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Mr. Bean - Avatar - Mr. Bean as Avatar, in The Nettle and Fern |
I had planned to spend Friday afternoon in The Nettle and Fern, my favorite, wi-fi supplied cafe in Gangtok, just a block or two down from my advisor's office, writing about the good parts of life in Sikkim and wrapping up my time there. Unfortunately life had other plans, and I woke up around midnight on Thursday to vomit for the first time on this trip. It was an unexpected surprise, and somewhat challenging to navigate aiming and balance with the eastern toilet in the apartment. I have a lot more thoughts on that topic, but they are all pretty gross, so I won't write them here.
Anyways, instead of flitting about town, I stayed in bed all of Friday napping and waiting for my stomach to settle down. By Saturday morning, I had bounced back enough to pile into a shared Jeep with all of my bags and drive and up and down from Gangtok to Darjeeling.
I am staying in the same homestay as my friend Colleen, and it is really nice to be reunited with a close friend here. She has already begun taking on the role of tour guide, as well as tea guide - her independent project is all about tea and its production here. I have never been so well hydrated or so happy at once. This morning, when we woke up, we looked out from our rooftop room to be greeted by a view of Kanchengjunga, the world's third highest peak. If we can get a view on a clearer day, we will be able to see Mt. Everest, so I am hoping the clouds oblige sometime in the next week.
Darjeeling is less developed and more mountainous than Gangtok, but I don't think I will miss seeing some of the aggressively westernized options leering out from the storefronts.
A common offering in Gangtok. |
We are settled into the favorite western-style bakery in Darjeeling, a powdered-sugar smelling cafe called Glenary's. They are big into Darjeeling tea here - so I am lapping it up, milk-free. What a nice change!
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