toy trains and turkeys

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

I am missing home, thinking about pies and the Macy's Day Parade... everything that is good and true in the world, eh? I did, however, have a Thanksgiving adventure of sorts and for that I am thankful.

I traveled overnight from Santiniketan on some boring old India train... it was lame, so I slept the whole time. Then I arrived at 8:30 am in New Jaipalguri, where I was to board that Toy Train to Darjeeling at 9 am. Quick turnover! It was hectic, but I made it. The train pulled up and, to my surprise, it really is just a toy train. It was blue with yellow trim (very becoming) and had only 4 cars, each about 25 feet long. That's a pretty small train. Unfortunately I don't have ANY photos from the whole journey because my camera battery died (AH! It sucks, you don't even need to tell me). But, it's in the mind and I'll tell you a little about the trip...

The train is small for a reason. Basically we were going up and up and up on the smallest track possible through the most amazing terrain. It was just hills and then just mountains and we would pass through small villages where the train must be a part of everyone's life, because it goes straight through the markets and rights next to people's doorsteps. It was so much fun riding around through these villages. Little kids would pop out of doors and wave and then all the school children would pile into the cars to get a ride to the next town. It was crazy and fun and loud and increasingly cold.

Yes, it's very cold. So cold that I think I'm going to putt long underwear on under my carhartts. So cold that I need MITTENS! I couldn't be happier. I want to be cold. Thank Thanksgiving for coldness.

The train ride was also incredibly beautiful, of course. Beautiful in a way I didn't expect. It was freezing in the mountains, but there were marigolds and poinsettas blooming everywhere, and morning glories were wound around the bamboo in the forests and were all in full bloom. It was so bizarre. As we ascended the vegetation got a little more sparse, but basically it's still lush and jungle-like, just with huge fir trees instead of bamboo.

My hotel is lovely. It's located at the tippity top of the hill that is Darjeeling, and my room looks out on the mountains! Well, I assume it does, because right now it looks out on fog. I hope that clears up soon. It will, I can feel it.

I'm going to go feast now. All I have had on this Thanksgiving day is a bowl of rice. WHAT?!? It's time to eat.

Love to all, missing you and happy turkey eating.
This is an erratic post, c'est la vie.