Adventures in India

Namaste! It seems like a daunting task to write about all the amazing sights, sounds, and adventures of my two week trip traveling around India. I will do my best to highlight some of my favorite moments from traveling around the northwestern area of India from march 3rd to the 17th. Well it all started with a two day train ride from Calcutta to Shimla. Boy oh Boy is the train quite the experience. I definitely saw first hand how tight knit India's extended families are!! We shared our seat section on the train with a family who (when we did not have the bunks up for sleeping) crammed all 12 of their relatives in with us for the journey in seats made to fit 8!! Ha ha, while they were very nice, I was obviously excited to change trains on the last leg up to Shimla. The last leg consisted of a 5 and a half hour ride on a toy train on a narrow gauge line constructed in 1903. It traveled through 104 tunnels and around the ridges of mountains with views that were absolutely breathtaking.

Shimla is the state capital of Eastern Himachal Pradesh (the state) and it started as a summer retreat for the Raj. It is strung out along a 12 Km ridge and is 1,000m above sea level. It is cooler up there, with beautiful views and peaks. Also, it is a bit cleaner and more upscale than the area in West Bengal. This is due to the tourism (fancy coffee shops and stores) and laws banning: spitting, plastic bags, littering, and smoking. We toured the town and due to the elevation and steep hills you definitely could feel it being a little harder to breath. One day we headed into Kufra and rode horses along a 4km hike up to a temple on the mountain. The view was beautiful and you could see the Himalaya's in the far distance. Also at the top you could take photos with yaks, snakes, and Indians dressed in traditional ware. There also were food stalls, a temple, vendors, and an amusement park in the distance. I saved my rupees :-D. Next we headed to Naldehra for a hike in a cedar forest. To finish we went to the Jakhu Temple.

Perhaps one of my favorite things about this area of India are the monkeys. They absolutely are everywhere and the Jakhu temple dedicated to Hanuman (the monkey god) is overflowing with them. Unfortunately, here they are so used to humans they are quite vicious and you are handed big sticks to try to keep them away. Kat and I were not given sticks (they handed them to the men) and the monkeys came after us. I tried to scare one off but it was not scared of me and our driver had to come to my rescue with his stick. Ha ha. Despite this I loved watching their antics, they are like little people. I also loved Shimla but we were off to Manali.

It took 8 and a half hours to journey by car to manali. The elevation is 2050 meters and the town is surrounded by white capped mountains that are the base of the Himalayan mountain range. According to Hindu legend Manu (the Hindi equivalent of Noah) landed his boat here to recreate human life after the flood. It was quite cold and I had to wear all my clothing, (in the hotel too, since none use heat) but it was exhilarating to be in the Himalayan Range. We went towards the Rotang Pass, but only could travel part of the way as it was still closed for the winter. Like many around us we stopped and enjoyed the sight. We took loads of photographs, and enjoyed a once in a lifetime experience. Also here were hawkers, and skiers, and snow mobiles, and the largest fluffiest bunnies to take photos with in the world... I swear. I didn't take a photo but I just loved the bunnies and always tried to pet them. We went to the nearby Vashisht Town with hot bath springs and temples and it is a sort of hippie town in the mountains. Back in Manali we went to the Hidimba Devi temple erected in 1553 of stone mandir and wood. We also went to a Buddhist monastery where inside there is a two story statue of Sakyamuni (the historical Buddha: ie the thin one not the chubby Buddha). This was my favorite so far as I loved all the bright bright colors and prayer flags. I also thoroughly enjoyed turning the meditative wheels surrounding the building and chanting the oms. Manali also had wonderful parks and souvenir shopping for all you at home!

After Shimla we headed off to the Kullu Valley and on to Maikaran (meaning Jewel from the ear). According to local legend a snake stole the Jewel from Parvart while she was bathing then snorting them into the earth releasing hot springs. Here the springs are hot enough to boil rice. Some of the springs are mixed with cool water for baths. Inside were female only baths where Kat and I went and outside and in a separate inside room ones for men. They are like huge hot tubs only people actually bathe in them. And the best part about this trip was that it was the day to celebrate Holi..... the best festival of all......