1975 Roberta's India Letter -Nov.27

Nov. 27, 1975

Dear Family,

Hi!  Greetings from Darjeeling – it is beautiful here – w/ all the mountains – also the people have a much healthier look to them.  I was glad to get out of Calcutta – it is truly an experience.  Getting here was also an experience.  I left by bus at 8:00 p.m. out of Calcutta.  About 10:00 AM we got to Siliguri.  The bus was labeled DeLuxe – but it was similar to our school buses – only louder, dirtier & very cold.  My window didn't even close all the way.  When I got here I checked w/Indian Airlines thinking I might allow myself the luxury to fly back but no seat available till 2nd of December.  So I'll be going back via the bus.  At Siliguri I had planned to take the famous [Darjeeling Himalayan Railway] toy train but it wasn't running.  So I waited about an hour for a shared taxi to fill up.  Only 56 miles from there to Darjeeling but the ride took about 4½ hours.  The drive here from Siliguri was a beautiful one – the only real problem is the COLD weather.  In my room I can see my breath.  But at night they give you a hot water bottle & when you wake up you get hot tea.  Since I've been here I've had about 5 or 6 layers of clothing on – 24 hours a day!  I met a girl here from Toronto, Canada.  We have been out seeing the sights.  Yesterday we walked out of [to] Mt. Herman School – I was going to look up one of the Meth. people for the 1st time.  It was a beautiful school but the people (Meth.) were out of town.

I'll be sending some film home soon.  Please see to it that the [looks like 2akhems] get to see the wedding pictures.  The wedding was truly beautiful.  I just hope the pictures turn out OK – as I'm not so good at checking whether it is switched outdoors/ or indoors.  I have seen much poverty but have taken few as to it – as I don't want to remember India that way.  Any way it will be awhile before I forget the sights I saw in parts of Calcutta.

I have bought my tickets & made reservations to Puri, then back to Calcutta then to Bombay.  Train reservations are hard to come by – travelling from place to place in India is no picnic (from buying tickets to actual getting there).  It cost me 60 Rupee ($7.20 for Puri-Calcutta (Round Trip) and 1 way to Bombay.  That is 2nd class – 50% off.  That all together is 4 nights on the train!

Please send me Amer. stamps – they can be cheap ones – to Bombay.  I'm doing fine – and anxious now to get to Puri – Hot weather again!

Love, Berta