Buh Bye Delhi...

I am writing from Varanasi! I arrived here this morning with the new group after an approximately 14 hour train ride. It was supposed to be 12 hours, but we were delayed on the tracks several times due to people protesting on the tracks. Our guide told us that the government here has recently raised the fuel prices, and the opposing party organized a national strike/protest to try and compel the government to reverse the price hikes. 

So we are spending the morning getting our selves clean and resting before we head out to Sarnath. Sarnath is said to be the place where the Buddha gave his first teaching after attaining enlightenment. Tomorrow morning is supposed to be a sunrise boat ride on the Ganges, but the guide is saying this may not be possible due to the high water level from Monsoon.  

And I even learned how to post a video...

Finally some photos!

I think I have figured it out! 

These are some shots from along the trails in Ladak and then some from one of the monistaries we visited.

Another Day in Delhi

I will start off by appologizing for getting so behind on my blogging. It was my intention to write a bit each day, but I think that was a bit to ambitious! Especially on the trek I was just a bit to tired to form competent sentences and organize photos!!! Upon arriving back "home" in Delhi I discovered that there were issues posting photos to this blog with the iPad interface. I will post some photos soon. Because of this I have posted a few pics on Facebook for now.

I will try to post more about the trek at a later time, but for now I will just fill you all in on what I have been up to since I have returned to Delhi.

I parted ways with the trekking group when Meera from the BnB came to pick me up from the hotel. She took me to get some medicine for the nasty cough I still have from being at altitude (I think!). I was able to relax and organize my things for a while before there was a knock on my door. Meera was there and told me that some other guests (a couple from Spain) had just returned from a journey to Rajasatan and had been fleeced in the markets. She told me that she was taking them shopping so they could get some good bargains and invited me to come along. In less that two hours I spent less that $30 Cad and had filled half the bag to send home! But the best part was meeting Sonia and Francesico they are a Spanish couple from Madrid who are presently living in London. Francesico is in the banking industry hence the move to London due to the economic situation in Spain.

The next day (which is yesterday for me now) they invited me to spend their last day in India with them. We set off after breakfast to see the Red Fort in old Delhi. This was a rather anticlimactic experience. It was good to have seen it, but I was surprised at the lack of care put into maintaining this world heritage site. From there we went to the markets of old Delhi. We hopped onto a cycle rickshaw. Yes, one very small Indian man peddled three big westerners around for two hours! And got paid less than $10 Cad! Geesh...

Old Delhi is absolute craziness. So many people, so many shops crammed into tiny spaces. The rickshaw driver brought us to the spice market area. He led us into a building where we made out way to the roof, but no before stepping over various people sleeping in the corridors. On the roof we had a view of old Delhi from above. We could see the masses of filth, people, rickshaws, and vehicles below. We could also see homes from up here too. Once we had seen enough, we came back down to street level, bought some spices and headed away.

We attempted to see a Mosque but Sonia was wearing shorts so no dice!

We then made our way to Raj Ghat. This is the place where Ghandi was cremated on the ghats of theYumana River. This was a beautiful monument, very simple and clean. Many Indians were here paying their respects.

Out next stop was over the other side of the river to Akshar Dham Temple. I think this was the most beautiful temple or religious building I have ever seen in my life. Sadly, there is no cameras allowed here I have no snaps to show you!

We then made a pit stop to find some food before heading back home.

It was a long, hot, and sticky day but such a pleasure to share it with Sonia and Francesico.

Today I am getting ready to head out for the day with a lady around my age from Australia. We will do some shopping to top off my bag which I will send home today and then go see some more sights!

Jouleh!!!

Jouleh...

This is the local word for hello, goodbye, thank-you, etc here in Ladak which is the province of India where we are in Leh. It has been several days since I have written last. 

Since arriving in Leh we spent three days acclimating to the altitude. In that time we have gone on various sort walks around the town and in the local hills mostly visiting various Buddhist monasteries. There are many Tibetans here, and as a result the Ladaki culture and form of Buddhism is influenced accordingly.  We had the opportunity at one of the monasteries to sit in on a group of monks while they did their daily prayers and were treated to butter tea in the monks kitchen afterwards. Butter tea is a traditional Tibetan  drink made from butter and salt... They also add a barley flour to it called tsampa. It forms a paste like dough and is one of the staples of a monks diet. The butter tea is certainly not the tastiest thing I have ever had but glad to have tried it. In the evenings we strolled through the streets of Leh, poked through the shops, and tried another traditional Tibetan dish momo's. Momo's are a dumpling, essentially the Tibetan equivalent of the Russian perogie, or  the Japanese gyoza. they are delicious! 

After our three days of acclimating we set off on the trek. 

To Leh and Back...

Hello all! 

I am now back in Delhi and have safely finished my trek through the mountians of Ladak. I have been trying to write a bit most days so you will start to see several postings come up over the next day or so. Seems I am having issues trying to post more photos here, so please bear with me while I try to work that out!

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Shortly after posting my last entry I left Meera's house (the bnb) with Meera, and the father daughter pair and headed to a local market. I was fortunate enough to be invited to join their shopping excursion. Meera left her family behind to spend the afternoon showing us the market. This was very helpful as she took us to the places where she shops for herself and her family. She gave us a really good feel for what we should be paying for things as to not be taken advantage of by the vendors. I did not end up purchasing much... Only a Indian top. This cost me 365 Rupee which works out to less that $6.50 Canadian! Rose and her father are only here for ten days so they were on a mission when it came to spending! It was great fun to watch them buy up the market and be in such awe of the prices compared to their prices back in the UK. 

Once the shopping was done for the day we found my hotel and bid the Brits goodbye. Meera said she would arrange for a SIM card and will have it waiting for me when I return at the end of my trek.

I found my room and met my new roommate for the next two weeks, Izzy. She is 22 and from the UK as well. It turns out the majority of the group are from England, one Aussie lady, and a Mother daughter (around my age) from Scotland. The ladies by far out number the gents on this trip, they are only three of the ten of us! 

After a short rest and clean up, the group of us walked to a local restaurant and had a great meal of Indian food. A complete meal including naan and soda water was less than $4!

We all hit the sac upon ur return from dinner due to our 01:30 hrs wake up call to make our 05:00 hrs flight to Leh. I was dreading this but actually awoke before the alarm and felt quite rested. It is a short flight, less then two hours, to Leh. The views from the plain were nothing short of spectacular!!!! Mountains as far as you could see, many looking like flowing streams of color from all the different exposed layers of earth. I did snap some shots from the plane, but I was in a middle seat so they are not great. The highlight of the flight had to be the approach into Leh. As the plane aligned it's self in the relatively narrow valley it seems like you could reach out the window and grab a handful of pebbles from the mountain side! The mountains here are very different from what we are accustom to in BC. They are pretty much completely without vegetation. I guess due to the altitude and climate here.  Leh is at approximately 3500 m.

Landed in Delhi! I am safe and sound at the most wonderful Bed and Breakfast... Meera at Saubhag Bed and Breakfast is a wonderfully generous and kind person. I actually wish I was staying a bit longer... I will be back here though between my two tours. The ride from the airport was almost everything I thought it would be. The only things that I expected that weren't there was the notorious awful smell I have been hearing so much about and traffic. Don't get me wrong, there defiantly are not to many rules on the road here that are practiced, but I guess because of the time of day not to many cars on the roads. Some of the highlights of my inaugural Indian car ride were... of course cows lounging on the highway (and I mean literally on the highway, not the shoulder), men lounging on the highway near their stopped vehicles, and many dogs being dodged two of which were clearly distracted by each others company (eh hem).

The B'n'B is in a nice residential Gated area there is a lovely father daughter pair in the room next to me. I am soon on my way to the hotel where I meet the tracking group. I will try to obtain a SIM card today...If not It's possible that this will be the last entry for two weeks as I am not sure how the Internet access will be!