Originally I had hoped to visit Darjeeling, a former British hill station located in the foothills of the Himalyas for the cooler climate, the views and of course to drink some tea. On the second day in Calcutta, the morning newspaper arrived and the headline read "Khukuri slash reopens gash. Cop shots kills two, hills on fire." What!?
Apparently, there is a conflict between the government and a group of the population that wants independence from the state of West Bengal. A female government official was bayoneted. In retaliation, police opened fire killing two young protesters. Later a government tourist office was set fire in a town near Darjeeling. Now a strike exists and all three roads going north into the hills are closed. As an alternative, tourists are being directed to visit the state of Sikkim. The quagmire is that many many people are now trying to obtain bus tickets to the capital city Gangtok in Sikkim. In support of the strike, no private cars are driving there -- only government escorted buses are available. It's quite an interesting calamity. Tomorrow we will try to get tickets, to Sikkim, not Darjeeling. Paul plans to wake up early and join the line. We will see.
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