Extreme spacing, rollercoaster mayhem and rainy enlightment.

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These 3 things have in common that we experienced each one in the last couple of days.

In Shimla we took an easy time. Partly because we had to acclimatize to the slow pace and more laid back attitude, opposed to the chaos in Delhi. For activities, we conducted a few short hikes and indulged ourselves in the national cuisine. Often with unexpected results, some good, some bad. Sadly Ilse was often disappointed by Indian persistence to put gluten in her meals, which more than often resulted in me heroically taking on 2 dishes at once.

Last Saturday we took a bus from Shimla to Dharamshala. At points this drive seemed more like a theme park attraction. Luckily for us, this particular attraction didn’t go overhead nor were there any screwdrivers in it. Couple this with some amazing scenery and you have got yourself a great trip. It took us near 10 hours to cover the 250 km to Dharamshala and on arrival we were glad to have booked a hotel near the bus stand.

The next day we hiked to Mcleod ganj, which is a steep climb some 5 km far and 500m up from Dharamshala. Here we arranged a budget accommodation and explored in and around town a bit. We finished the day with the 1 hour hike back to Dharamshala. On our way back the area was hit by the first monsoon of the year. Although used to rain in the Netherlands this was quite something different. We took shelter to wait out the worst bit. This proved to be a wise move because the road suddenly transformed into a small stream channeling the huge amount of water dropping from the sky. After the worst was over we set a steady pace, covering the 5km downhill in a little over 30 min.

This morning we bode our luxurious mid-range hotel goodbye and trekked up to Mcleod Ganj again, this time with backpack. We could have taken a 6 rupees jeep ride but figured that if we want to trek to Everest base camp, we should at least be able to complete this trek. Yet, carrying another 12-13kg next to your own body weight up a bloody mountain is as though as it seems. Still, we managed quite easily, boasting our confidence about our ability to complete 1 or 2 treks of 1 or 2 days in the surrounding area.

Till next time!


Johan

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Comments

[Jorrick]

Extreme spacing
Am I to understand he extreme spacing championships of 2010 will be held in the Shimla region?? :D... By the way... Fred says hi ;) Anyaways, trek away... I'll be outside

[Jorrick]

Oja... bijna vergeten.... Wat betreft die regen: Mehh mietje.