These are the people in the neighbourhood....

We have certainly met a fair share of interesting people. So for those of you who know the song "The people that we meet when we are walking down the street each day..."
1) Tony*** the local taxi driver: Many of us have a Tony in our lives; dependable, reliable, and can get us from point A to point B in a safe manner. and by safe, we mean - not over the edge of the cliff :).

2) Day-glow Deities: These religious figure heads pop up all over Darjeeling. Whether it's illuminated on the dashboard of Tony's taxi during a dark and fog filled drive, or at the local temples and churches. Even with the frequent power failures, you can be certain to be able to find your way in the dark - because mystically they are always glowing.

3) Moolah*** the neighbourhood money changer: Always ready with the best prices....only if you get it now, because later it cannot be guaranteed. He keeps us up to date on the market situation, the pending bank strike, and the news that the dollar is shaky (any dollar) and will be looking to plummet 7 cents int he next 24 hours.

4) Walt*** the Waiter: Walt has made much progress in his English. At the beginning of the week, a request for coffee was promptly responded to with a nice cup of Darjeeling Tea. Walt taught us that what the hotel menu says it has, isn't actually what they have. By process of elimination... our order becomes their suggestion. Walt has also taught us the virtue of waiting patiently.

Other interesting people to note:
A) the drumming monk walking in front of our window at 6 am. This is truly one person who marches to the beat of his own drum.
B) the barking dogs who we affectionately call the littlest hobos. They sleep all day, and bark all night.
C) The North Point Guards who take their job so seriously, that they refuse to let the guests in. Even Jeff's secret Jesuit handshake couldn't convince them.
D) Glennary's - the Master Baker...no comment.
E) Traffic Police: They blow their whistle, but we are convinced they blow it only when us foreigners are beside them.
F) the Blue Boys of St. Joseph's North Point - This choir performed for us yesterday. There are no words to describe the music that they made.
G)The local Jesuits - they hosted us for dinner last night. With plenty of food, and an open bar, we enjoyed speaking with them and learning about some of the history and politics of Darjeeling.
H) The Gourkaland Patrol- asside form snazzy tracksuits, we aren't quite sure what these guys do. We do know that it is a symbol of political unrest in this area right now. Don't worry mom - we are in safe hands.

***Please note, the names of the people in this post have been changed to protect the identity - but more than likely because we don't know their names.

One interesting thing that happened to us today is that we explored the neighbourhood with one of the founders of Hayden Hall -Noreen Dunn. She met us after teaching at the college to help us find spices in the lower market. She then brought us along for the rest of her errands, which included: a visit to the auditor, the doctor, a local nursing home, a physiotherapist, and to the home of a former students' family who was mourning her death. Being one of the multiple of 7 days, we were invited in to light a candle with monks praying in the home, and to then partake in tea and a meal with the mourning family.
It is not often, as a tourist, that you get invited into the homes and lives of the locals. So, strangely, neither of us felt out of place. It would be easy to, as we were the only white people in the room. But, in this culture that focuses so much of its time and effort on the inclusion of others, neither of us were made to feel out of place - only welcomed.

This is our last day with these people in Darjeeling, as we are off tomorrow to Kolkata on the next leg of our journey. Some travelers have likened Kolkata to the New York of India. Kolkata - the big Samosa.

Catch you on the flip side! We'll talk to you at the bottom of the mountain.
Andrea and Nadia