The Dawning of 2007

Happy New Year everyone, hope you all had a good one. It's been great to hear about some of them. I got back from Darjeeling a couple of days ago where we had an absolutely fantastic time. From the fully Indian experience of the overnight sleeper train up there to the sunrise on new years day it couldn't have been much better. It was pretty cold up there though. I think we all put on about 4 layers of clothes and didn't remove them for the next 5 days apart from the brief hour and a half hot water window each evening at our hotel (to not change your clothes or wash for 5 days would just be a little too fetid.) It's a bit like a different country up there, probably much more like Nepal than India, a lot of the people living there are Nepalase or Tibetan. It is much more chilled out, quieter, and incredibly beautiful. At about 6500 feet above sea level everywhere you look there are stunning views. Darjeeling clinging to the sides of the hills and dropping down into tea plantations. Us Crow's couldn't be much happier than being half way up a mountain as many of you will know, and I think mum and dad particularly enjoyed the break from Kolkata life; the clean air, the walks in the hills and the backdrop, when it was clear enough, of the Himalayas. We stayed at a very friendly if slightly basic Hotel, ate fantastic home cooked Nepalese food at a little open fronted cafe called Sonam's kitchen and also enjoyed her fantastic masala tea. Walked to monasteries, conversed with monkeys, and shopped in the street markets.

For new year itself we headed to a little bar called Joey's and enjoyed some beers with a bunch of other westerners, then hiked back up the particularly steep hill to our hotel under a clear starlit sky at about 2 in the morning. We got up again at 4 to head up Tiger Hill for sunrise. At about 8000 feet its the local high point and we joined a huge crowd of people to watch the dawn of 2007. As the sky grew gradually lighter to our right, on our left the faint outlines of the Himalayas, and Khangchendzonga particularly, began to appear glowing dark orange against a still navy sky. Daylight increased and the outline sharpened. Then a shout from the waiting crowd went up as a red sun climbed from its cloud bed, at the same time the mountains were illuminated pink and orange in the early light of the new year. Absolutely stunning and awe inspiring.It was and will remain the most memorable new year I've had for a long time.

We were all rather sad to leave and come back to the City, particularly as it meant the end of the trip for my younger sister Hannah who has now gone home. Arriving back in Kolkata on the train just before getting in to the station we passed the aftermath of a large slum fire. Crowds of people stood around the smoking wasteland that had been their homes. They will not be re-housed. A sharp reminder and jolt back to the reality of life in this country.

Hannah Bywaters arrives here on Tuesday which I am totally looking forward to and getting a bit impatient about! We'll head off west together some time next week. I've put a link up to the right if you want to see some more photos.