Sunday, June 30, 1929
Woke up at dawn, which is the best time to see the snows, but the clouds were too thick so I piled in again for a couple hours more sleep. About breakfast time Currie (probably so-called because his name Grice sounds like rice) proceeded to haul everybody out of bed, starting at one end of the line and going right down.
After breakfast he elected to be our guide. We walked up through the market square where you see all sorts of people—Indians, Gurkas, Tibetans, Lepchas, English, Chinese, French, Americans, Ladakhis, and Kashmiris, all in their own native garb. It is a sight worth seeing. Tents fill the market place and under these are piles of all sorts of grains, fruits, vegetables, etc. There were shops of all sorts about and a row of jewelry stalls where the weight of the ornaments were weighed on scales against rupees. The dress and heavy silver and gold ornaments, ankle bracelets, ear and nose rings, etc. were very picturesque. Many of the boys and men had rice on their foreheads, don’t know why. All up and down the steep hillside are scores of shops full of the native products of Tibet, India, Kashmir, China, etc. Those of Tibet were the more interesting to us. Crazy to buy several things, but was just absolutely flat financially. Mort got a dandy Tibetan chest, a couple of prayer wheels, etc.
A short distance from this market were the villas and hotels perched along the hillside, all commanding a splendid view of the mountains. There are dozens of walks with no end of views—when the clouds are nil. In spite of these drifting vapors, we have some magnificent views, but not near as far as the snows. One minute we could not see fifty feet ahead of us, and suddenly a cloud would drift by or rise and we could see the huge hills that surround Darjeeling, partly covered, always shifting. Visited a Buddhist shrine at the top. The shrine was enclosed by a loose bamboo fence from which rose several dozen tall bamboo poles. From these flew long cloth flags having the “Omne(?)mane padme hum” written many times on them. The fence was also full of flags, smaller ones of parchment, red, yellow, blue, and white cloth ones, all with the same sentence, and all to chase the devils, evil spirits, demons, etc. away. A nearby tree was likewise decorated.
Our soldier friend, Currie, returned for lunch, but we decided to forgo that as our time was limited, so after hooking a few flags from the Buddhist (Tibetan) shrine, we went down the opposite side of the hill to a Buddhist temple like those of Tibet. A road led to it with a long line of high bamboo flag poles down the center, and at the end they formed a square in which the temple reposes, dragons and demons glaring fiercely out from the roof corners. There were many large prayer wheels around the outside of the building and on the porch. The place was closed, but inside are lots of human skulls, etc.
We paraded around in the misty half-drizzle all afternoon till, back in the market, it commenced to rain in earnest and we beat it back to the club. Had a talk with the head man and told him lots about my life as a sailor. He told me about a number of interesting things. At the foot of Darjeeling one can shoot panthers, deer, tigers, rhinos, and elephants. There are four different races of people that live along the borders between Bengal and Tibet and these are the aborigines of the Gurkas, those who are natives of the Darjeeling territory. The Gurkas are called a bastard race. If a Gurka draws a knife, he must draw blood. Even in inspection when knives are drawn, each cuts his finger to draw blood before the knife is returned to its sheath. The Gurkas are not even permitted to return to the countries of their ancestors without danger of being killed—and likewise, any non-Tibetan entering Tibet will more than likely meet a similar fate unless well disguised. Then there is said to be great danger from robbers on the road to L’Hasa. The Tibetans, Ladakhi, etc. appear much like the Chinese, high cheek bones, slant eyes, yellowish-brown skin, full faces, below-average height, and built like a brick wall. He also confirmed what I have heard about the Anglo-Indians—not liked by either natives or Europeans, combine the worst qualities of both, and because of their education, they are placed in the railway service.