A Glimpse of Indian Villages

Days 98-101: I joined the Economics class on their weekend-long field trip north. Our weekend began on an overnight train, which left Delhi at 9pm. We set our alarms for 3am, so that we were awake when we arrived at our destination. However, we weren't finished traveling yet. The train ride was followed by a 5 hour bus ride, through the hills. Incredible views and colder air, both were quite refreshing. The weekend was filled with visits to multiple local schools and conversations with village mid-wives, farmers, and mothers. We visited the nearby cities of Chomba and Dalhousie, mere towns compared to Delhi. All in all, a fascinating weekend!

To the Mountains!

Days 92-95: The program organized a "spring break" trip to Darjeeling, located in the northeastern state of West Bengal. It was cold up there, which was delightful. We spent the first night in Khalimpong, another hill station a few hours away drive along narrow, winding roads carved out of the sides of mountains from Darjeeling. In Darjeeling, we did the usual touristy things, but also found a restaurant the size of a closet, with 3 tables and no extra room to move around. We ate a Tibetan dinner entirely by candlelight. Darjeeling is known for its tea. We had a chance to visit a tea plantation, also carved out of the side of a mountain, thus the pictures of bushes. On Easter morning, we drove up a nearby hill to watch the sunrise over Kanchenjunga, the 3rd highest peak in the world. Needless to say, it was hard to come back to Delhi...

Kerala, formerly known as Paradise

Days 77-81: Five days in Paradise. The Indian state of Kerala includes a series of islands connected by both freshwater and saltwater. There's the Arabian Sea to the west and farther inland are the backwaters. There aren't a ton of pictures, but we spent a day exploring Fort Cochi, right on the Arabian Sea. The next day we got on a houseboat and sailed through the backwaters for the afternoon, night, and briefly the next morning. Afterwards, we grabbed a bus to Cherai Beach, where we stayed in beach huts and spent 2 full days laying on the beach and eating some of the best seafood ever.