Next leg

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So her brother then tries to get me to buy a package off him for $999 for a 10 day tour! Sheesh! So that did not happen. Ended up travelling up to Dehradun and got to meet some more of the Dorjay family. An ex-tibetian monk by the name of Ranjay. Interesting chap, bit of a wild one as he proved by belting his brother in the eye for a percieved slight against his nature. Talk about being dropped in the deep end and seeing all the good and bad of a culture. I ended staying in a hotel while everybody sobered up but had to go back to collect my camera the next day. I felt a little bit awkward to say the least. Violence in India seems to be an acceptable way of resolving issues between family, non-family, man or woman. I read a very worrying article in the national paper here about a woman who accused a random woman of a lower caste of stealing her daughters ankle bracelet. Her accusations drew a crowd who decided to beat the woman into giving the bracelet back. The woman was arrested, searched and then released as she did not have the item and was just a random passer by. This story gets retold again and again. Also if you come out to Delhi DO NOT get on the Blue line bus service no matter how cheap it is! Last year there where over 100 deaths due to them running people over, people falling out/off the buses and car crashes. Use the metro instead it is very clean and safe. Or just get a cab-like vehicle. Cycle rickshaws can be fun but there is only one thing to remember about road travel in India... There are no rules. Beaping your horn means that you want to come through or pass, flashing your lights means that you want the right of way not that you are letting some one through or to pass. Also if a bus or slower vehicle signals right after you have flashed your lights then that means you can pass not that they are going to turn right... maybe. There is no anger in the use of horns, just to let you know that they are coming and are not stopping. It is your responibility to get the hell out of the way even if you are a pedestrian. Rickshaws can and regularly drive the wrong way down the road. When they do and you are a passenger then please do not enquire if the gentleman is Bloody Insane... as I did. They don't like it and look at you as if you are having a funny turn. Ok, will update again in a few days and let you know about Varanasi, Dehradun, Rishikesh and McLeodganj. Photos will have to wait till I find an appropriate Internet cafe. x

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