Fast internet here in Darjeeling.

So the trip to India went like this: Crazy taxi ride through incredibly horrible Kathmandu traffic (some of the worst in the world – but I don’t get to Delhi until Friday) 50 mins Free – Incredibly beautiful flight from Kathmandu to Bhadrapur, Nepal with views of the entire Nepali Himalaya 45 mins $156 – Shared taxi from airport to border town of Kakarvitta about 45 mins 300NRS = $4 – Nepali immigration then 15 minute walk across bridge to Indian immigration, both very relaxed – Shared taxi from Panitanki (Indian border town) to Siliguri a little over an hour 90RS = $1.80 – Shared Land Rover (sitting in the way back) from Siliguri to Darjeeling about 3 hours 120RS = $2.60. See, no prob.

I was Sitting at a nice little breakfast spot this morning, reading the Indian newspaper The Telegraph, when I came across this great Op-Ed regarding the election. Thought this would be a good view from afar at what the election means to the rest of the world. It is worth reading the whole thing, but here is the last paragraph:

So, at this Diwali and Kali Puja and Thanksgiving, let us join hands inside our souls and pray, pray hard to whatever god or human spirit that we will be delivered from the Bush-whackers without too much further damage, that we will be spared the McCain years (which will probably pale in comparison to the horror of the Palin years) and for a solid victory to brother Bar-Ob after which we can (cautiously) begin to welcome the United States back into the planet, and then, finally, let’s pray for the new American president to continue to have the courage, sense and genuine empathetic curiosity he has displayed so far, for him to grow rather than shrink in possibly the most important job in the world.

Amen and Happy Diwali!

(photo again stolen)