Miserable Life

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Namaste all
Where to begin is always a challange when many events have happened and access to internet is very rare. Go figure in India and accessing reliable internet and coordinating oneself with Indian family members whom don't hold the same importance of my contact outside their Indian family life.

Mostly it is great to have Sonnelben's wonderful chai again. After walking each morning with morning prayer echoing in the distances Sonnelben greets me with the best tea on this earth. Full of ginger and pepper and the sweetest milk. It really kick starts your day.

Took a whirlwind trip north of India to Shimla and Manali all with its beauty but ugliness as well with Indian tourists and their bad habits of filth and rubbish. It was an amazing sight to witness the Himalayan peaks in the distance it was almost unreal.

My athletic highlight was pacing up a very steep ridge to Jokhu temple in Shimla. It is apparantly a breathy 45 min plus hike up to the temple near the highest peak on the Shimla ridge of 2455m. A sign at the base listed times and how fit one was. The top time under 30 minutes meant you were 'absolutely fit'. Well as you could imagine that was my cue. I did the steep climb in 22 minutes stopping the clock when I rang the bell at the temple. I am 'absolutely fit' according to the signpost. I felt the effects of altitude with screaming and stinging ears and dizziness but with all my warm clothes on and day pack that was not going to stop my competitive side being doused.

Manali is even colder and I remind myself to look up, just keep looking up. The snow capped peaks of the Rhotang Pass are awesome. I felt so priviliged to be there. But at the same time guilty. You just have to look around and see the disrespect and pillage, the rubbish, the dogs and the Indian tourists with their city attitudes. It was gridlock on the mountain side and even a fight broke out. NICE!!!

I started 1 January 09 with an early morning prayer at the Budhist temple in Manali. To be one of only three people in the temple and the Lama praying was a humbling experience.

We had to end the journey abruptly due to an emergency of one of my travelling companions. The title of this blog is very apt as I had had enough of Indian men everywhere able to piss and shit wherever they like. While women scramble to find secret shelter or use filthy overflowing squats along roads at Dhabas. I vocalised my disgust and my Indian Mamma replied 'Miserable life'. I couldn't have laughed louder or more relievingly. So true. Not only tourists not equiped for this but indigineous women of India live with this constantly.

The upside is that I am adopting some Gujurati language each day and attempting to use it as much as possible.

Mamma is calling for me from the door of the internet cafe I must away and will return to upload some photos.

Take care
Tess
Ajvu
x0x0

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Comments

[amitluvtoepxplore]

Miserable Life
Hi Tess, I hope u r enjoying u r stay in India. There are pleanty of breath taking natural beauty places all around India. But despite being Indian I must admit that Indian tourist ruin it with its bad habits and disgusting habits. But not all Indian tourist are same there are quite a few exceptions. I hope that u must have also collected good memroies of India. take care Amit

[Wings to fly]

Namaste Amit Quite true I have the best experiences that have been born of India and Indian family. Please don't get me wrong in that respect as I would not have returned a second time to India nor the planning of returning each two years in the future. There are always exceptions to any rule and I have made comments on what I have seen and experienced not to the letter or law but to the spirit of the comments. Thank you for taking the time to check my blog out, even though it is very small this time round. Take care and Ajvu Tess