As a rule, errands in India take on average three times longer than in the US. By errands I mean all things like groceries, getting shampoo, or, in this instance, going to the post office. When you first encounter it, frustration is either externally oriented (What is the backwards place doing?!) or internally oriented (Why am I failing at life?!), but after a while you just come to realize how it is, and adjust accordingly.
My errand running today was surprisingly smooth. After breakfast, I meandered down to the post office and the foreign registry, to inquire about timings. That is the first important thing to do; timings are notoriously irrational. But to my surprise, places opened before eleven o'clock. So I took my bundle of gifts to ship back to the US down to the post office (and smartly also my book), where I waited for about forty five minutes until the man came in to package everything. I was second in line, and got to watch the fascinating process twice. First, he unpacks and repacks everything, binds it extensively with twine, wraps it in paper, sews up the package in white cloth (yes, needle and thread), and then, what I least expected, wax seals the seams. By 11:45 or so I was done.
I went to the foreign registry for my permit to go to Sikkim. As Sikkim can at times be a contentious border area, they seem to want to keep track of who goes where. My permit expressly points out that I am not to cross into Nepal, Bhutan, or Tibet from Sikkim. I think it interesting they say Tibet, not China. Further, I am to remain in the southern areas of Sikkim, to listed cities, but in effect below a certain point. I suppose they don't want me trying to climb the Himalayas into Tibet. In the south there is a border crossing to Tibet, but only Indian nationals are allowed to use it. Unfortunately.
I've recently become quite obsessed with Tibet and am thinking of exploring some research area in Himalayan water issues between China and India, where Tibet is sandwiched in the middle. Or seeing if water issues plays into the great powers relations regarding Tibet in any way...well, I should read more before I start rambling about how things may be.
My errand running today was surprisingly smooth. After breakfast, I meandered down to the post office and the foreign registry, to inquire about timings. That is the first important thing to do; timings are notoriously irrational. But to my surprise, places opened before eleven o'clock. So I took my bundle of gifts to ship back to the US down to the post office (and smartly also my book), where I waited for about forty five minutes until the man came in to package everything. I was second in line, and got to watch the fascinating process twice. First, he unpacks and repacks everything, binds it extensively with twine, wraps it in paper, sews up the package in white cloth (yes, needle and thread), and then, what I least expected, wax seals the seams. By 11:45 or so I was done.
I went to the foreign registry for my permit to go to Sikkim. As Sikkim can at times be a contentious border area, they seem to want to keep track of who goes where. My permit expressly points out that I am not to cross into Nepal, Bhutan, or Tibet from Sikkim. I think it interesting they say Tibet, not China. Further, I am to remain in the southern areas of Sikkim, to listed cities, but in effect below a certain point. I suppose they don't want me trying to climb the Himalayas into Tibet. In the south there is a border crossing to Tibet, but only Indian nationals are allowed to use it. Unfortunately.
I've recently become quite obsessed with Tibet and am thinking of exploring some research area in Himalayan water issues between China and India, where Tibet is sandwiched in the middle. Or seeing if water issues plays into the great powers relations regarding Tibet in any way...well, I should read more before I start rambling about how things may be.
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