Ghayabari

Am back again after my day in Delhi. It was actually quite good fun on my own (don't worry, I talked to the rest of the family and they had a great time in Agra). My rudimentary Hindi was enough to earn me a marriage proposal from a guard at the National Museum, who was extremely impressed with meri tora-tora Hindi (with my very small bit of Hindi). To be fair, he must have been extremely bored, as the only guard in a room on the top floor that was half under renovation. I also managed to fit in a Bollywood film, one that was so ridiculous I didn't need to understand the dialogue to be entertained (I think I probably liked it better not understanding much - it wasn't exactly high quality)!

So, back to four days ago. It turns out that it only takes 2 hours to drive directly from Darjeeling to Ghayabari. I think it never took me less than 4 hours when trying to catch a bus/taxi on my own. Because the main road was closed due to an enormous landslide (Mr Thapa took us to see it once we were there), we had to take a shortcut, which entailed a series of extremely steep switchbacks. I think Mum gained a few extra grey hairs over the course of that drive, though I'm pretty sure she kept her eyes shut the entire time. Fortunately, we had a car with good brakes (they were certainly tested throughout that trip), and an extremely good driver, and arrived safe and sound.

To say that I was excited is almost an understatement. It felt really surreal to be back. Even after only a year and a half, Ghayabari had already felt so far away, almost like a dream. Everything was so familiar. It was incredible to introduce my family to my "Indian parents", and I had an enormous grin on my face for pretty much the entire day. The Thapas were in good form, including Pranit (their eldest son, who is now teaching at the school), and the unforgettable Sweetie (who looked pretty good considering she'd recently sat too close to a fire and singed off some fur). The school looks wonderful, now painted a bright blue (to match its name better, I guess), and with permanent walls upstairs (there were just temporary wood walls before). They are also expanding it, and have just recently began constructing three new rooms in the school grounds. Mr Thapa isn't sure which classes exactly will go into the new rooms, but said that it would probably be the noisy ones as they're farther away from the office!

After a delicious lunch (oh, how I had missed Mrs Thapa's cooking!), Mr Thapa took us all off to tour the area in his (literally) brand-new van. We saw this incredible landslide that has managed to block the road for about 6 months already - though "obliterated the road" might be more accurate. It was huge (I WILL try to add in pictures when I get back, I promise), and though they're working to clear it, there probably won't be a road there for another 6 months. Miraculously, nobody died, though it had destroyed several houses. We then drove down to Tindharia to visit Regal Academy, which has already more than doubled in students since when I was teaching. After a quick stop for coffee at 'the loop' (I don't actually remember its actual name), we went for a walk throughout the local tea estate, and watched the sun setting over the plains. It was wonderful.

Mr Thapa had a trick up his sleeve for that evening, and created a wonderful bonfire outside in the grounds that managed to keep everyone warm with minimal smoke. Rather a lot of whiskey that both Mr Thapa and Dad had brought also helped keep everyone warm! It was a fantastic evening, and I think the whole family now loves the Thapas as much as I do.

The only downside to our visit was that it was so brief. We had to leave early the next morning to get to our next destination, which was Gorumaya (I'm sure I'm spelling that wrong) Nature Reserve. It was really sad to say goodbye to the Thapas, but I know that every time I come back to India (and I will!), I will go to see them again. Hopefully it will be soon.