From the Arabian Sea to the Himalayas: contrasts and contradictions

“India is a land of contradictions; whatever you can truthfully say about India, the opposite is also true.” — EM Forster

Kori and I woke up this morning in Mumbai, a roiling metropolis on the coast of the Arabian Sea with a population of nearly 30 million, and we’re going to bed in Darjeeling, a glittering hill station perched on a steep ridge in the foothills of the Himalayas.

What a contrast.

And while I love the energy of Mumbai, I have to admit that I find the city to be just a bit overwhelming – hot, dusty, crowded and loud. So I’m thrilled to be back in the cool weather and fresh air of India’s Northeast. And I’m so happy to be joined by Amber and Radha, our precious friends who lead the ministry of Asia’s Hope India.

On the way from Siliguri to Darjeeling, we stopped for tea with Amber and Radha at the Margaret’s Hope tasting room. Kori loves tea, so we’ll take any chance we can get to buy some leaves to take home and an enjoy a proper cup along the way.

Tomorrow we’re having an all-staff luncheon at the historic Glenary’s restaurant, and then we’ll celebrate Kori’s birthday with a visit to a nearby tea garden. We’ll spend a couple of days with Amber and Radha in Darjeeling and then head a bit further down the mountain to Kalimpong, where we’ll spend the next few days with the kids and staff of our six Indian children’s homes.

Internet access in the hills is notoriously fickle, but I”ll be posting as often as I can over the next few weeks as we connect with our Asia’s Hope family in India and then as we continue on to Cambodia.