Darjeeling-Sikkim – Afterthoughts

04. May 2025

 

 

Cheerleader dancing with pom-poms has its roots in India! For sure!

 

I don’t think I’ve ever made such a ‘mixed-up journey’ before. In theory it all looked sensible and logical to me, but in practice it didn’t go so well. I’m not dissatisfied at all, I’ve gained important insights. Which perhaps wouldn’t have happened if everything had been ‘simple’. The famtrip, which I didn’t really want to write so much about here, played a big part in this. But it’s good to put some things in writing to the ‘other blog reader’, so I’m doing it here. And because I took some photos that I like during this time, I’m using them here as illustrations.

 

Being in India without being in India

I used to make fun of those package tours where people travelled from the hotel to the bus to the sightseeing attraction to the bus to the next sight to the bus to a tourist restaurant for lunch to the bus again, etc. That’s no way to get to know India! And then suddenly it was exactly the same here! That threw me into a bit of a crisis: is this how Diamir tours are? Or was it down to the guide, who I didn’t get on well with? Or the heat, which hardly allowed us to stroll around? On the first day, I dared to rebel a little and asked if we could stop and talk to the people, etc. No go. I was quickly put in my place. No time and all that. And since most of the guests were somehow a little unfamiliar with the Indian reality of dirt, noise, intrusiveness etc., I kept quiet. And thought: not then. But I wouldn’t (be able to) lead trips like that! I contacted a colleague at Diamir: yes, contact was welcome! Later, a traveller also told me that it had been far too little for her. I mentally cancelled this tour and hoped that I would be able to lead at Diamir in the way I was used to and liked.

 

The indian Guide and the leading

I had led a few trips so far and sometimes received negative feedback, but that was very, very rare and somewhat specific. My co-guides were always great people who usually went along with what I wanted. But this time I had to deal with a very stubborn gentleman who declared in advance that I was practically the boss, but actually did a lot to prove to me that I had no authorisation to do so. As a result, I didn’t really have a job any more. I didn’t even need to translate, as he spoke German. I was only supposed to listen to his worries and needs, especially with one of the participants. Phew, I found that an immensely difficult situation! I was unsure, as I was basically representing Diamir. In general, it was difficult to conceptualise the whole thing properly. And I couldn’t think of a solution. Confrontation? But how exactly – he was practically one of the best guides at the agency who didn’t get any negative feedback. Maybe I was completely wrong in my travelling world? And how would it look if I were to argue with him now? He took criticism or requests very badly. I kept quiet. And I’m still pondering whether it could be solved in any other way. What was also definitely difficult: he was a Hindu/Modi enthusiast (I wasn’t at all), blamed the Muslims for umpteen problems and belonged to the highest caste. I would probably ask the agency about these things beforehand the next time I was a co-guide. Afterwards I told them about these difficulties: they were surprised, but took what I said very seriously.

 

Tiger fears: not realised

I was afraid that I would react as strongly emotionally and disgustedly as I did with the lions in Gujarat. But it didn’t get that bad. Maybe because I was inwardly prepared for it. Nevertheless, I still can’t get anything out of spotting animals.

 

A difficult participant

It was clear in advance that there would be difficulties and that was also exhausting on site. But I think it went according to the circumstances. In any case, I wasn’t dissatisfied with myself. But I’m still amazed at how different some people are to me and the kind of people I know, but also how they react to certain things. So completely different to me. I don’t want to write any more about that here. The fact is that it kept me very busy and then also exhausted me.

 

40plus degrees

I knew it would be hot. But 40 plus degrees in the first half of April is pretty intense! At least it was dry. That certainly contributed to my fatigue/exhaustion. And I swore to myself: never again travelling around the Indian plains in April!

 

9 peculiar funny great and interesting people

All the travellers are working in tourism and therefore automatically seem to be nice and friendly. It was actually very exciting to see how they dealt with the challenges – we just didn’t talk about it that much. Over time, more and more of the individuals’ idiosyncrasies crystallised, which everyone was able to live with, at least for the duration of the trip. While I sometimes ‘had’ to withdraw, they often hung out with each other even more. But that also made me very happy. At the very least, the feedback afterwards meant that I could definitely imagine organising such trips again.

 

take up space

And so this part of the 3 weeks took up a lot more space than in this blog, which was actually supposed to be about Darjeeling/Sikkim. I thought it would be a great idea to let everything sink in during a trek. But it was too much and took up more and more space and I was constantly thinking about the new things I was experiencing while trekking. And as the new things weren’t as positive as I had hoped and I was still spinning my wheels with my emotions and thoughts, it all took up more space than there was.

 

The challenges of India

The group had to deal with dirt, noise and intrusiveness. I also struggled with the dirt. I’ve kind of got used to the one lying around, but when I’m inside and especially when I’m sleeping, I seem to get more and more sensitive to the smell. I can then crawl into my inlet, but feeling comfortable is something else. The difficult thing is that the Darjeeling/Sikkim area is so much more humid – and humidity is an unpleasant odour producer and intensifier.

 

And then the lack of love. Or is it the indifferent attitude? Towards where you live – and sometimes also towards the people you meet. Well, I don’t care about many people either, but if you have to deal with them professionally, for example because you are a lodge host, then it would be nicer if you’d care a bit more. India likes to boast or adorn itself with the saying ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’ – the guest is God. The reality sometimes lags quite a bit behind this. Sometimes, I like the ponderousness of Indians. But sometimes I don’t. Especially when I’m longing for warmth and hospitality.

 

This traffic sometimes got on my nerves too. Or rather, it happens every time in Sikkim/Darjeeling that I am so tired of the crawling, bumpy, congested bends. And then I long for speed. Like on a German autobahn without traffic jams. But I always forget this longing as soon as I get home. But so far, it has hit me every time I’ve been there.

 

The nice things

Despite these difficulties, I also experienced a lot of great things and had wonderful moments and laughter. Especially laughter. One of the Famtrip travellers had such an infectious laugh, it was contagious. But the other travellers also had lots of funny moments. Gopal in Sikkim is very funny anyway, I always have a laugh with him.

 

And I learnt so much again! What has changed, who is connected to whom and how, what measures India’s government is taking or not taking, lots of complaints about corruption, unforeseen experiences and encounters (it seems to me that the chance of this happening is higher in India than anywhere else), and so on. And the dancing, I really enjoyed that and would like to have more lessons.

 

Time

Like the 2 previous trips to India, I couldn’t cope with the short time. When you’re already there, you pack a lot in. It doesn’t work. I’m going to give it a miss! Either just a business trip and straight home again – or stay much longer. And also time to let things sink in. The older I get, the more necessary that seems to be.

 

Darjeeling/Sikkim

I can happily do without Darjeeling, at least for the next few years. Instead, I’d like to see Kalimpong again on my next visit to the area and perhaps also the villages around it. I really need to visit Sikkim more extensively, a lot has changed there and I’ve never done many of the attractions anyway, such as bird watching, natural herb walks, festivals, more village visits and various day hikes. And spending time with Gopal’s family is actually great too – it’s just this route to/from Gangtok that’s a bit annoying.

 

Conclusion

I’m already looking forward to my next trip to India! Because: it’s never boring! But then definitely with more time!