Looking back

This is one of my favorite pictures of Ethan.  I took it two summers ago, when we were in Darjeeling, India. It was during that summer of travel between Indonesia, Singapore and India, the summer before we moved to Thailand.  

Drawn out by promises of proper coffee, we walked to this small restaurant. I can't remember what it was called, but it had maybe three tables.  Indeed, it served up a proper cup of coffee and a hot, hearty breakfast.  We sat at this table, staring at the foot traffic outside, the fog and cold enveloping the streets.  I don't remember what we did that day.  I probably dragged him out to afternoon tea at the Elgin Hotel. Or, maybe we took a jeep ride to another hillside town. 

I get so caught up in the pace of life in this city. Sometimes I forget all the little adventures we shared.  I don't want to forget; those experiences ground me.  Sometimes I fail to realize life in this city is itself is a little adventure for us. One day, I'll look back and miss the tree-lined streets; the bands/musicians playing in Dupont Circle, causing music to stream into my office in the late afternoon; the rowhouses jutting up towards the sky; all the bits and pieces that make this life colorful.

Crepe cake and a new dress.

Yesterday, my colleague I brought Ethan and me to sample crepe cake at a small cafe in the Phaya Thai Palace.  I would have never found this little gem on my own - it's tucked away on the grounds near the army hospital of all places. The small cafe itself is quaint and in a well-preserved building, such a nice change from the shininess of Bangkok.

Also, I was finally able to wear one of the dresses I had made from the cotton fabrics I bought in Kolkata.

One day in Darjeeling

Some Bangkokian friends tell me that it is autumn in Bangkok.  While it's true that the nights are a little cooler, it's still really hot and humid here (no surprise). 

Can you believe this is the third proper autumn I've missed (and technically the fourth continuous autumn I've spent out of the US)?  It's no wonder that there are days when I simply ache for the small things the change in season brings: the growing briskness in the morning air, cozy sweaters and jackets, woolly socks, tights under my summer dresses, mugs of steaming cider, the crunch of red and golden leaves under my boots, the talk of holiday events looming, Thanksgiving Day. . . 

(I know those things await when we return to the US and at that time, I will probably wax nostalgic all my experiences here.) 

Today, it's the actual cold I miss. 

The closest memory of cold I have is the two weeks of cool, drizzly, jacket weather spent in Darjeeling and Sikkim province.  

The Curio Shoppe.

Still thinking of India.

In northern India, I was charmed by details like Tibetan-style windowpanes and doors. 

To the dressmaker

Fabrics I picked up in India, which I dropped off with Monika during my last trip to the Kingdom.  Dressmakers in Thailand are so much more expensive!  I miss Monika, my favorite tailor in Cambodia. 

Summer redux: Chasing mountains in India.

After Kolkata, we headed north to Darjeeling and then farther to Sikkim province, which is a teeny tiny province with an interesting mix of Indian, Nepali, Tibetan, and Bhutanese cultures.  

It's a stunning part of the country.  As it was monsoon season and travel was invariably done by private jeep (up and down winding roads, with oft-precipitous drops), we were concerned about landslides and getting stuck.  Also, the rainy seasons made for stubborn clouds that obscured views of the Himalayas.

But one day, for a few minutes, the clouds parted long enough to glimpse this view of the Himalayan mountain range, set against the glowing sunset.  On a clear day, you can see Mount Everest, along with Mount Kanchendzonga. 

These pictures don't do justice.

Summer redux: And then, there was India.

We flew to Kolkata, once the capital of British India.  And Kolkata, how do I describe it?  Where do I begin?  Heat, noise, a constant movement of people, a sea of aggressive yellow Ambassador taxis that will run you down in their path, a level of destitution I have never witnessed before - BUT so much more than that.  In this city, we found incredible food, a rich literary, artistic, and educational heritage, crumbling buildings taken over by trees, and so much color and life.  Certainly, that's only scraping the surface.

At times, I found it to be too much.  One day, we took the ferry to Howrah Bridge (one of the busiest bridges in the world, I have been told) and crossed by foot, amongst the crowds, automobiles, stifling fumes, before finding ourselves at the flower market.  Suffering from sensory overload and dehydration, I stumbled into a small eatery for a few minutes to just sit down, in the air-conditioning, away from the noise.

Another day, there was a taxi strike and the streets were considerably easier to walk through. (Otherwise, crossing the street caused me stress because these cabs would not slow down or stop!)  

It was intense and incredible.

Summer redux: What I Ate

Indonesia: Ginger coffee, curries topped with chili and cilantro and other goodness, sate ayam and local delicacies at the corner warung . . .

 

Singapore: The hawker stands are incredible - Chinese, Malaysian, Indian, Indonesian dishes all under one roof!

India: Rajasthani cuisine, sugary Bengali treats, Nepali momos, Tibetan hearty soups, and too many cups of tea, too many plates of masala dosas and aloo parathas.

Found while walking: Sikkim, India

One: Summer is slipping away.

Two: Sikkim, a tiny province in northern India, sandwiched between Nepal and Bhutan, is so gorgeous!  The Portlander in me is greedily drinking up the clean air and green hilltops - well, "hilltops," but more like mountains by our standards - that reach up and up as if to meet the eastern Himalayans.    

The Tibetan Refugee Self Help Center

One day in Darjeeling, we visited the Tibetan Refugee Self Help Center, which is a 20 minute walk from the main town, down a road that winds around the hillside.  In addition to a museum, the center houses a school, an infirmary, and various workshops for weaving, carpentry, etc.  A woman there gave me a lesson or two about natural dyes, which the center uses for its many woven goods.