so we ended up in kashmir

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um ok so we are in india...we will be on the road till early may.

india, hmm, is , hmm, comnfusing frustrating and really really unusual. We started of in delhi and were immediately woven into a weave of agencies, friends, commisions and so on. as delhi is considered more or less unlikable according to most sources we headed elsewhere. Looking to go to Dharamsala we were convinced (foolishly) to take the agencys deal of trekking trip in the himalayas.

needless to say this turned out to be not such a good deal. the most humorous side of it was that what they referred to as the himalayas was the part in Kashmir. not exactly a name thats magnetic to any tourist. anywyas kashmir has been peaceful and so has our stomachs, so far.

we have gotten to see some nice scenery and froze some as it is pretty chilly and the winter wardrobe did not get packed. we stayed with a gypsy family in the mountains (about 4,000 metres above sea level) for a few days. they had horses and a garden made up of what horse leave behing and mud, and some more mud. It was without a doubt the most harsh living conditions ive ever seen up close. the shower was a little tap in an unheated room. the only heating was a fireplace in one of the rooms where everyone hung out... The toilet was either outside or outside outside (outhouse or in the free and open which was an experience in itself.

After all the freezing and scenery we were pretty excited about heading back to summer/spring today only to find out the plane was overboooked. This lead to a clearing of the air with our travlling guides. We found out that loud yelling in public is a good way to get them more helpful, as well as telling the guides superior that he had been smoking pot instead of serving us dinner. For those of you who know me you might realize that yelling in public isnt my first choice of strategy but...it seems to have worked. then again ive heard phrases like "my brother i would never" or "you have my word" a few times to many during one week in india to think that its set in stone that we will get out of here tomorrow.
meanwhile im channelling my anger through interresting literature "Pimp- the story of my life" by Iceberg Slim. go get it!

ok, the saga will continue

take care of yall selves

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