unedited!.....no spelll check!......no grammmer review! The Hotel Alka is tres propre and has a fine vegetarian kitchen! The cows and buffalo parade past the front door, the monkeys swing from the trees above the dining terrace, the dogs howl wether there is a moon or not and the goats bounce up and down the river steps. But no viande to be foound on the diner plate! Lots of buffalo cheese, curd and milk ... looks like one percent .... legumes, pan and veggies ... and beer! The arrival at six o'clock in the morning went without a hitch, (a hotel employee was there to meet us ...that way we avoided all the hasslers and the hotel does not give commissions) ........ until we got into the autorickshaw. For 45 minutes we bounced along a flat country ... read more

AS usual please excuse all errors inspelling and grammar...thnaks.....B :) The India I expected is the India I read about in books. I think I have come 30 years too late. We are sitting in Shimla in a hairdressers cum internet cafe. The people of Shimla must be part mountain goat because a flat street is almost impossible to find. The romantic image I had of Shimla, the Hill Station from days past has been flung to the wind and what is left is an overgrown collection of houses that look like so many martin bird houses stuck on to the side of the mountain ... and not just one ridge but repeated ridges as far as one can see. In the night many lights are all around as we look out our window. The ... read more

From Amritsar we took a car to Dharamsala with two men who spoke no english. 200km later with only one stop for samosas and a pee for the assistant drive, we were off again. We drove up into the mountains and attained 1745m. The road was treturously narrow in places, falling into the valley and in other places being constructed to a wider breath...an increase of one smart car!! The valleys below could be seen at every hairpin turn. The views became so magnificent they took ones breath away: 1. terraced hillsides ready for rice plants. 2. small houses made of stone with slate rooves angled enough to be able to loose a winter's snowfall. 3.small villages with similar store fronts seen in every town andcity spewing their wares and garbage out into the street. 4.brick ... read more

Sorry this blog unedited because of lack of time and freezing fingers in Amritsar. The cold weather is now news even in Amritsar and Delhi!! When we came to the tourist info office ,which really was not the office of the Delhi Tourist Board, we were snowed into changing the itinerary and ..... well I must say the prospect was more enticing than spending seven days in what we had so far seen in Delhi. And of course there was also the reaction of more than one person to the lenght of time we planned to spend in the place. They could not understand why. And there we were, after our lovely stay in Dubai, arriving to the shock, surprise, some horror, and loads of denial in Delhi. We found our way nicely to the Tibetan ... read more

The new backpack was not appropriate; sandles, sleeping bag and fleecy jacket all hanging on to the outside....so .....back to my Jack Wolfskin designed for a woman's figure ... it fits very well, it is comfortable and everything fits inside with room to spare. All the stuff weighs 14.5 kilos and the day pack comes in at 3k. Fridge defrosted, garbage wrapped up, electrical heaters cleared of obstructive objects , thermostat set at 10 degrees celcius, keys to the neighbours, hot water tank shut down, and every electric plug pulled. Only the freezer and the heating will guzzle power for the next two months. The Hydro bill will determine wether or not I embark on a trip this time of year again! The drive to Toronto should take 4.5 to 5 hours. All depends on ... read more