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Published: August 7th 2007
Sorry, all text lost in server crash...but now found...
Well, we're still here in McLeod Ganj. We're going to stay here till the 25th, then leave for Goa - about a total 50 hour journey by train - to see Gianne and Babu and pick some stuff up that we've left at theirs. We should get home to the UK on the 1st July.
Its been nice to settle here for a while, however interesting travelling round India can be its also often hard work. Claire has been doing a silversmith course in Bhagsu, the next village. She's going to buy a kit to take home to continue making things there. She's already got a tupperware box full of rings, pendents and bracelets. A Kashmiri shopkeeper offered her 500Rs for one of her pendents the other day - and Kashmiri shopkeepers aren't known for parting with any more money than they have to, so its probably worth more than that.
I've been doing yoga every other day, and a fair bit of walking the days off. We're next to the Dhauladhar mountain range, part of the Outer Himalayas. There is a well advertised local trek to a
place called Triund, a flat ridge at about 2900 metres (remember,
Storm forming over McLeod Ganj
Taken from path up to Triundthe summit of Snowdon we walked to at the start of our travels was just 1085 metres). From there the snowline is another hour and a half away. Most of the local shops selling treks stress that Triund is a two day trek, needing a guide and an overnight stay (for about 1500Rs each person), but I set out to head in that direction and see how far I got, and found it to be a fairly demanding but doable day trek, starting at six in the morning and getting back before one. Since then I've been up a few times, but I've never done it alone - I've always been followed by one or two dogs, often for several hours accompanying me from Bhagsu all the way to the snowline and back! The views are amazing, the dogs often stop and seem to admire it as much as me.
We met up with four girls from Belfast - Cara, Claire, Roisin and Carla - and spent many evenings out with them along with a couple of walks
out, one to the stunning waterfall at Dharamkot. They've moved on now to Manali but I'm sure we'll see them again.
Mules between Triund and Snowline
Can't believe that we've been travelling for a year now, 14th June was the day we moved out of our house last year.
Just a quick entry now, mainly to get some photos on the blog. We'll do a longer final entry from India probably from Mumbai on the way home.
Oh, nearly forgot....think the monsoon started this morning! We've had quite a few storms the last few days with some amazing lightning (not quite so amazing when you're walking halfway down a mountain, trying to shelter under an overhanging rock), but people think the storm last night thats continued this morning could be the actual monsoon....
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