2011.01.03: Three Nights And Two Days

Would it be the spectacular finish of our journey or an end long overdue? Before going our separate ways my sister and I would meet for one last time and spend a last three nights and two days in Darjeeling. We met in Bodhgaya, to take the train towards somewhere nearby our final destination. The evening before departure we tried to remember the last time we had spend three weeks together, as intensely as we just had done. If ever, it must’ve been at least twelve years ago, in my case roughly half a life away. Never before had we been able to study so precisely how our behaviour changed when being together. We concluded that the moments we had shared in the past weeks were truly unique.

Was everything extraordinary about our adventure? No, of course not, we’re still a brother and sister and it’s thus — at least in our case — a law of nature to be irritated by each other. This is for as long as we both can remember. I would commit unspeakable cruelties to her stuffed animals, only to gain possession of the remote control; she would tell our mother I had hit her, even when I hadn’t done anything at all. Nowadays there’s no more remote control to fight over and hitting doesn’t make much sense anymore. Today we fight over each other’s assumptions and beliefs, because we both always think we know everything better (she thinks and I know, obviously).

He tells he always has to wait for her; she tells him there’s certainly no sense in hurrying. She claims he doesn’t understand what to say and what not to say, because he just, again, insulted someone; he tells her he didn’t, because she, still, doesn’t understand what it’s about. Both think they’re better at bargaining for room prices than they really are. He argues her ideas make no economic sense; she argues his ideas are simply unfair and definitely make no environmental sense at all. Both explain each other, over and over again that the other should listen better, only then things will be understood. Both tell each other they’re still not listening: “No, you only hear what you want to hear.”

Surprisingly though (no, actually, not surprisingly at all), we told each other at tonight’s dinner we had really enjoyed each other’s company. We did so after a fairly useless but lengthily disagreement. And it’s true. I don’t regret travelling with my sister; I would do it again.

So was Darjeeling an end long overdue or a spectacular finish? Neither. We were both tired from the past travels and spend most hours of the day doing nothing substantial. Well, one morning we did wake up at four-something to see the sunrise caressing a particular mountain, but most of all, we just ate and drank. We ate wonderful food and drank splendid exotic tea, while hating and loving being each other’s sibling.


Dear Zuske, thank you!

Darjeeling - sunrise, view from Tiger Hill

Darjeeling - sunrise, view from Tiger Hill

Darjeeling - It was cold at Tiger Hill

Darjeeling

Darjeeling - sunset

Darjeeling - The road towards Darjeeling

Click here for an overview of all posts about my time in India
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