HER LAST. TRIP HUMAN MULES

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXX, 19 December 1936, Page 6

HER LAST. TRIP

HUMAN MULES

At Darjeeling. in the _ Himalaya j mountains, may be seen quite-a num- j be> of women porters, who arc not i content with carrying one’s luggage j to a waiting taxi, but follow on be- ■ hind, right to the hotel. They have a ; strap arrangement for carrying, made by folding a piece of cloth longways

■ and tying a knot. The whole of the I weight is borne by the nec'k and head. ! The strap passes under the lower end ! 0 f trunk. These women porters 1 no charge, but are content to I ! on the owner of the luggage be- j Sing liberal with “backsheesh.” It is j ! quite evident that the ordinary carrier ! ‘ does not exist, nor could it, for the roads are so steep and uneven that a

lorry would be useless. At Darjeeling also may be seen the “dandyman. whose conveyance is called a “dandy.” The sensation of travelling in it has been compared to that of riding on a camel. On long journeys two spare men go as relief. The charge is about 7d per mile, and as much “backsheesh as the traveller likes to give.