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#11 Road to Darjeeling
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To go to Darjeeling, I had to use a station called Mughalsarai, which is quite a distance from Varanasi Junction train station by rickshaw rather than taking a train. I broke up with my sister in a hurry. He is an unforgettable person on this trip, but I kept thinking about breaking up with only a short greeting, ‘Let’s meet again in Seoul!’ The Daejeon brothers I met on the train from Agra to Varanasi had already left for their return home a few days ago. Yongke also arrived at the station on time, but the train did not come.
Indian trains are often delayed in winter, so the locals did not take it seriously. I too have been waiting for several hours now, but I was very sick because of the high fever, the fact that I was alone again, and there was no news that the train would arrive even after 3 hours, so it was painful both physically and psychologically. I wish I had someone by my side.
After 3, 4 or 5 hours, the train did not come. As the night progressed, the temperature dropped rapidly, so I went to the waiting room in the waiting room where people like me were waiting for the train, and closed my eyes for a while.
And at 6 am the next morning, the train finally arrived. It was delayed by 12 hours from the original arrival time. This is unheard of in Korea. With my exhausted body, I struggled to find my seat. I slept so much. I woke up Ina, an Indian sitting in the seat across from me. "Hey! Coming soon to NJPNew-Jalpaiguri!” When I wake up, all the passengers' eyes are on me
It was. After all, I am the only foreign traveler in this train car. It was past 1 in the morning. 'Oh my God! I slept for about 20 hours from Varanasi to NJP. You have such a blessing!’ Besides, as soon as I got on this train the day before, I immediately fell ill after taking the cold medicine I bought in India. I could feel that my body felt so light because I heard the medicinal effect properly. I suddenly felt better. I went to the aisle between the car and the car, smoked a cigarette and came back.
When I came to my senses, the atmosphere inside the train was different from the trains I had been on before. The reason was that there were more Bhutanese riding than Indians. I've seen Nepali a few times in Korea, but this was my first time seeing a Bhutanese. They were very similar to Koreans, but should I say that they are a little more rustic? It was like seeing my grandfather and grandmother's youth. There were strange feelings that transcended time.
And the Bhutanese lady sitting next to my seat looked as warm as her appearance. She asked me my age and she said:
“I have a son the same age as you,” she said. I saw you smoking before. If it were my son, you would have killed me.”
She also handed me her own food as she starved 20 hours fast. The Nepalese and Bhutanese on the train gave me sincere answers to my many questions about Darjeeling in short English. Unlike the playful Indians, they seemed to be a people with sincerity and warmth. If it were an Indian, the answer would have been the other way around.
When we arrived at the NJP station, it was already past 2 o'clock.
If you want to go to Darjeeling, you have to take the Toy Train or Jeep from NJP for another 3 hours.
You can think of the Toy Train as a small concept train that is famous in Darjeeling. But it is so slow that it takes 7 hours. The problem was that it was early in the morning when I arrived, so no means of transportation were running. There was no good place to sleep near the station. Reluctantly, I decided to stay home until 6 in the morning at the train station. It was the first homelessness I had done while traveling, but there was nothing to be afraid of. Nearby backpacker sleeping alone in his sleeping bag
I also put a sleeping bag.
But it was so cold that I couldn't sleep. My ultra-light sleeping bag wasn't enough to withstand the cold of January in Darjeeling. I really liked the thick sleeping bag of the guy sleeping soundly next to me. However, he couldn't be a thief, so he left in search of a warmer place.
Then, through the window of the train station building, I caught my eye on a bed lying on the floor. ‘Aha! It's a retirement dormitory operated by the station!' Because it was late, no one was in sight.
I secretly opened the door and went in and slept among them.
sleeping with the enemy
woke up late I usually have a bright and sensitive sleep, so I fall asleep halfway through.
I tend to wake up early, but I slept without knowing the world for two days on this trip.
Toy Train couldn't even dare to ride, so he decided to ride a Jeep. In the Jeep, I got into an argument with my American grandfather over the front passenger seat with a clear view. In the end, I made the concession, but I felt really dirty. The grandfather cursed me as if he was discriminating against Asians, and gave the driver an extra 1,000 rupees to take a seat. In an instant, I became a displaced person for lack of money.
Traveling in India gave me fear. I was convinced that I had the courage and the guts to face the situation I faced without avoiding it.
But this time it was different. I thought that the minimal respect for someone who has lived a lot longer than me was more important than my feelings. But what he did to me was considered rude.
The 3 hour road from NJP to Darjeeling was so beautiful. However, it was a very painful time for sleeping with the enemy.