Down to Kurseong

To say that yesterday was horrendous would be an understatement. It has nothing to do with India or Darjeeling. I suppose mourning isn't any fun no matter where you are. Today, I tied up some loose ends in Darjeeling and headed down the mountain to Kurseong (the home of Makaibari, Castleton, Goom, Ambootia, and numerous other tea estates). As I descended the mountain, the mist moved from the valleys and the steep hills below my feet to the sky above my head, I felt as if my world was being set upright again. Our stop at an ornately decorated and richly colored Buddhist monastary didn't hurt, either.

Early evening, I settled into my lovely "Old-World Style" hotel and immediately ordered a pot of tea from their extensive tea menu. (Oh, how I love India.) Natalia and I called Makaibari to set up a meeting time for tomorrow, looked out over the garden and nearby locals' houses, and then pampered ourselves with spa services (a massage for her, a green tea facial for me, both very relaxing). Afterward, we ate a meal of spicy wontons (Indo-Chinese food is my new favorite type of cuisine...so tasty, and completely different from American-style Chinese food), vegetable korma, rice, and (our OTHER India staple (besides tea)) bottled water. It's the first meal I've been able to enjoy since yesterday, so I really savored it. It seems that travel or this place or something is demanding accelerated healing. As emo as it sounds, I feel like my heart is being ripped out, torn up, sewn together, and shoved back in all at once. Ah, well. Nothing that a good cup of tea can't help, right? Tomorrow: the famed Makaibari Tea Estate.

Tap Water

It's awfully hot outside today, and NPR has a few things to say about NYC and tap water:

NYC urges residents (and, one would guess, tourists) to drink tap water


NPR talks about bottled water ethics


Personally, I use bamboo-charcoal filtered tap water for regular drinking and for tea. It tastes great and I can use a Nalgene or Platypus water bottle (my favorite, because it collapses as it empties) to carry it wherever I need it without having to send more plastic to the "recycling plant" (read: landfill--very little of your "recycling is actually recycled). In India, I will be drinking bottled water and using purification tablets (with my Platypus) to avoid "Delhi Belly." I'll let you know how that goes.

For more on selecting the best water for yourself and your tea, read Water for Tea.