settling in....

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Sorry it's been a while guys! have been grappling with some crappy broadband that won't let me on!

So much has happened i'll try and fill you in.......
So we left dehli at 6.50 in the morning by train to Dehra Dun, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. I swear it was one of the most stressful things i have ever done in my life! it's not really the language barrier but the way that we don't understand how things are done...and also the 100000000000 tonne rucksack on my back doesnt make it any easier (thanks mum 😊 serious case of overpacking!) (love you really) so with the rest of the gappers our 8 strong group waded into the mass of people and struggled to make sense of the tickets we had been sold. people selling things and begging seem to congragate around the airports and trains presumably because of the foreigners. so..we find the platform and eventually get on the train finding out that it divides and we have to be in the right carriage and then find some free seats plonk ourselves down relieve myself and save my arms from being amputated due to loss of circulation my rucksack is so tight and then....we realise the seats are reserved. off we go again..meanwhile yours truly stupidly realises that she has lost her ticket. brillant. so while the others head of to their allocated seats i wander blindly tagging along and eventually end up sitting in a half empty carriage with the two australian gaps. struggling with bags, almost in tears, wanting to give upwe find seats sink in to them and relax. (my hands were doing that thing they do where they shake after something stressful)anyway obviously - i find my ticket - which has incidentally been in my pocket the entire time and then enjoyed a 6 hr journey with beautiful scenery, free bottled water, food and loads of cups of tea. lovely.

when we get to dehra dun it is obvious. the air seems cleaner and the views are of hills and lush greenery, the train station is full but not uncomfortably so, and our gap rep Toral and the tibetan agent are there to greet us. Dehra Dun is a bustling lively town with a really lovely atmosphere Toral lives up towards Mussorie in the hills and has beautiful views. While John Martyn cannot have us yet she has decided to take us under her wing. We have been staying with her for five days now, she has two boys 15 and 11 (i think) who me and nats get on with really well and the food is amazing!!!!!! chippaties, dahl, curries, aloo soooooo nice! we now know the best places to go in town and she's introduced us to people and made us feel really at home. we order a salwar kamees the other day (mine is royal blue with gold trim) (nats is turquoise) and i went a bit mad and bought a tunic and a gorgeous multicoloured shawl that i havent taken off!

we're not that far from other gappers and the town isnt too far either. toral has filled us in on things we need to know and a couple of days ago we saw John Martyn for the first time! its only a 15 min walk from her house and the main road into dehra and is so compact and sweet and looks so organised i really think we're going to love it!

oooh nearly forgot had an indian body and head massage the other day...very nice but exhausting and they use olive oil which i still havent watched out of my hair. (i had to do something to tame it!)

p.s - mum and dad - toral's going to sort it out for me to get my nose pierced safely so don't worry! hee hee hee xxxxxxxxx

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