Howie-n-Karen: Asia

Assam

We entered India on the 29th of March. The last week of the birding tour was spent in Assam. We were joined by Bee Choo and Piqua (sorry P, I’m not sure this is spelled correctly), who were keen birders and a great addition to the group.

We stayed at Bon Hami, a resort in Kohora, just outside Kaziranga N.P. The guides took us on safaris in open jeeps. We saw the big 4 (elephant, one-horned rhino, wild water buffalo and TIGER!–on the last day, after Kenny, Bee Choo and Piqua left) along with many birds. Until the tiger came along, the other big animals were merely fun to see. We also went into nearby forests and tea plantations.

Tea pickers

Some mammals: elephant, rhino, swamp deer, Assamese macque, Bengal tiger

The weather has been surprisingly pleasant. We were expecting it to be hot and it’s been cool in the mornings and evenings and very pleasant during the day, with cooling breezes. It’s rained the last three evenings but the days have been dry.

Some big birds:(guess)

Our guide, Dirien, invited us into his home to meet the family and see his handiwork (mud and dung over bamboo beams and woven walls); we were served the world-famous Assam tea. His mud daubed house was as neat as a pin, the walls curving into the floors and even the kitchen stove.

tool collection

Dhiren & familysilk moths

They keep the cows in a stall in the back yard and the silk moths in the bedroom. We bought a shawl of raw silk fabric she wove from the silk thread she made from the cocoons.

Guwahati

The group stayed in Guwahati at the end of the trip where we had a sumptuous dinner at the Dynasty Hotel.We spent the next 2 nights in Guwahati with Dana. The first night was at the Sweet Home Hotel: not to be recommended. We hired a cab to take us from the top notch Dynasty to the Tibet, which was full. Then we tried 2 more to no avail. When we got to SH we took it out of desperation more than anything else.It was the kind of place where you are afraid to touch anything; we slept in our sleepsacks over their sheets.

In the hustle of unloading the cab, I forgot my laptop and discovered it missing only after the driver, who stuck around to see if we needed him the next day, left. Luckily he wrote down his name and a phone number, which I called right away, but the person on the other end of the line hung up on me. For about five minutes I could have cried. What a sinking feeling that was, to lose the computer as well as the RAP folio that had Howie’s credit cards.

Ever since we started our travels we have hired our own vehicles or were taken care of by folks we knew. The first time we get into a cab, I pull this stupid feat. While I was trying to call for the second time Rahman, the cabbie was back with the backpack. Whew!! Needless to say, I gave him a reward and we used him again the next day and for our ride to the airport. We switched to the Hotel Nova, a few blocks away; the extra cost was worth it.Aside from that, we found not much to keep us there and we left for the airport early the next morning.

Darjeeling

We flew to Bagdogra; Dana flew to Kolkata. A taxi took us to Siligouri, where we picked up our permits for Sikkim (no charge!). Continued on to Darjeeling, a 6-hour ride up steep, winding roads. This part of the world is full of such thoroughfares. The harrowing part of that journey was our lack of a horn. All the way up there are signs alongside the road warning drivers to go slow, pay attention, honk at each curve. It was a definite liability, as many drivers don’t have side-view mirrors and we had trouble passing the big trucks that like to hog the middle of the road, until the cars behind us honked loud enough.

We found Darjeeling interesting. There were more tourists there than any of the other places we have visited so far. There are a few old colonial places that are still standing from when this hill station was used to escape the heat of the lowlands during the colonial era. We walked around and ended up at the zoo, which is by the Himalayan Mountain Institute. The red pandas were captivating; hope to see them in the wild when we go to Sikkim. Got to check out the pheasants, which are the reason for our plans to trek in higher elevations.

Kalimpong

Took a taxi down the mountain from Darjeeling, crossed the River Teesta and went up to Kalimpong. Our friend and travel agent (Gurudongma Travels and Treks), Cathy Lobo invited us to visit her at her hilltop home.

It was a time to consider our options, which Cathy helped us do. We walked up to the top and took in the monastery there. There was also an impossible golf course.

The day before we left, the clouds broke and we saw the mountains, our next destination.

(More photos to come.)