In Kalimpong, I bought a card made in a local paper factory. I drew this map to show where I’d been so far.
My India journey started in South India (Kochi). From there I went to Trivandrum (1) and met up with Helene and Cath. We went to Kollam for a nice break. (Numbers refer to pink numbers in map above.)
After returning to Trivandrum, I flew to Bangalore (2). On my previous trip, I’d got as far as Bangalore airport for a stopover but didn’t explore the city. This time I stayed in Bangalore. I met Laura who recommended Auroville, which was close to Chennai (3). The very French Puducherry (4) was an interim stop before staying longer than planned in Auroville (5), the hippie town. Lorenzo was my unexpected guide there.
It was time to meet Helene again. I returned to Chennai and flew from the east coast to Calicut (6) on the west coast. We took a taxi to a beautiful and peaceful homestay near Meppadi in Kerala.
After returning to Calicut, I flew to West Bengal’s capital, Kolkata (7), transferring in Hyderabad. I met Steve, who I’d reconnect with several times. The varied and cultural Kolkata led to Bagdogra, the gateway to the rest of West Bengal and Sikkim. The first stop was Darjeeling (8) before entering Sikkim’s capital, Gangtok (9), where I met Kevin and Sophie. Namchi (10) was an unplanned destination as was Kalimpong (11), my current location.