Sorry that I have not posted in so long! Expect more frequent posts in the future. For now, I hope an overview of my trip to North Bengal can make up for the two week silence.
I guess the best way to begin may be to explain where we went. The term "North Bengal" probably doesn't evoke excitement nearly as much as a different way of defining our location last weekend: the Himalayas. We (the group from CSB/SJU) left last Friday morning on a flight from Kolkata to Bagdogra. From there, a long ride in three vehicles brought us to a two night stay at the Chilapata Jungle Camp followed by two nights at the Neora Valley Jungle Camp. We enjoyed our stay enough that Tuesday's return trip to Kolkata came altogether too quickly.
Our first location, Chilapata, rests within a wildlife preservation jungle. We arrived at night, so all we knew was that our cottages were on stilts and surrounded by dense vegetation. An early morning safari brought us a better view of the wonderfully green jungle. I loved seeing the trees and other plants. This led me to take many photos, which I hope to share soon. We also saw wild elephants and rhinos! They were hidden behind vegetation and difficult to make out, but we saw them! In other highlights from Chilapata, I tried my hand at fishing with a bamboo fishing pole, mostly to say that I did. Then, six of us biked to some villages. We were able to follow paths too narrow for cars, from which we saw a variety of facets of everyday life in these rural communities. In all, it was the perfect bike ride as part of an excellent few days.
Next, we drove for a few hours to the Neora Valley. We passed countless tea plantations before beginning the winding roads into the foothills of the Himalayas. The fog was too thick to allow for visibility of the snow-capped peaks and the passageway to China (yes, we were that close!), but we did see villages and beautiful hills. My first impression was that it looked just like textbook pictures of Nepal, which makes sense in a community so close to the neighboring country that their primary language is Nepali. The best part of our stay in the Neora Valley was a long hike down to one of the most remarkable waterfalls I have ever seen. The site was fantastic! We were exhausted by the time we were done hiking, but the view was well worth the effort! Other highlights from the Neora Valley included: a short exploratory hike off the main road, visiting a Buddhist monastery in the nearby town of Lava, late-night conversations while huddled under blankets for warmth, and trying a local beer (non-intoxicating: children drink it) made with millet. The Neora Valley was COLD, but well worth the visit. Thank goodness the political tensions eased just long enough for us to experience it!
I know that's a lot of information to take in with one blog post, but we were busy! Most people in the group did not even find a chance to shower during the five days of constant activity! I say that not to make you think that we were disgusting, but to show how constantly on-the-go we were (I showered once, but it was too cold at night and in mornings). We loved the food and drank probably close to our body weight in masala chai, a tea beverage similar to what Americans call Chai Tea. I am happy to be back and able to sit (and warm up!), but I'll always have fond memories of this fantastic trip!
In other news...
MORE PICTURES!
I have another PhotoBucket album up! These photos include pictures from our trip to Agra (the Taj Mahal) and my first few weeks in Kolkata. Just click HERE for 75 more photos from my amazing experiences in India. Enjoy!
I guess the best way to begin may be to explain where we went. The term "North Bengal" probably doesn't evoke excitement nearly as much as a different way of defining our location last weekend: the Himalayas. We (the group from CSB/SJU) left last Friday morning on a flight from Kolkata to Bagdogra. From there, a long ride in three vehicles brought us to a two night stay at the Chilapata Jungle Camp followed by two nights at the Neora Valley Jungle Camp. We enjoyed our stay enough that Tuesday's return trip to Kolkata came altogether too quickly.
Our first location, Chilapata, rests within a wildlife preservation jungle. We arrived at night, so all we knew was that our cottages were on stilts and surrounded by dense vegetation. An early morning safari brought us a better view of the wonderfully green jungle. I loved seeing the trees and other plants. This led me to take many photos, which I hope to share soon. We also saw wild elephants and rhinos! They were hidden behind vegetation and difficult to make out, but we saw them! In other highlights from Chilapata, I tried my hand at fishing with a bamboo fishing pole, mostly to say that I did. Then, six of us biked to some villages. We were able to follow paths too narrow for cars, from which we saw a variety of facets of everyday life in these rural communities. In all, it was the perfect bike ride as part of an excellent few days.
Next, we drove for a few hours to the Neora Valley. We passed countless tea plantations before beginning the winding roads into the foothills of the Himalayas. The fog was too thick to allow for visibility of the snow-capped peaks and the passageway to China (yes, we were that close!), but we did see villages and beautiful hills. My first impression was that it looked just like textbook pictures of Nepal, which makes sense in a community so close to the neighboring country that their primary language is Nepali. The best part of our stay in the Neora Valley was a long hike down to one of the most remarkable waterfalls I have ever seen. The site was fantastic! We were exhausted by the time we were done hiking, but the view was well worth the effort! Other highlights from the Neora Valley included: a short exploratory hike off the main road, visiting a Buddhist monastery in the nearby town of Lava, late-night conversations while huddled under blankets for warmth, and trying a local beer (non-intoxicating: children drink it) made with millet. The Neora Valley was COLD, but well worth the visit. Thank goodness the political tensions eased just long enough for us to experience it!
I know that's a lot of information to take in with one blog post, but we were busy! Most people in the group did not even find a chance to shower during the five days of constant activity! I say that not to make you think that we were disgusting, but to show how constantly on-the-go we were (I showered once, but it was too cold at night and in mornings). We loved the food and drank probably close to our body weight in masala chai, a tea beverage similar to what Americans call Chai Tea. I am happy to be back and able to sit (and warm up!), but I'll always have fond memories of this fantastic trip!
In other news...
MORE PICTURES!
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