Packed our things and had breakfast in Cacoas again. After a trek down the hill to the bus station we got a shared jeep to Siliguri. Another exciting jeep ride with some beautiful views. Cramped again although only 12 people in the jeep today (there are 8 seats). Think my cold getting a little better just feel like my head is full of cotton wool. Lots of interesting sights out the window – monkeys eating toast, villages, big bridges, half built hydro-electric dam, huge lorries right down in the river basin picking up rubble and sand, people washing in the river, kids sat on cows, cows ploughing fields, lots of road re-building due to land slides – not quite how the highway agency tarmacs roads but looks very effective.
Arrived at Siliguri and have some time to kill before getting the train from NJP at 3.20am! Had some food and drink in a cafe then decided at about 5pm to head to the station. We took a cycle rickshaw – another fun journey through the backstreets – pleasantly quiet – people playing cricket avoiding the cows wandering around, stinky rubbish filled rivers, people milling around, markets, lots of cycle rickshaws (India has certainly made amazing use of the humble bicycle from towing immense loads and entire families to being turned upside down and used to sharpen knifes and scissors), we went slowly over the train tracks (a train was coming) and then eventually arrived at NJP station.
Walking over the footbridge across the lines looking down at the tracks people are playing cricket in the last evening light, a dog is trying to play with a cow as if it were another dog. Booked a retiring room – which is basically a hotel room in the middle of the station, it has en-suite and everything ok although it does smell a bit of sick and we seem to have a pet mouse. But it has 2 beds and is better than some places we’ve stayed – all for less then £2 a night! Getting the room involved getting a ticket from an office going to another booth and paying for the ticket where Will got mobbed by children and then at the peak of him trying to hold into his wallet and sanity a man says hello and shakes his hand – this happens a lot and it’s mainly innocent we think people just want to say hello. After this the ticket goes back to the first office to get a receipt then we had to go to the on duty person for the rooms and she let us into our room! We have been here 1 hour and there have been 3 blackouts - one time I was walking along the corridor and was plunged into darkness. Will has ants on his pillow - at least they don't purposefully try and eat humans.
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