Leaving today for Darjeeling, so spent until 10 o’clock, check-out time, packing… again. It had become the most tedious chore. In normal life packing has excitement attached, because it means a trip or a journey. But when travel is a way of life, packing is as boring as shaving. To make things worse, I was struck down this morning by a stomach upset. At first I thought it was a simple pounushment for last night’s gluttony, but it was not as simple or temporary as that. I felt so struck down that I spent till midday sitting in the cool of the lounge downstairs. I was granted easier access to the toilet down there.
At around noon, I accompanied Val to Amex for one last try to see if her refund has been approved. It was also our last opportunity to collect some mail – tho’ I held out no great hopes. We walked, that being the most hassle-free method of getting there, but I was struck by violent stomach cramps along the way, which were not pleasant. One of the enormous advantages of China is the availability of public toilets. India is almost totally devoid of such things, since for Indians any patch of ground serves the same purpose. But my own scruples were too high, + the pains in my belly not yet severe enough, for me to follow suit. So I gritted my teeth, + we carried on to Amex. Once there, I left Val to fight her battle, while I dived into the toilet.
When I finally emerged, I could see that she was busily signing cheques, so clearly her mission had been a success. The business took a long time, but I was more than content to sit in the cool + wait. So the business was over, with no more serious result than the loss of a few rupees, a severe blow to our pride, + a perhaps more permanent one to our credit rating. There was, however, a bonus this morning, in the form of a letter from Chris Ivory, now moved out of middle-class stupor into a more challenging + rewarding post on the Isle of Dogs – what a wonderful name.
We made it back to the hotel, where I promptly collapsed + slept for much of the afternoon on a sofa in the lounge, feeling shivery + feverish + weak. Happily, the management were kind enough to allow me to sleep, tho’ I can hardly have been a very good advertisement. Had we not already bought our tickets, we would have stayed at least another day, but parsimony forced us on. We discovered that we would have several companions for the trip. Annabel was one (Gordon splitting off + heading for Kathmandu), the dreadful Australian + her daughter 2 more; an American couple we had met, he glorying in the s-f name of Zoltan, she in the all-American Laurie; + finally, as we were getting into the taxi, Chas, Dave, their Japanese friend Toshehiro, plus a small + pretty Japanese lady we hadn’t seen before. All off to Darjeeling – quite a crew.
The taxi drive was like a scene from a film, passing thro’ unbelievable squalor + complete bedlam. It was completely unreal, locked away outside the car windows. That people could live their lives in such amazing conditions was completely beyond us. At the stn it took a little time to find the right carriage – we had all been assigned to no. 2, but discovering which one that was was no easy matter. Once we had done so, however, we checked the passenger manifest posted on the door, + sure enough, there were our names. Our compartment was filled with the group mentioned above (tho’ not the Australians) but tho’ I had made it successfully there, I was now aching all over + could not get comfortable. So I soon excused myself + climbed up on to the top bunk. I should explain – unlike the Chinese trains, which are also 3-tier sleepers, only the top bunk is fixed + permanent. By the mutual consent of people within the carriage, the middle bunk has to be raised – it is at such a height as to make the lower bunk only suitable for lying down. Not, I think, satisfactory. But the berth was padded, + I was soon able to sleep.
Illness again – I thought I had left this behind, but we are in India, renowned for such an impact, so it was hardly surprising. Pleased to be out of Calcutta, especially since it held unhappy memories, and happy enough to be part of a bigger crew, at least for a time.
