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原文
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FINDING MY WAY TO MAKAIBARI (NO.2)
Not until then I began reading some things about Makaibari.
I visited the website, my parents gave me the book
' Das Wunder vonDarjeeling' which Mr. Banerjee had written
and one day I even realized that the wonderful interview I
had read a long time ago in the German magazine Novalis ,
which I still remembered vaguely as quite inspiring,was of
that very Mr. Banerjee whom I was going to visit.
A few months later, after a busy exam time, a trip to Italy,
7 weeks of work to earn the money I needed for the journey
and a trip to France, I packed my stuff to finally go back
to India. I didn't have the time to mentally prepare myself
for it, I think I didn't realize what was happening until
I was in the airport of London, surrounded by people from
India and Bangladesh.
When I finally arrived in Kolkata
airport in the middle of the night I got embraced with the
thick, hot and humid air, saw the dim yellow lights and got
treaded very friendly at the passport control exactly as it
had happened five years ago. Only the geckos on the walls
had disappeared. When I was suddenly surrounded by 3 ladies
and a man who gave me a welcome with flower necklace, yellow
spot between the eyebrows, sweets and a new bag, I was
surprised and confused.
I knew that my friend Chandrima wouldn't come before morning.
It took a while until I realized that it was the Indian Tourism
Office.
In the morning my friend came and I spend a wonderful
day with her. It seemed as if we had spent more time together
than just a few days 5 years ago.And the Indian hospitality is
overwhelming. I got treated all day long with delicious foods,
especially the Bengali sweets.
In the night I took the train to New Jalipur (NJP). Without my
friend I think I would have been quite lost in the train station
between the masses of people, piles of luggage and the venders,
porters and beggars.
Going by train in India is a different experience than in Europe,
so I was quite busy watching. There were mostly families traveling,
carrying along their whole household, continuing their every day
life on the train. The ladies sat quietly, caring for the family.
The children played or slept and no matter how they behaved were
treated very soft and nice. The men chatted and discussed loudly
most of the time. Where I sat they seemed to compare Kolkata,
Siliguri, Delhi and Mumbai for most of the time, because those words
I could distinguish very often within the incomprehensible flow of
some Indian language. A lot of men pass, yelling out the goods
they want to sell.
Tea, coffee, snacks,sweets,toys etc. The sight of a European girl
traveling by herself is very unusual.In India hardly anyone
travels without company, especially girls don't and Westerners
are always an event. So the first question anyone dares asking
usually is: 'You travel alone?' followed by:
Where do you come from? What's your name? What does it mean?
Where are you going? Do you have brothers and sisters?
Are you married? How do you like India? Everyone I met on the
train was very friendly and helpful.I slept all through the night
and in the morning a arrived in NJP.
There I was supposed to be picked up by someone from Makaibari,
but there were only lots of taxi drivers offering their service.
After waiting and sweating some time with my heavy luggage I
tried to call in Makaibari, but the numbers had changed.
With the help of the Tourist Office I finally talked to
Mr. Banerjee, who expected me one month later.
He organized a taxi and after a drive with a talkative driver
I finally arrived in MAKAIBARI. I first got offered a cup of tea.
