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Back in Delhi to get ready for my next trip I get caught up in Holi Day - a religious festival celebrating the changing of seasons and colour and where the locals throw bright coloured vegetable powder over each other and any one else on the streets - needless to say I ended up pink and green! My final trip in India takes me north of Delhi where we head out to Shimla which was once the summer capital of India, where the British viceroys and their government would retreat during the monsoon months to escape the stifling heat of the plains. Set amongst spectacular rolling hills and spread across a number of peaks we take a walk through the extremely clean streets before heading to Mandi. Situated on the Beas River, the town was once part of the salt route to Tibet. Today, it's the gateway to the Kullu Valley. In the centre of town is a huge sunken shopping centre, the only one like it in India, and the focal point of all entertainment here. We stay in the palace of the former Raja of Mandi which has gorgeous gardens, and although a little chilly we dine al fresco
in a lovely courtyard. The journey into the mountains of India is an adventure in itself, as we travel along rough roads to the next Himalayan town - that of Dharamsala. Famous as the home of the exiled Dalai Lama, this hilltop retreat is full of monasteries, prayer flags and monks in crimson robes. During our stay here, we include a fascinating visit to the famous Norbulingka Institute, which was developed to train Tibetan refugees in skills needed to preserve the traditional arts and crafts of Tibet. The peaceful grounds of the Institute feature a beautiful temple and the surrounding area is dotted with workshops, where wood carving, metalwork and needlework are done, as well as an interesting thangka painting school where we watch intricate pieces being created. After three days, a bit of shopping, partying in the hotel drinking rum and coke and more shopping we’re ready for our next destination of Dalhousie. Once a hill station for the British Army, Dalhousie sprawls across 5 hills and is now a major Tibetan settlement for refugees. As we walk the narrow lanes which circle like a figure eight along the ridge, we get some fantastic views of the Himalayas and
the deep valleys below. The next day we trek for 6 hours from Dalhousie to Khajjiar. Our route takes us up and over the Lakhar Mandi Pass and we stop for the night in Khajjiar, a lovely alpine area complete with small lake and sloping meadow. Not having had enough of trekking a couple of us leave the hotel to take a closer look at the meadow where locals are Zorbing (rolling around inside huge balls) and paragliding down the tiniest slope ever. A person is attached to the parachute with about 5 lads running down the hill trying to get the chute into the air - the longest air time we saw was about 3 seconds! It was extremely funny to watch. The next day, with aching limbs, we head out by bus to Chamba - a great bus journey as they played a really corny bollywood movie which was actually very entertaining even though we couldn‘t understand a word! We then spent 3 nights at a farmstay, (Orchard Hut) as the guests of a local family which was a great way to experience traditional rural life. In our free time we relaxed though some did an optional walk
into the hills, the rest of us had massages, took a cookery lesson and had our palms read. Picking up the pace again we head to Amritsar. Amritsar is the holiest city for the Sikh people and the centre of Sikhism. We visit the Golden Temple (Shri Harimandir Sahib), which sits in the middle of a sacred lake surrounded by a marble walkway, and spend time listening to the soothing sounds of the devout chanting verses from the Guru Granth Sahib, the Sikh Holy Book- entering the temple would have been nice but was virtually impossible due to the large crowds. We also visit Jallianwallah Bagh, the site of the infamous massacre in 1919 that played such an important role in the steps to India's Independence. Finally we head out to the India-Pakistan border to witness the daily flag ceremony where hundreds of people come to watch the border open and the guards from each side perform a bizarre ritual of marching towards each other, kicking their legs to head height before lowering their national flags - an unusual but great way to finish my trip before heading back to Delhi to catch my flight to Nepal.
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