Blogs from Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia - page 10

I revere early-mornings, what a good time start any road trip, ‘you miss the day-time traffic, no-honking, u get up-brush and you go, you know’. Grab the wheel, nicotine laced with excitement & spiked with steroidal optimism. Your mind's swirling about clear traffic, great driving, speed-thrills, oooh weather and good mileage and the like. Dream on, In Delhi, you meet atleast 6 police check-nakas, with a white Toyota van, yellow grilled barriers, beamed flashlights, irrelevant and obvious questions, and maybe some searches – exist as the perfect antidote for your spirits. You fish-out your (hopefully) govt. issued documents to the semi-greased palms, they are then dismissively scanned for an earning opp, while you’re lectured on any random topic. The cops revere this period too – as do the long-haul truckers. Delhi like most-big-cities, offer a small ... read more

24June The weather changed in the night, my first proper nights sleep here. The monsoon rolled across the plains and up the valley, feeling like a violent drunk ordering a strong first drink in a bar he was known and feared in. And then, like the sudden tears of a half forgotten grief, the rain starts with the memory of rain, then a sudden deluge, then slows, to damps cheeks and reassuring smiles. It won't be dry again til September. Evening Being an electrician here is an extreme sport, rather than a profession. A wire fused, sparking and glowing hot white, whilst I ate dinner. It stretched across the street and as it cooled orange it melted and fell away. Every telegraph pole in the country is a spidersweb of wires, bootlegging 'lecci off each other. ... read more

I had a wonderful time in Dharamshala. I tried Osho meditation and I visited a real Buddhist temple!... read more

And I, I took the one less traveled by... I ended up spending 9 days in Varanassi (when I arrived I decided I'd leave in two days... yeah right). Partially because it was almost impossible to leave (every train I checked was full). There are many paths leaving Varanassi, in many different directions. And it seemed there were people traveling in every one of them. Except for mine. You might recall that I traveled in a long, strange way from Nepal to Dharamsala. Well, once wasn't enough - I decided to take more or less the same route yet again, and to go from Varanassi straight to Dharamsala. And finally, with a little bakshish, I managed to get a ticket. So there I was, once again on a train to Chakki Bank. I settled in and ... read more

So much of the Indian experience is about the difference in culture and way of life, rather than the sights or tourist attractions. For that reason I'd like to try and describe a few of the idiosyncrasies that make India such a mind-trip. Despite the outward appearance of sometimes being backward or 'developing' to us Westerners, there are many things are so right about this country. FOOD: Dhabas for example are the roadside eating places, that at first look like grungy delapidated sheds with no front (which is exactly what they are) but actually offer freshly cooked (mostly) and fantastic value food, often at the most unlikely times of the day. Contrast that to your average Motorway service station in the UK, serving up reheated stodge at vast expense. Similarly chai shops offer sweet, milky tea ... read more