

Walking back up the hill when we were done here was exhausting. I'm not the fittest of people anyway but because of the altitude it was 10x worse! We went back to the hotel, picked up our bags and went to catch a jeep back to Siliguri where we were met by Pastor Robert who welcomed us into his home. We rested there and had some mo mos (You must try these if you haven't already), played with his gorgeous 4 year old daughter, watched Ellen get attacked by a small dog, then got a taxi to the train station where we boarded our sleeper carriage and sat and wrote diaries. We weren't so lucky with the company on the way home. A very weird Indian man was on the bed just across from mine. He sat there with his huge hairy belly out rubbing it and staring at me. I think he tried talking to me at one point but I really didn't want to communicate with him in any way. Urgh. He kept putting his dirty, thick toe nailed feet up on my bed too. He eventually moved thank goodness and I just put my sheet over me and prayed he didn't return in the night! I swear I had nightmares about it. Not gonna miss weird Indian men staring at me with absolutely no shame. 

We did eventually make it back home safely and after showering went straight to bed. I'm gonna miss Darjeeling, a definite must to go back to. It was so lovely and relaxing and the people there are all so friendly and generous.  

So from today its 9 more days until we fly home. I can literally count them on my fingers. Mixed emotions all round I think. Its gonna be such a busy last week and a half and its gonna fly by. I'm not looking forward to saying my goodbyes, especially to the children at school. But I'm so ready to go home and see my wonderful family and friends. So excited to see people in person and not just on a computer screen! I'm a bit nervous about going home as I don't fully know what to expect, to me England has been at a stand still whilst I'm here but I know things have moved on and stuff has changed. Its gonna be a bit of reverse culture shock too but I'm sure I will settle back in in no time. Going home also means decisions about the future have to be made. But I know God has a plan. And all my trust is in that in hope that I make the right choices and follow him in all that I do. '...For at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up' - Galatians 6:9. 

I may do another blog before coming home but it totally depends on how much time I have. If not I will do one at some point when I'm home! Can you believe I'm writing those words already?!

See you soon!

H x

There 'aint no rest for the wicked... But there is birthday cake!

Wow. So much has happened since I last posted a blog. I was hoping to do one before my birthday but totally ran out of time so this is like a double whammy.


Are you sitting comfortably? Then I'll begin.....


Between the 8th (When my last blog was written) and the 16th March, nothing much happened- Obviously school and Shanti Dan and Freeset but just the usual stuff there. (That makes it sound boring but it never is, promise) We also had more face mask fun! Oh aaaaaand we booked train tickets to go to Darjeeling on the 23rd! Pretty exciting huh?!

Ellen and I.

So the 16th was a little different. Instead of going to Hatibagan school, we went to The Good Shepard school in a large slum (12,000 people) called Basanti Coloney. The room which the classes are held in is tiny.

The first class singing songs

The first class of the day has about 24 students. These children live in the slum but go to a public school and the class is like a homework/extra study class. We joined in with this class, singing songs with them, telling them a story and doing some colouring.

Drawings

The class after this is for about forty-five 3-5 year olds. Its amazing how they fit them in the room, but its nothing compared to the 70 that go there for the bible study sessions. They get taught simple things like numbers and the alphabet in both English and Bengali, until they are capable enough to read and write so that they can go to public school.

The younger class singing.

In this same slum they also hold language lessons, bible studies, youth group, music classes, dance classes, computer classes and on Sunday they hold various classes and worship sessions. They also work in a few other slums doing similar things. Its all quite incredible and such a blessing to be invited and able to take part.


On Saturday 17th, me, Josh and Naomi decided to go to an art exhibition we heard was on. We are trying to fill our Saturdays as we now only have 2 left!!! We got the metro to Rabindra Sudan, got a little lost, but this worked to our advantage as we found a photography exhibition!! We did shortly find the art exhibition after this. They were both really good and really interesting. The art geek coming out in me here.

My favourite paintings at the art exhibition- with the artist!

On the 19th we were up early to go and pick up my daddy from the airport! Any excuse for him to go abroad and he takes it, this time, I was the excuse! When we had collected him, we went straight to Freeset and after dad was given a tour around we went up to Steve's house and his daughter Rachel had baked me an amazing oreo chocolate birthday cake!

Yummy!

After having about 3 pieces of cake, we got on a very busy metro train to Rabindra Sarobar where we then got a cycle rickshaw to a place called ConneXtions where they make pretty much everything out of recycled saris. Its quite amazing.

So we look pretty bored but we were not aware this was being taken! Me and dad on a cycle rickshaw.

Us at ConneXtions.

This was the day when the temperature really kicked it up a notch. It was 34°C but the humidity was on a whole other level so when we got back from ConneXtions we chilled (wrong word to use really!) for an hour before getting ready to be taken for a walk around the lanes of Sonagachi, Kolkata's red light district. Mena, one of the original Freeset ladies came with us which I am so grateful for. Sonagachi is where most of Freeset's ladies came from so it was good for us to see it. We were told before we set out that the ladies here are either owned, traffiked from elsewhere, or "free flyers"- ladies who come and go as they like. We were told that what we were going to see is only a fraction of what there actually is as we were going early. As we got closer to the main lanes of Sonagachi, Mena took hold of our hands, as if I wasn't nervous enough, her holding my hand proved to me that there really was a reason to feel nervous. But at the same time it made me feel safer. As we walked further and it got darker, more and more woman appeared. There were loads. Its so sad. Steve (our supervisor at Freeset) stopped us in one busy street and said "every girl you see here is in the trade" - wow. He said all the ones we see will be over 16, as the under 16s they keep  in the rooms. Its sickening to hear and see all this. I can't write in words how I felt walking down those lanes, holding Mena's hand, seeing all these girls selling themselves so they can afford to live, or because they don't think they have a way out, with a group of guys following us around as if were were famous. My heart just broke for these ladies. We stopped outside one brothel which has 400 girls working in it. 400 girls in ONE brothel. And there were several. Its really sick to think that there are people who are trying to make all this legal. It makes you appreciate places like Freeset so much more. When you see where those ladies come from and the things they had to go through, its amazing to see how happy and free they are now. And to see them singing praises to God every morning in devotions is so beautiful. Please keep the ladies who are owned or trafficked and that feel stuck in the sex trade in your prayers. Pray that through places like Freeset they find God, and they find hope and freedom. These ladies go through many trials and so much abuse with no escape. They are broken people. They don't deserve this. And although its almost impossible to stop it all, to just help one girl is massive. It may only be a drop in the ocean, but drops create ripples. 'For nothing is impossible with God' - Luke 1:37.

Now lets move on to the 20th... Not a special day or anything... Just MY BIRTHDAY!!! 20 whole years old. I was woken up by a knock on the door as a delivery of flowers came for me from mummy!! 

Early morning photos are never good but always seem to happen on birthdays. 

I got out of bed at normal school time as the others told me thas what we would be doing. And when I walked out of the guesthouse gates this is what I saw:

The children from the school

How adorable is that!!! Oh my goodness I couldn't wipe the smile off my face! 

They all seemed so excited too. So turns out we weren't actually going to school, so when we got back into the guesthouse we went up to Anu's house for breakfast and on the table was a chocolate croissant and... here's the biggun... BOVRIL!!! So unbelievably exciting. 

Opening presents at breakfast.

I opened my amazing presents from the team and then dad arrived and we headed out on a very touristy tour around Kolkata- something we thought we ought to do before going home as its something we hadn't done yet. 

Me and dad outside Victoria Memorial.

St. Pauls cathedral.

St. Andrews church.

Josh, me, Naomi and Ellen inside St. Andrews church.

We went for lunch with Anu at a very Indian food court type thing. Then we got the tram home- for the very first time!! 

Anu and I on the tram.

When we got home, Kim who works in the office came to our room and told me I had a phone call. So I walked into the room next to the office and the only light in the room was that of the candles on a cake, and all the staff in the guesthouse were gathered in this room and sung happy birthday to me and I blew out the candles and cut the cake - It was so lovely!!

Us and the BMS staff

We relaxed until 6 when we went up to Anu's house to put our sari's on to go to dinner. 

Naomi, me and Ellen

We went out for dinner at an Italian restaurant called Fire and ice. It was very nice. (That rhymes)

Whilst we were eating though, a riot started up in Park circus which is really close to us. Sooo we had to get home pretty quickly and then dad couldn't get back to his hotel cause the traffic was literally at a standstill. So he stayed over at the guesthouse and went back to his hotel at 5am to go home. Crazy times. All in all I had a really amazing birthday. My team went above and beyond to make it a special day for me and it was just that. I'm so blessed :) 

What a busy time I'm having but loving every minute we have left. 2 weeks today until I go home!! 

Off to Darjeeling tomorrow!! 

The fun never stops..... 

p.s. 'Don't call me luv' ♥