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Hey,

Money goes a long way here. I went crazy at his art supplies shop to take gifts up to the school as I heard that the kids love to do art. I spent $32 AUS and bought art supplies that would last me an entire year back home. Oil pastels, paints, water colours, art paper, paint brushes, crayons of all types the list goes on. Lobsang (orphanage secretary) had to tell me to stop. If any of you know me well, you would know how excited I get in any stationary shop! I'm sure you could imagine. Well enough about that and onto the journey details.

So picture this...

I arrive at 5.30am in the morning with my lovely travel companion Lobsang, who fetched me from the airport the day before, at the 'jeep station' where my 18 hour journey was to begin.

There was a lot of arguing around a small table as to who had booked which jeep and which seats were the best. The front, the middle or the back. My friend Lobsang assures me that the middle is the best. Beggers are tugging at me and I try to avoid eye contact as it is too much at 5.30 in the morning.

Once an agreement has been reached the men load my lugggage onto the roof and 'tie' it down (Dad you would get a great job here with all your knowledge of knots etc). We pile into the jeep and then we meet the first of our soon to be best friends (you get to know people very well on an 18 hour ride in a car). They were 2 millitary men who have small backpacks and are carrying their rifles. They sit in the back behind me and I hope that they have not got any amo.

This all seems very comfortable for the first 20 mins and then we stop to pick up a family. There are many discussions about who is sitting where etc. The jeep manager has promised everyone whatever they want to get the bookings (this happens all the time in India) and now we have to come up with a compromise. Grandma and Grandpa sit in the front and Mum and Dad and 2 year old son sit along side the millitary men with their guns.

Just when you think this 8 seater jeep can hold no more another man is picked up and is put next to the driver so that the driver is now sitting with bottom to the right and upper body stretched over to the steering wheel and geerstick (which the man is straddeling). Total now of 12.

We all get chatting and laughing and I think to myself this is all going to be alright.

We climb up and down the mountains. Zig-zaging around. You can see where you are going and where you have been the entire journey. We are in a procession of 4 jeeps. My driver seems the most superior because when we all (at various times) get flat tyres it is my driver who goes to fix them. They need 10 men standing around watching while one man is actually doing something productive. It is such a sight to see.

We travelled up to 13000 feet to the cellarpass which is completely covered with snow and I am so lucky to be sitting directly behind the driver who loves to drive with his window down. (This was lovely in the heat, hours before, but now I am starting to shiver as the temperature has dropped drematically. This is understandable as it is around 8.30pm). Many times the men have to get out and push the car as it slippeds around the snow covered roads. Did I mention that the roads hug the cliff face?

The lovely mum in the back asked me if I had ever been on a camel ride. I said no and wondered why she had asked me this. "Well you are experiencing one right now" was her reply. The roads were so bumpy and one of the millitary men yells out loud regularly when his head bangs te roof of the jeep.

All we could do was laugh the entire journey. Even when I fell asleep and woke with a bang as my head hit the icy cold window to my right. I was so grateful that I had such lovely people to share the journey with. Even the military men lightened up from the sillyness of the journey.

Now I am staying at the most beautiful orphanage and have a 'beautiful' room with my own balcony looking out into the snow capped mountains which will be my home for around 22 days.

I played criket with the boys today... They said that never before had a female teacher joined them on the criket pitch and it took some time before they warmed to the idea. The entire female population of the orphanage looked on from the balconies above as we played. What fun!

I will teach them frisbee this week (Di and Steve you would love these kids).

Well I hope you enjoyed my little adventure story and I'd love to hear from you all soon.

Love you all

Joanna

P.S. I am so jealous of the ashram right now! So many beautiful people under the one roof. Maybe you could all right me an email together. I'd love that!!! xox

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