So here we go, its been a while but going to see if i can't recall events of the past 3 weeks. Full credit should always be given to Indian bus drivers as they weave their way through the mountain roads in the Northern parts of the country. This journey took us from Amritsar to Mcleod Ganj through Pathankot & Dharamsala with only 1 road block, caused by a bus & truck becoming wedged together as they both tried to squeeze by the narrow muddy lanes....& an almost troublesome puncture on the last short leg. However the driver carried on without a fluster & got us to the destination in 1 piece. Arriving at night into Mcleod was a little like being brought to a minature Benidorm with scores of young travellers revelling in the bright lights & happily singing along to The Beatles or Red Hot Chili Peppers being blared from all the nearby restaurants. Am not sure this was entirely what the Dalai Lama had in mind when taking his Tibetan Government to exile here.
Morning though told a different story.....fresh clean air & beautiful mountain scenery all around & maybe a lack of litter.....no chance.....its all washed over the cliff edges for the obvious eye not to see.....cant have it all I guess!!! There is the issue of rain in these areas & plenty of it we got, in fact the most of the past weeks have been rain soaked. Fortunately on the bus we became acquainted with an entertaining Dutch couple.....Mark who was partial to a beer & Mareke who enjoyed a spot of shopping......a winning combination for all.
Due to the rain there was not a lot to be done other than eat, drink & look out of the windows at the monks making their way to & from the temples. We did however find out that the Dalai Lama was to be holding audiences whilst we were in town so we took our place on the stone floor of the temple amongst pilgrims, tourist, Bhuddists alike. The speech was to be a lecture on Bhuddism & the path to enlightenment.....in Tibetan.....with translations on a small walkman loaned from a local shop. Unfortunately the majority went clean & crisply straight over my head but I felt better by the fact that numerous Monks were taking the time to sleep all the way through, therefore not being alone.
Hampered by the rain we moved East to Manali, another mountain town at 2050m, with a strong Tibetan influence, giving it a contasting atmosphere & differing outlook to the chaotic towns we have become so used to. Unfortunately the rain was to persist but on the occasions it cleared up it was refreshing to open the door to the hotel & be greeted by snow-capped mountains, apple orchards & freely growing marijuana fields. Did manage to make the walk to the small village of Dhungri, popular for Indian Tourists where you can indulge yourself in a photo sat on a yak or holding a vastly sedated Angoran rabbit, & on to Vashist, a small hippy commune 5km away along the Beas River. The finest things to find in Manali were trout which helped to take away the lingering taste of poor chicken & goat & the local Waterfalls Cider.....2 bottles of which I consumed whilst Martina indulged in a massage, only for her to return & find me past out on the bed.
And so the time came to depart from our Dutch companions as they headed North to Leh & us South to Shimla on another winding bus trip through the mountains. British influenced Shimla is perched along a 12 km ridge which appears to be able to slide away into the valley at any point. Rain soaked once more & avoiding the vast amounts of viscious monkeys residing here we managed to make our way through the many winding lanes reminiscent of a small Cornish town, & tackle the numerous bazaars around town.
In all I honesty believe there has been much information omitted from here so if you possess the ability to read Spanish then Martinas account should be for more informative. It was however a relaxing 10 days or so in the mountains, different food (to a certain degree), locals with a far contrasting mentality & outlook on life, & generally just a welcome break from the madness we have become so used to. Time though to head South again, and to see what Delhi has in store, by train on the Himalayan Queen. The first leg of the journey was by an Ivor the Enginer esque toy train which trundled its way down the & around the mountains passing through no less than 103 tunnels en route.
Twelve hours later & having said our farewells to the peace we had arrived once more in the cauldren of Indian cities.
Coming in the next few days the story of Dehli & Varanassi.
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