Darjeeling, India, or where Sally attempts to talk about race and not sound ignorant

So yes, I have a few comments to make about race in India. Hopefully if I ever try to get a job at the State Department, they won't dig this up and rip up my application.

So, I did not know this, but apparently Indian people can have blue and green eyes. Is it really ignorant to not know that non-white people could have light blue/green eyes? When I asked Sam, he just sort of passively nodded his head yes, so I'm not sure if it really is super ignorant, or if he just doesn't care. But yeah, I have seen several Indians with very pale eyes, which is very striking and unlike anything I've ever seen.

Second race comment: we are now in Darjeeling, which is not "ethnically Indian" which is to say, people here look more Tibetan/Chinese than Indian. This apparently is a major point of contention within the state of West Bengal, which, in the south is straight-up Indian (I believe that is the politically correct term for the ethnicity), and in the north, is more ethnically Tibetan/Chinese. The people in Darjeeling, who don't feel remotely accepted by the straight-up Indians from the south, are seeking an independent state called Gorkhaland. Someone told us that in Calcutta, the biggest city in West Bengal (which is in the south), there is a lot of discrimination against people from the north. Anyway, yesterday, there was a city-wide strike in Darjeeling calling for an independent Gorkhaland. Literally everything shut down. Well, at least, shop owners want to give the appearance that they have shut down, but a few are willing to operate clandestinely if you ask them discreetly. We found one such establishment, and while we were enjoying our dumplings (called momos here), we watched the strike go by. The movement enjoys lots of support though, since probably 95% of shops closed their doors for the rest of the day.

Anyway, other than that, our experience so far in Darjeeling has been fantastic. It's so incredibly beautiful. We are literally in the clouds, and all around us are lush mountains, monasteries, and valleys lines with multi-colored houses. The weather here is SO MUCH NICER THAN ANYWHERE ELSE WE HAVE BEEN. Right now it's about 60 degrees, which feels like heaven.

OK, we're going to go to a tea shop where you get to taste everything before you buy it. More soon!