The Great Wall

View of a section of the Wall we hiked, from the peak where we watched sunrise


Sun rising over the jagged terrain that the Wall straddles



The zip line we took down from the wall after hiking 11 km of wall. (Our hotel was at the south end of the lake in the upper left of the photo.)

A portion of the Wall we hiked, which extends to the peak of the hill in upper left of the photo, and looked the same behind me, four times over, to get back to our start point.

Some of the 67 towers along the portion of the wall we hiked. Each one guarded by a farmer selling overpriced refreshments to the ill prepared tourists.

The stonewall, ditches and natural barriers that make up 'The Great Wall' stretch some 5500 miles across the country from east to west, and were created in order to keep out the Mongolian hoards that once threatened China from the north. We covered a mere seven miles of the Wall just northeast of Beijing, and every bit of the hike was either up or down hills and stairs, which also makes the Great Wall great exercise. Along the route, we saw more local farmers turned refreshment salesmen, than other tourists, which meant the salesmen were pretty keen on getting you to buy from them. Occasionally one would actually offer a decent price, but most just tried to convince you that it might be your last chance to get a drink this cold on the Wall. Fortunately, since they had to haul the large coolers up the hill and across the wall, they made little effort to stand up or follow you while trying to talk you into refreshments, so the hustling only lasted as long as you stuck around.

In addition to the hawkers, there was also a point along the wall where you cross into another province, and they post a toll keeper to get their cut of tourism revenue, despite the fact that everyone pays to get on the wall in the other province. Since we were with a guided group, we knew this was coming, and our guide paid the toll. However, some of the other tourists were taken a back and thought it was just another scam, or farmer trying to make a buck and refused to pay. One even went as far as to double back up the wall to a point he could climb down to a path that bypassed the toll. And, just like the refreshment salesmen, the toll keeper seemed unconcerned and wasn’t about the abandon his post to intercept the guy and make him pay.

Our tour also hired a local guide to take us across the wall. He began the trip showing some promise by getting on the buses microphone and telling us a little about Beijing. He noted the obvious, that the city had a lot of cars and bikes and that the city wall had been torn down to make room for more roads. And, he closed by saying he would tell us more about the Great Wall when we got closer… he did not. As a matter a fact, not only did he not tell us any more about the wall, while we were hiking the wall, he offered no information about the route, tolls, or history and trailed along within the group like he was just another tourist. When the members of the group did ask him questions about the wall, he had little to no information of use to them. For instance:
Question: "Hey Mr Knowledgeable Guide, when was the wall built?"
Answer, from said 'knowledgeable guide': "From time to time."

From time to time!?! What kind of answer is that?! Although it is kind of accurate, since the wall was built, re-built and fortified from the 5th century BC until the 16th century AD. But still, ‘from time to time?!’ is a little vague. Maybe he could have told us that the Qin Dynasty unified China’s states around 220 BC and significant work on the wall occurred then. Or, that in the 15th century, the Ming Dynasty fortified the wall defenses with the much more elaborate and extensive stone fortifications we see today.

Or maybe, he was just an idiot and really hadn’t even paid attention during his history class. Or even, might have been a high school drop out, and the only job he could pull was this English speaking gig, which applied all language skills he cultivated by watching U-tube and MTV! In the end, I don’t know if I should be mad at him, or the travel industry that hired him to be a guide without any qualifying knowledge or skills.

Aahhh, well, maybe I should just let it go and get back to my experience on the wall. Our group finished the hike in four hours, which our more knowledgeable long term guide for the trip across China, informed us was the fastest any of her groups had ever hiked the wall. (She also later acknowledged the fact that our guide for the Wall, was indeed incompitent.) We were proud of our speed hiking skills of course, although we really had taken our time. Stopping for lunch and pictures along the way... chatting with our expert guide about the walls construction. Really, it was not that impressive a feat, but to reward ourselves, we stopped for an ice cream at the end of our hike. China has some interesting ice cream flavors, like corn, bean and even green peas. However, we settled on the less extravagant flavors like Vanilla with chocolate shell. After our ice cream, we capped off the experience with a zip line ride, which took us from the edge of the wall, over a lake, to a boat that delivered us to our hotel's doorstep. Now that's what I call traveling in style.

Our hotel was simple, but was set on a lake with a beautiful view of the wall towering above along the jagged hillside. My one complaint about the place was the fact that they built the rooms all facing into a courtyard with no windows facing out across the lake to capitalize on the impressive view. The terrain was so harsh you almost wondered why they even bothered building a wall atop the jagged hills, and in fact, portions of the wall were little more than a leveled brick path along the top of hill to accommodate troop movements. However, in the morning we learned just how arduous and slow such troop movements must have been.

We awoke before dawn to climb the wall for sunrise and at first found ourselves trapped within the confines of the hotel walls. After wondering through the kitchen and back alleys of the staff, we finally found a way out and headed for the wall. Our hike was entirely up hill, and what started out as a leisurely stroll, soon became a stair-master championship as we raced against the imminent sunrise. For some the early morning climb proved too much, and they enjoyed the sunrise from points along the way.  However, a few of us made it to the peak and were rewarded with breath-taking views of the of the jagged terrain of sharp peaks separated and accented by the early morning mist that filled the valleys between.

Looking out over the terrain, I again had to wonder how the Mongolian forces ever made successful advances on China. But as Sun Tzu said:
“Military tactics are like unto water; for water in its natural course runs away from high places and hastens downwards... Water shapes its course according to the nature of the ground over which it flows; the soldier works out his victory in relation to the foe whom he is facing. Therefore, just as water retains no constant shape, so in warfare there are no constant conditions. He who can modify his tactics in relation to his opponent and thereby succeed in winning, may be called a heaven-born captain.”

So too was the weakness of the wall, for in the valleys below, concealed by fog, were the rivers that divide the wall. Since the wall was discontinuous the Mongolians only had to find the weak points, which is true of any static fortifications. The French made the same mistakes when they built elaborate and extensive static defenses along the Maginot Line after WWI, only to watch the Germans slip through the cracks at the onset of WWII. But I digress, really you have to, whenever there is an opportunity to rag on the French. The sunrise was beautiful, the Mongolians were peaceful and hundreds of miles away, and I had to get back down the mountain to catch a bus back to Beijing.

Beijing Temples/Palaces (30APR-3MAY)

Veiw of the Forbidden City from north, Tienanman Square is on the horizon beyond the City.


Palace of Governance in the Forbidden City


Group photo in Tienanmen Square with locals slipping in. In front of us was our lone guide with all our cameras surrounded by a hoard of May Day visitors to the Square taking pictures of the Westerners.

Emperor's Prayer Hall at the Temple of Heaven.

Summer Palace

On my second day in Beijing, I was ready to get back into the culture and history with a trip to the Summer Palace. The palace is a large and beautiful complex of temples and palaces built around a large lake. It was renovated/refurbished by Empress Cixi with funds meant for the Navy... one of the risks of putting national defense funds in the hands of an Empress I suppose.... at least it is built around a body of water, which is kind of associated with the Navy. Anyway, Empress Cixi actually has an impressive history of rule from 'behind the curtain' at the end of China's imperial period. She began as a concubine, but provided the Emperor with his only male heir. She then went on to rule, through control of her son, followed by her nephew, until her death in 1908. During her time of influence, she gained the nickname Dragon Lady, for her charm I'm sure, which has stuck until present day. But I digress.

Back at the Summer Palace, the grounds were quite impressive and a section of it now serves as a bit of a museum for Cixi with pictures of her around the Palace grounds, the opera house that she had built for her, her car (a first in China) and many other items of memorabilia.

After returning to the hostel that evening, I met a German couple and a guy from Australia, who I joined for a trip down Wangfujing Street, a famous snack food street lined with food stalls, where you can eat a little of nearly anything. We tried fried silk worms, which tasted like pumpkin seeds, but had a mushy middle; snake, which I really thought was squid; sheep testicle, which surprisingly tasted like chicken, but also with a mushy middle; and some normal snacks like fried dough covered in sesame seeds; chicken, which thankfully tasted like chicken; and sweet tea (with dry ice in it, so it would fit in with the crazy stuff.) The Australian also tried cat, which smelled like a litter box, but looked like beef; and a sea urchin, which almost made him vomit. In addition, there were scorpions and an assortment of other strange insect and meat kabobs.

The vendors were great entertainment, as they tried to sell us everything they had to offer. If you were to believe them, everything was an aphrodisiac to improve male stamina. Possibly more amusing, was watching the reactions of both the people eating the 'delicacies' as well as the audience of curious passer-by's that gathered to watch the more courageous, or theatrical, diners trying the stranger items on the menu.

The next morning, I awoke without being sick, which I suppose is a bonus, and headed for the Temple of Heaven. I expected it to be a quiet place of reflection, but instead found the surrounding gardens were more like a public park with crowds of locals playing cards, doing Tai Chi, watching local musicians jam, and enjoying all the other festivities one might expect to find on a sunny day in the park. It was also the May Day holiday weekend, so the place was packed with Chinese tourist from around the country, who overwhelmingly out numbered western tourists.

The temple was interesting, but several areas were closed, possibly due to the large holiday crowds. The buildings and grounds were impressive in the first place, but the fact that the emperors only used the temple once a year to conduct large ceremonial animal sacrifices and prayer for good harvests made its grand scale even more remarkable. The grounds cover nearly three square kilometers. Plus, the emperors prayer hall is a three tiered round temple made entirely of wood (no nails!) that stands over 100 feet tall and sits on three more round platforms of marble... and the emperor only prayed here once a year! I had mentioned some of the unfortunate losses of historic Beijing, due to the Olympic preparations, in my last post. However, one of the good things brought about by the games was the restoration work on tourist sites, like the great wall and temples like the Temple of Heaven, which reportedly had a five million dollar facelift before the games and renovation work was still ongoing.

In the evening, I met my new tour group and leader and continued the adventures in dining from the day before. This time the delicacies were frog, which tastes like fishy chicken, but was chopped up with bones and all, which made it too much work to pick the meat from the scrap to make it worth eating; and duck stomach, which was like really chewy beef. Again, I made it through the night without getting sick, so I count it as a success.

On day two of the May Day holiday, we headed for Tiananmen Square. The fair-haired girls in the group quickly became the tourist attraction, to all the Chinese tourist in the square. Then, when we all gathered for a group photo in front of the Forbidden City, a huge crowd of local tourists gathered in front of us, to take pictures of the white people, as well as slipping in amongst the group to be in the picture.

About a month after our visit, the world observed the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square Massacre (or The June Fourth Incident/Movement as it is called in China). It was interesting to see some of the few images of the aftermath and recognize the buildings in the background around the square, which were all built in 1959 to mark the 10th anniversary of 'new' China and have not changed since that deadly day in June 1989. In China the anniversary was not recognized, nor was it discussed during my tour of the square. An estimated 400-800 people were killed, many more were arrested, and immediately after the event, foreign journalists were restricted to their rooms and banned from the country all together.

We continued our tour from Tiananmen Square into the Forbidden City past the ever following eyes of Mao, whose photo stands tall on the outer wall of the city over watching the square. The Forbidden City is an impressive work of extravagance built on the backs of a people forbidden from the grounds for five centuries, until the fall of the empire in the early 1900s. The day I visited, due to the May Day holiday, it felt like half the country was trying to get a peak inside the walls. During the visit, I also learned even Starbucks had gotten a hold of some forbidden real estate until they were kicked out in favor of a local coffee house chain. The central spine of the Forbidden City had a similar lay out to most palaces I had visited in Asia, with 'business' palaces up front for the Emperors meetings with government and military officials, followed by the Emperors 'office palace' and then the 'living quarters' palaces for Emperor and Empress, and finally the gardens at the very back. However, the city also had a large west wing for up to 3000 concubines and an eastern wing for the emperor’s children and family. The concubine section included more of Empress Cixi's memorabilia recording her rise from the bottom rungs of concubine city to the top of Empire.

The last temple/palace I visited while in Beijing, was the Yonghegong Lama Temple a Buddhist Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism, which served as a palace for Prince Yong Yin Zhenin the 1700s before being converted into a monastery. Today, it remains a significant monastery and houses the largest Buddha carved from a single piece of wood, which stands nearly over 75 feet tall. The grounds were not as grand as the other palaces and temples, but they were very busy with Buddhist patrons coming for prayer and a few monks as well. The air was thick with the smoke of incense sticks carrying the prayers of the faithful to the heavens. The sticks were planted, like the needles of a porcupine’s back, in large pots outside each temple. Inside the temples were various statues of gods and Buddhas, which represent or are dedicated to different Buddhas of past, present, future, healing, good fortune, wisdom etc. Unlike the other temples and palaces across Beijing that were loud and busy with tourists, this temple was tranquil and truly felt like a place of reflection and worship.

Beijing Arrival and Day One(28/29APR)

My arrival into Beijing was exhausting, with over 48 hours of travel from Darjeeling to Siliguri (it's fun to say, but not to stay), Mumbai, 18 hours at the airport before Singapore, and finally Beijing. Once I arrived I then had to find my way from the Airport to my hostel, which I had been told was a challenge in itself. Some friends had stayed there and arrived in Beijing at midnight, got dropped off in the wrong area, walked for hours until they found a friendly, English speaking, local that could direct them in the right direction. Luckily, I arrived in the middle of the day, but I was still a little nervous. I took the bus into town and then tried to catch a cab, but for some reason, when I told them the address they refused my money and sped away, which I found quite odd. A cyclo driver was willing to take me, but I thought it was too far for him to be pedaling me, and he was charging too much. I met a girl from the west who knew her way around and she recommended the subway and was heading that way when another taxi driver offered his services. Of course, once he knew where I was going he changed his tune, but directed me back to the same cyclo driver! I was tired and surrendered to his eager service. He pedaled me through the back allies of the city, past all the local laborers in their uniform dress of overalls and plastic yellow hard hats. They all seemed to be heading home for the night as well and the sky was beginning to dim with the setting sun. Finally, my driver popped out on a main road running along the east side of the Forbidden City, and I knew my hostel was close. I spotted the sign and pointed it out to my driver, who didn't understand me and kept on pedaling down the road. Fortunately, he stopped to ask directions about a block later and got turned around. It was great to finally arrive and my hostel was cozy with a welcoming common area and I settled in for dinner there, too tired to seek out the local cuisine.

On my first full day in Beijing, I got a late start after chatting the morning away with a girl from Munich. She had traveled through SE Asia for 18 months on 6,000 Euro! I couldn't believe she could survive that long on so little money. Apparently she did a lot of home stays in small villages surviving on fish and rice... not exactly comfort, but impressive all the same.

In the afternoon, I met up with another guest at the hostel from Sweden, Tor, and we headed out to explore the 798 Art District. On the way we met up with a South African girl headed the same way and she joined our duo as well. I was looking forward to a break from the cultural/historical sites and the art district sounded like an interesting way to do it. The area is very large and covers several city blocks of old industrial buildings, which have been converted into art galleries, studios, coffee houses and restaurants. The art spills into the streets as well, with large sculptures of everything from babies on tanks, to cafe seating areas set up to look like a bird cage for patrons. Even some of the buildings were artsy, like a store front covered in PVC pipes and a coffee house with a glass door shaped like a coffee cup, which was filled with coffee beans between the panes of glass. I was also surprised to see how much of the art had anti-regime/communism themes. There were studios of both modern art and more traditional styles as well as some photography studios with modern twists, like a series of photos that were manipulated to make the landscape and portraits appear to be underwater. We spent the whole afternoon wondering a little aimlessly through the galleries and studios, until the place began to close down. We had no maps or guides to the area, but I'm pretty sure we only scratched the surface of what they had to offer.

Traveling through the city, I was impressed by how modern it was and would continue to be impressed with this throughout my trip through China. However, it is sad to think about all the traditional buildings and neighborhoods that have been lost in the countries rapid growth. I read some article about the old neighborhoods that were leveled to build the Olympic grounds and was amazed at how large an area the complex covers, so the amount of historical buildings and dislocated families must have been incredible. In that light, it is nice that some of the old industrial buildings, and history, have been preserved in the 798 Art District, so I guess I was touring a little history and culture there after all.

Darjeeling (21-26APR)

My trip to Darjeeling actually began with grand plans to visit a Wildlife Refuge, cross the border on a day trip to Bhutan, and trekking the Himalayan foothills. Unfortunately, I had eaten something that didn't agree with me (possibly the McDonald's Veggie burger), so I had to take a day off in Siliguri and spent 24 hours in bed or on the toilet. In addition the tourism office had pretty lousy hours of operation, so I decided to just head for Darjeeling and look into trekking when I got there.

After my 24 hour respite, I caught a shared Jeep Taxi up the mountain to Darjeeling. The trip was suppose to take two and a half hours, but turned into an all day affair. Our driver must have eaten at McDonald's as well, because he was stopping every hour to squat behind a tree or use a roadside toilet. At the fifth stop, he came back out with a new driver, I assumed he was swapping out so he could stay by a toilet, but he jumped in the back seat instead. The new driver started the Jeep and broke the transfer case as soon as he put the truck in gear. We hung around the jeep about 15 minutes, and I was wondering how we'd get the rest of the way to Darjeeling but had no one to ask that spoke English. My answer came when everyone started moving to another jeep that had room for our group and our driver slipped the new driver some cash. We transferred luggage, got cozier and finished the journey.

The drive was long, but the scenery was impressive and the air cooled as we climbed into the clouds. When we arrived, the city was cloaked in clouds, and I hiked up the hill to the center of town to check into the Bellevue Hotel. The hotel had it's own charm with wood paneling, a rooftop shrine, small garden and windows overlooking the town square. It was ran by a Tibetan man who had worked with the Dali Lama in his younger years and had old pictures of those days lining some of the walls. The city is draped over a steep ridge so everywhere you go is either up or down and most roads run parallel to one another and are connected by stairs. Despite the fact that I was still in India, the area and people did not look Indian but reflected more of a mix of the surrounding countries of Nepal, China and Bhutan. The city is packed with buildings clinging to the steep slopes, and gives way to lush green of tea plantations and the rich vegetation of foothill forests of Bamboo and evergreens. However, the air was thick with clouds, fog and haze my entire visit so the scenery faded quickly, and I rarely saw a horizon and never beyond to the mountains beyond.

Since the weather seemed questionable with rain and cloudy skies forecasted for the next few days, and I was not feeling 100 percent, I decided against the trekking. However, I did meet two Aussie girls that went on a four day trek during my stay. They reported great weather, saw all five of the major peaks and couldn't stop raving about how well the trek turned out... of course, I was jealous and would have been happier if they didn't talk about it at all.

I also wanted to go white water rafting while I was there and assumed the spring run off would have the rivers rumbling. Unfortunately, that was not the case and the tour groups weren't even running rafting trips because the river was actually too low! My final disappointment was an early morning trip to Tiger Hill to watch the sunrise and try to catch a glimpse of Mt Everest and the other peaks that you can see from the hill on a good day. Sadly, it was not a good day and we couldn't even see Darjeeling five kilometers up the ridge. The sun had probably risen an hour before it finally burned through/climbed over the mist and clouds and into view from the three story viewing station that has been built on the hill to facilitate all the tourist like me, who make this morning pilgrimage. The other tourist were probably the most interesting part of the trip. They were mostly Indian and let out a collective cheer when the sun finally came into view.

I did take a few tourist trips around the town to visit the Botanical Gardens, Zoo, the Mountaineering Institute, and Happy Valley Tea Plantation. The Mountaineering Institute only made me more disappointed that I hadn't made it on a trek, but I actually had a relapse with my 'Dehli belly' or 'Kolkata cramps' as the case may be, so I was probably better off missing out. We did our own trek down to the Tea Plantation, which the Lonely Planet made out to be a must see, but a drive by would have sufficed. The tea pickers are quite colorful against the green blanket tea bushes, with umbrellas of every shade connected to the baskets on their backs for tea leaves. Anyway, I did not feel the best on the hike down to the plantation, which may have dampened my opinion of the plantation tour. I had no appatite and felt exausted when we got back, and I ended up spending another 24 hours between bed and the bathroom and went to the pharmacy for antibiotics the next day. Despite being ill, I was happy that it happened during my free week between tours, so I had a chance to do nothing... even if I would have much rathered done more.

Despite all the disappointments, I did meet two good guys from Australia that I hung out with through out my stay in Darjeeling. They were traveling through India before heading into Nepal to climb to the first hill station on Everest. They were great company, and I hope the rest of their trip went well. It would have been nice to join them, but I was off to continue my own adventure. All that stood between me and China was another Jeep back down the mountain to catch another overnight bus, and a 18 hour wait at the airport for my flight out of India. Oh joy!

Kolkata (18/19APR)

The bastard son of the East India Company, pulled from the gutters by Mother Teresa, this is Kolkata. Kolkata's history as a city is fairly short, as it was initially a series of villages that the British occupied/bought and turned into the capital of the East India Company in 1690. Fort William was constructed and a large area was cleared around the fort for security. The area that was cleared remains today and is now a large park in the center of the city called the Maidan. The architecture through out the city still reflects the British rule, and at the northeast end of the Maidan the old city center/center for the East India Company looks like it could have been pulled right out of London. However, the piles of trash and hulks of old taxis under the trees along the road reminded you that you were still in India.
By the time we arrived in Kolkata, I was getting tired of India, so it was good that the city was my last stop with the tour. As I was preparing to leave the city, I realized I really hadn't taken many photos, which is probably a reflection of my wavering motivation, since the city did have character as well as characters on the streets that I could have captured. On our first day, we settled into the hotel and waited for the day to cool off in the late afternoon before venturing out for some site seeing. We arrived fairly early in the morning and decided to have some breakfast at the hotel, while we waited for our rooms. The hotel bar/restaurant had the look of a night club rather than a restaurant and despite the early hour, the staff's first offering was cold beer. We passed on the beer and ordered some of their breakfast options. The food was pretty bad and the service was horrendous. I really couldn't believe how bad it was. They had a staff of five attending to our group, the only customers in the place, and yet the food took forever, orders were wrong and even getting a bottle of water was a chore. Despite all of this we went back the following evening for a drink before bed but despite a decent crowd, they closed promptly and swiftly at eleven. My roommate wanted to buy a water, as we were paying for our drinks and getting urged toward the door. Granted we probably should have known better from our experience getting water in the morning, but he tried anyway. As not to blemish their record of poor customer service, they actually told him he would have to order it through room service!?! I would think this makes absolutely no since as it would be easier to give him the bottle right there rather than send someone up to the fifth floor to drop it off at our room, but they insisted. So, he requested the water at the front desk and five minutes later they brought the water to our room, but had no change, so they had to make a second trip with that as well. Amazing.
But I digress. Our first evening we walked through some of the slums and back roads where we saw a lot of campaign posters and signs for the local communist party. It is strange to see the hammer and sickle like Soviet Union's flag flying around a democratic country, but our guide told us that the communist party is actually more like the Labor Party in England and actually holds a majority of seats for some of the Indian provinces. We continued on to the convent where Mother Teresa lived, worked and is now buried. It is still an active convent and has a small museum about her life. She was born Albanian in present day Skopje, Macedonia, but left to become a nun at age 18 and never returned home. She began her work in India in 1929 and saw the famine and Hindu/Muslim violence of the 1940s when Bangladesh broke away from India. It was during this time that she had the calling to establish the Missionaries of Charity in Kolkata. She initially wondered the streets, amongst the destitute she would later help, and had to beg for food and shelter, before she established her first mission with 13 members,. At the time of her death, it had expanded to 610 missions in 123 countries. The museum was simple, but her life story is amazing and made me feel guilty about my leisurely travels.
On our second day in Kolkata, a group of us went down to the BBD Bagh, which is named after three freedom fighters, Benoy, Badal, Dinesh who shot and killed the British Inspector of Prison's as he stood in a window of the Writer's Building in the square. The Writer's Building was the headquarters of the East Indian Company and is named for the clerks that kept track of all the Companies paperwork in the building. Across the street is the Post Office, which was the site of the original Fort William where the Black Hole of Calcutta was located. In 1756 the locals rebelled against the British and sacked the fort. They put the people they captured into a small guard room (the Black Hole) overnight and reportedly 123 of the 146 prisonners died of heat exhaustion, suffocation or trampling. There are few accounts of the event and the actual number of deaths, or if it occurred at all, have been questioned by historians.
After wondering around BBD Bagh, we cut through part of the Maiden and on to the Museum, which claimed to have the 'greatest collection of fossils in the world' however I think the collection of dinosaur bones at the Western Wyoming Community College may have it beat. We wondered the museum a bit and then went in search of lunch and decided to try McDonalds before we left India. The veggie burger was pretty miserable and everyone that ate there was sick later, so it may have given us food poisoning as well.

My last stop was the Victoria Memorial, which is an impressive building and museum with a collection of artwork depicting scenes in India as well as a section on the history of Kolkata from the East India Company's arrival, development of Indian Intellects/Philosophy, Press and Independance movement. However, getting inside was an ordeal. I initially entered the gardens from the east and found the entrance was not on that side of the building tried the south side and was directed to the north side. When I got to the entrance I was then directed back out of the grounds to the north gate to buy a ticket. I was sweating buckets in the 105 degree heat and humidity, and found an Indian style queue at the ticket booth where, despite around 50 people waiting for tickets, only one window was open. Around the window, two lines had formed the led into a mob at the window. I applaude the Indians that were actually waiting in line, and I joined them. Meanwhile others were walking right past the lines to enter the mob at the window that somehow thought they were above waiting. When the line approached the mob, I tapped a few of them on the shoulder and told them to get in line, but they conveniently couldn't understand English. To top it off, my ticket cost 15 times more than the ticket for Indians, but it didn't get me any perks, like a seperate line for westerners, which would have been nice. Did I mention I was getting tired of India at this point? Anyway, I wondered the Memorial until it closed, then hustled back to the hotel for quick goodbyes with the few people from the tour that were still in town and headed for the bus depot to catch my night bus to Darjeeling.