Monday, May 21 Darjeeling, Mirick, Siliguri

Chowrasta, Darjeeling

Looking up the Balason River valley

This morning was our last time to shop and say our farewells in Darjeeling. There was a heavy police presence because of an anticipated political protest. It was the second anniversary of a murder that had political overtones. many of the people of Darjeeling area are looking for more political autonomy. The government of West Bengal, which administers this area south to Kolkata is dominated by Bengalis whose culture, language and concerns are different from the Nepalis who are in the majority here. The separatist movement is looking for a separate jurisdiction called Gorkhaland. There were speakers in the area close to the assassination, but there was no trouble that we heard of.

We left in the early afternoon south to the Mary Ward Centre in Siliguri. Our two jeeps crawled through the Darjeeling traffic to Ghoum and then southwest towards Mirick. The winding road fell gently through groves of magnificent evergreens and tea plantations. Our views were obscured by low cloud, fog and then rain.

As we approached Mirick, we passed alongside the Nepalese border. The road wound down through tea plantations as the rain intensified. Mirick has one of the areas few lakes and a pink hospital! We had a short stop for tea here.

The final part of the road was a steeper drop to the plains. The clouds had lifted, giving us views up the Balason River valley. Our route took us very close to Panighata and then east beside the park we had visited two weeks earlier. By the time we arrived at the Mary Ward Centre it was dark. Sr. Monica and Sr. Sabrina were there to welcome us.

The Mary Ward Resource Centre is a relatively new facility devoted to helping the needy in the area. They promote safe migration to thwart human traffickers. Young women are particularly prone. They or their families will succumb to false offers of employment as nannies or family domestic help only to be sold into prostitution in various parts of Asia. The Centre also helps tea garden families and others break the cycle of poverty. Education is a major tool in their work.