Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Big and Small


Above: On the way to Mirik in Darjeeling. Possibly Thurbo tea estate. That is typical of Darjeeling: large tea plantations.

Below: The distinctive way of farming tea in Nepal just a few kilometers away from Darjeeling: small and compact farmer's garden.

In Nepal small farmers rule the roost and supply their leaves to tea factories some of whom may have a smallish tea gardens of their own. Which is the better way: large plantations or small tea farmers? Maybe there is no better way. Just different paths leading to the same goal of trying to make good teas.

3 comments:

  1. Lochan, beautiful pics. I would be happy to be in the vicinity of either of those two locations!

    Here's a link that my daughter shared with me; think you'll find it interesting, especially since it's from your local paper - The Kathmandu Post:

    http://www.ekantipur.com/the-kathmandu-post/2010/09/09/oped/the-road-less-traveled/212575/

    BTW... she's in Varanasi now, and will be going to Nepal in a week. She's doing this voluntourism thing where she will be staying with a local family and helping out/teaching in a school for a couple days. This is in Kathmandu :-)

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  2. Rita we really should have visited these places in and around Darjeeling more often and got to know them better! When we studied there we did not care or the opportunities were not there. Really unfortunate how our education was so class centric. Some of these places are really beautiful.

    Hopefully and unlike us the future generation of students will be more aware of their surroundings and the environment and how everything is connected to everything else.

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  3. Interesting and inspiring:)

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