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Published: June 30th 2009
floating around in Europe a little confused. After such a intense journey in India, its almost hard to be here enjoying the comforts and ease of the western society. The western society as it is for me that is, of course it does not show its open arms to every person.
I am not really sure what point I wrote up until last time. But I'll just right briefly about the ending of my trip in India.
The last weeks, I was in the Himalayas, enjoying the views and relaxing. I went to a place called Dharamsala, its amazing there. I only stayed for a couple of days so I guess I didn't have time to get bored of it. But it was full of Tibetan refugees and it is where the Dali lama normally resides. This place was full of such good food, sushi, tofu, cafes selling soya milk coffee. Just a couple of vegan pleasures to put a smile on my face! No time to chill in the tourist heaven though! I got on a bumpy public bus for a day and headed over to a city called Katra, which is close to Jammu.
Well, this place, what to say, it was totally intense. A thousand staring eyes turned to the short haired, pierced, white 'girls'. This city has many many tourists, but no white ones. Apparently they have about 4 white visitors a year. If we tried to go on an evening walk, or to the shop, we got followed and harassed, photos taken, hands shaken, this sort of thing. It makes it hard to wanna go out side sometimes when everyone is just pointing or stopping what they are doing. But, have in said this it was nice to be some where totally Indian for my last days. We lived with a family. It was pretty nice, although none of them spoke English and we don't speak Hindi. They had a big pink house, there story was quite a beautiful one. The husband had worked on a chai tea stall all his life and saved up real hard, until a couple of years ago he bought this house. It was a good lesson to me, normally my judgemental eyes place chai stall people in the slums and the business suits in the pink houses with balconies. But they got out of there. But not with ease, 2 sons and the Dad work from 5am till 10 everyday. I can't even imagine doing that, or ever being in the position where I want to.
While in Kalka I turned 24. I think for a friend trying to make some ones birthday special in a place where there isn't much going on, it must be quite a difficult job. But Amelie and AC did a great job! They made a treasure hunt for me, and a little video with alien bananas with mustaches, telling me where to go on the treasure hunt. And for a few weeks before my birthday, I had been receiving notes from the aliens, telling me to do tasks. Such as 'Find something purple and give it to someone wearing purple, you have two days' Or 'For a whole day, wear you clothes backwards, walk out of everywhere backwards and if anyone asks you your name, say 'yak'' if i completed such tasks, the aliens left me birthday tokens. Which in the end I used on my treasure hunt to swap for parts of my gift. So it was quite a funny day!
We took one last night train to Delhi, where I had started to feel sick. I thought, its ok, I expect to get ill before I leave, its India, it's typical! The sunlight was beautiful, the evening sun, its warm so golden. Lighting up faces and smiles.
In Delhi Amelie and I decided that out last days will be ones in Luxury! We paid for a air conditioned room. We had a round bed hahaha! First time for everything, it was quite comfy. But yeah yeah, i was feeling quite ill and tired. And Both of us were excited to be leaving India.
The plane ride, was a plane ride. I felt ill the whole way, shitting, so much shitting! and no sleep woosh.
We arrived in Istanbul really tired, we found a falafal place and sat there for some time, amazed at how nice and helpful people in Turkey had been so far. And just delighted at the fact that cars stop to let you cross the street instead of indulging in some wacky races and speeding everywhere. We couch surfed in Istanbul for a week, the whole while i was sick, tired and feeling really weak. But it still was nice, I liked Istanbul. I ended up going to the hospital, and there they put me on a drip and took tests. Apparently i had a stomach infection and amoeba.....so, yeah blah blah. Dunno if I am better yet, need to get more test done.
So while in Istanbul I just really wanted to go more homeward and rest and just start to feel better. And my pride was getting a bit dented on this one, but I knew it was best. I am a little disappointed I go to see more of Turkey, or any of the amazing places we hitch hiked through, but I knew if I did carry on I would just be somewhere else in my heart. So another time! We hitched from Istanbul to Berlin in four days, pretty good going, was a nice trip. Some ups and downs, but that is expected when hitching with weird strangers.
I was so happy to arrive there. Again, I bought a big falafal and ate it in the rain while walking to schwarzer kanal the place where I was to be staying.
But while i was there I felt sad, dunno why. I guess after a long journey, in India and hitching I just felt a bit lost when coming back to this culture.
I wanted to be around friends, but I felt lost to who my friends were or where they were. I just didn't know what to do with myself!! So I booked a ticket to Copenhagen and came here. But that was bad timing it seems, because a lot of people are away at festivals. But it has been nice seeing some good friends. I still feel misplaced though, not quite sure where I want to be, but I guess that is something going on inside my head and not so much to do with where I actually am. We'll see.
It's nice to feel the cool fresh summer air of europe, to hear the loud birds, to be under the sky that never quite turns black and to see the long sun rises. To cycle around again, to skip (dumpster dive) collect bottles for money, cook lots of food and drink coffee with soya milk, draw, watch bad tv........and you know, just the comforts of homey life.
I am going to hitch hike back down to Berlin hopefully on Thursday.
After this I will go back to Copenhagen for the queer festival (20-26 July)
And then.......to England for a month
Before........I go to Canada on the 6th September!
Woopiedeedoo
so that's all for now, I just thought I would give some of you an up date
Love me xxxxx
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Muv
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Zippy-doo-doo
Hi Kay, hope the pesky little amoeba in you have stayed in Turkey! Katra sounds amazingly interesting but odd! Do you have photos of that town? Hope your illness didn't spoil Istanbul too much for you. Say hi to Amelie from me, Love Muv Turnip xx