A Typical Day in Darjeeling

It must be human nature to live by routine, for during our short stay in Darjeeling, Benjamin and I have established a daily regimen.

We start the day at 6 or 7 a.m., 8 a.m. if we sleep in (B's mom and dad must be gasping)and head to the Glenary cafe for breakfast. There, we order up pastries (25 cents each) or porridge (50 cents) or eggs and bacon (1 dollar). We'll read the English paper, "The Statesman," while we sip coffee or tea. I go for the coffee, despite the fact that we are in Darjeeling and can see the plantations where the tea is picked right there below us, from the picture window next to our table.

My favorite part about the morning ritual is reading the crossword puzzle in the paper. Following are a few of the 'best' clues from today:

- Dictionary-maker to apologize humbly, having ommitted line
- Come on Americans! King is in trouble
- Cart taking lover for execution
- Should I rise to seize power, for best results?
- With smell overcoming resistance, one gets stuck into dinner

After breakfast, we'll do some sight seeing. We clocked ourselves at 6.8 miles one day. Darjeeling is a pedestrian town, with lots of hills. Funny thing... they all seem to lead up! It's very tiring and I usually find myself in need of a nap in the early afternoon -- yet there is too much people watching to be had at Chowrasta Square, just up the way from our hotel.

In the afternoon, we can be found with others who laze on the benches that line the square. A cup of Chai Tea cost 3 Rps (14 cents)... or sitting at a cafe with a Coke float and Dosa, a snack from Southern India that's similar to a crepe.

Evening comes and often we eat a light meal and are ready for bed by 8 pm!