Day 2

I have arrived in Sikkim!  Greetings from the Himalayan mountains!

I found that the internet modem doesn't work on my laptop, perhaps because it is not configured for Apple products.  Therefore, I have been borrowing my host family's computer, which works just fine but I'm unable to figure out how to upload pictures from my camera.  I will have to post pictures once I get wireless access again.

It is four in the morning on Friday and I arrived here on Wednesday evening.  It was a short flight from New Delhi to Bagdogra airport on Wednesday afternoon. The airport is very small with one building. You depart and arrive in the one and only gate.  The town of Bagdogra is still part of mainland India.  The cows are wandering in the middle of bustling traffic. The beggars are walking from car to car and the smells are the same.  Still, I love it here and welcome all the imploding cultural infusions of the five senses.

Sanjeeb Garung is my guide. He and his family have become my family even in such a short period of time. Sanjeeb was waiting there at the airport for me.  I had been worried that I wouldn't know how to find him but I needn't worry as he knew how to find me.  Although he had driven four hours to come get me, he was just as happy to turn around and drive the five hours back.

The days are short here.  We had eaten a bit of food, curried lentils and paneer cheese with rotis, flatbreads.  Once we had finished it was 5pm and the sun was already starting to set. It took us all together five hours of driving to get to Sanjeeb's home which is in Gangtok, the capitol of Sikkim.

We drove through the darkness and it was like my son, Tenzin's video game of car racing.  Literally we were driving around sharp curves for over five hours. One side with mountain wall and the other side dropping down into what could not be seen except occasional glimpses of a river far below. On top of that Sanjeeb was weaving in and out of traffic. Very impressive I have to admit.

 Half way through we had left mainland India and entered Sikkim.  We had to stop at the border to get a permit to enter the state and get my passport stamped.

We arrived in the evening around 10 o'clock.  That night I had my first deep sleep and awoke only once for an hour.

It is so different here.  Even though the population of Gangtok is around 100,000 people and much like a little city, the nights are quiet.  The air is crisp and cool as the city itself is carved into the mountainside. The streets and walkways are very steep.  I feel a bit like a mountain goat or perhaps my own fantasized version of what a sherpa would be like, wandering the mountain tops.

I spent the day yesterday with Sanjeeb wandering through the city.  It is marvellous here.  There are little shops all along the streets and the walkways are well maintained. Immediately, I feel like a part of the culture. The people look a bit like me, perhaps because of my Mongolian ancestry through my Korean nationality.  It was amazing to me to look around and see people who look like me.  You can see the Tibetan, Nepalese, and Bhutanese melting pot here amidst the Sikkimese.  There are restaurants, touting such cuisines and shops selling wares from there as well as proudly displaying local artisans crafts.  It is the predominant feeling of Buddhism and Sikkim's national pride.  There are very few foreigners here. I think I only counted about three caucasions throughout my whole day.

There are number of things that I have learned in one day:

• Sikkim became a part of India in 1975.  Although there is evidence of Indian culture here it is clear that the people are very proud to be Sikkimese.  I have come to the conclusion that even though Sikkim is a state of India, it still a country in itself.  

• Sikkim is very similar if not the same as Bhutan and Nepal. The countryside is the same as they share the same mountain range.  The face of the people are the same across the board with the variety in the darkness in skin and the effect of Mongolian features.  I feel as though I have left India behind at the border. 

• There is a convergence of religions here, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Muslims. But the main one is clearly Buddhism. You can see it in the effusion of Buddhist relics that is sold and displayed.  
• Sikkim is the only organic state in India. And they are proud to keep it so.  They are adamant about raising animals without chemicals and antibiotics.  The produce is grown without chemical fertilizers or pesticides.  Almost all the food is obtained from local sources.  I ate an egg this morning that had an orange yolk!  And for dinner I had momos (dumplings) made with local chicken.  

• The former king of Sikkim, Chogyal Thondup Namgyal had a beloved American wife, Hope Cooke.  I bought a book that tells all about that era and I am looking forward to reading it.  I believe it is because of this relationship that the people of Sikkim are very fond of Americans.  

I think this is more than enough to blog about in one post.  I have a lot more to share and will write it later today after I have processed my thoughts a bit.  

I will end with a very touching note.  Last night, Sanjeeb showed me the messages that Ming Liu had sent him about my coming.  This happened right before he had passed in late April as he wrote saying that he did not have much time and wouldn't be coming.  He told Sanjeeb about me and told him to take good care of me when I came.  I almost cried because it was like Ming is still watching over us.  He had the foresight to look ahead and make connections when he could.  It is because of these messages that my path has been forged and set before me.  Thank you Ming. It is clear that you are not forgotten and still dearly loved.  

My heart has been made wider and my eyes are clearer.  Life is truly beautiful.  It cannot be measured by materials but by the love we share.

Day One 10/27/15

Food Market in New Delhi

Jet lag is a funny thing.  Your body thinks it wants to eat, sleep or walk or all three at once.  I tried to write on the flight coming out like I have done historically in the past  four years but I couldn’t string a single sentence together.  Now, it is 11:00 pm in New Delhi and after having slept for two hours I can’t resume my sleep.  The joys of traveling half way around the world.  So I dragged out my laptop and proceeded to pull together a much needed update on the blog.  

Every trip to India has been different and this one is certainly no exception.  Perhaps by far this is the most difficult and will be critical in setting the stage for the coming HAP projects.  There are so many unknown factors and in the months prior to this trip even though I had planned and written out in detail the beginnings of this HAP project, it became quite clear that we were running on presumptions.  We still didn’t know if the community at large would welcome an acupuncture clinic.  Where would we set up and who would be interested in taking on this large commitment to learn a whole new life skill and healing art?  All these things need to be explored and discussed with the locals before commencing with any solid base for development plans. 

Some of you have asked me how I came to decide on Sikkim, and I can simply say it was at the request of a HAP board member, Ming Liu.  Over a year ago, John Kokko, another HAP board member, introduced me to Ming via Facebook and suggested that we communicate since we seemed to have the same goals regarding enabling and training local people in destitute areas to do acupuncture.  While I was still very much involved with the Barefoot Acupuncturists in Mumbai, I was intrigued by Ming’s request to go to Bhutan.  I followed up with a visit to California and it was then that Ming and I solidified our decision to work together to produce Ming’s dream.  We labored for months and planned trips that kept getting pushed back.  Finally, we were realizing that Bhutan would be difficult to proceed without some solid connections with the Bhutanese government and their Ministry of Health.  So, Ming said to me one day, what would you think of going to Sikkim? And I said, yes. Hence my trip to Sikkim.  

It is with a heavy heart that Ming passed away last May.  We were supposed to do this trip together and I would like to think that he is with me in spirit.  It is certainly, in his honor and memory that we are proceeding with our plans as he wouldn’t want it any other way.  I am deeply grateful to Ming for having trusted me with his visions and for giving me the inspiration to take HAP in this new direction.  

For those of you who have been following my blog for the past years will remember that my previous trips have been with Barefoot Acupuncturists in Mumbai.  I am indebted to Walter Fischer and the Barefoot family for giving me the whole hearted conviction that this work can be done.  I have seen it in action with this team and their love and generosity towards me has given me the foundation that I will always carry with me with every step I take.  This new direction could not have been done without them.  My only sorrow is that I won’t see them as frequently as I have been. 

This trip was the first time that I flew straight from Chicago to New Delhi.  Fifteen hours.  I have two things to say about that, it’s a long damn flight and why the hell don’t they make the seats with low back support?  Other than that, I liked not having to go through customs twice in Amsterdam at what seems like the middle of the night.  

I ended up getting a hotel room in New Delhi since my last flight doesn’t leave until tomorrow.  A word of advice, if you are going to be needing a hotel for a layover, do your homework beforehand.  Know what hotel to ask for and what the going rate is.  I paid the equivalent of $65 for taxi to and from the hotel and one night. While at the time I thought that was reasonable, the hotel the driver took me to was posted online for $20 per night.  So, they obviously made $30 to $40 off of me as taxi fare is dirt cheap here.  In the end, it doesn’t matter, I have wasted that money on worse things.  In the future though, I’m going to stake out the hotels ahead of time.   

Now it’s midnight. I have a long day of traveling tomorrow. Another flight to Bagdogra and then four hours of driving to Gangtok.  I should’ve brought the melatonin.  More tomorrow.  Good night. Or good day. Sigh.