Back to K-pong...

Wasn't that the name of a lousy Kevin Spacey movie about an alien kid? If not, I'm sure it's the name of radio station west of the Mississippi. Anyway, we're back in Kalimpong after our brief sojourn to the one of India's most popular vacation spots, Darjeeling. Gone are the luxuries of hot water, constant electricity, tasty food joints, thousands of tourists (thank God) and perhaps most difficult to bid adieu to, broadband . After about a month of living off the fat of the land, I've realized to what extent I am a product of the information age. I can't live without broadband. I'm going crazy. I don't need hot water, television, a cell phone or anything like that. Dial up sucks.
Kalimpong is similar to Darjeeling in terms of the landscape and the makeup of the population. It's a hill station that overlooks gorgeous valleys on the cusp of the Himalayas. The majority of inhabitants are Nepali, Tibetan and Indian. The striking difference is the lack of tourism revenue, which makes Darjeeling feel like Aspen, Colorado and Kalimpong more like Rutland, Vermont. There is a constant water shortage for those that live in the city itself, and the water is piped down the hills through ancient rubber hosing. The way people line up for water must be earily similar to the bread lines of the USSR. It's a reality that is tough for us to grasp. Even tougher though, would be to actually drink the water, which would almost certainly lay us out for several days with debilitating stomach ailments (you can use your imagination). The nectar of the gods is truly a forbidden fruit.
Our water situation on the hill is much better. It all comes flowing in from a stream, and seems pretty clean. We still boil it before we drink it, but I've started to brush my teeth with it with no ill side effects. The way that the families have rigged hoses down the hills to every house is pretty cool. I took a walk with Dinesh to see where the source was the other day. It seems like it would be excuciatingly tedious to find where any leaks spring (and they do often).
The electricity problem blankets the entire area equally. We've been without it for about 24 hours, which is normal. It seems to go out every night. I don't know if it is a wiring problem, or if the problem lies at the source, but whatever it is, it makes for some pitch black nights.
I guess the most evident of problems is the garbage strewn all over the streets. There is no "waste station" or "dump" here. There is kerosene and a match. Sometimes the stray dogs seem to cart off chunks of it out of sight, but it's more or less omnipresent. It's really gross, but there is nothing that we can do about it, besides be extra wary of what we use.
All of these externalities are tough to swallow, but the people here seem healthy and happy for the most part. Poor, yes. But not despondant. They clearly would rather have Nike sweatshirts and cell phones than hot water (which is very cheap comparatively). There has to be some sociological explanation for this material obsession, so if anyone knows it, please let me know.