Darjeeling to Nepal

So, I did not mentioned, that on the drive from Darjeeling to Nepal, we had another flat tire somewhere in the mountains. So, waiting and had another rest. Was OK.

Kakarbhitta

The place in Kakarbhitta was nice, although it was quite near to the border. I walked a little bit outside of the small village and found nice green places. I stayed there at Hotel Mechi and the bill says, “yes, of course, I am from Australia!”.

Airport Kakarbhitta

I took the plane from Kakarbhitta to Kathmandu which took me 40 Minutes instead of 18-19 hrs.  by bus. I planned to go by bus, but there is not time for this anymore unfortunally… The flight was OK, there have been 24 passagiers in the small machine from YETI-Airlines (I like the name…). I had no chance seeing the himalaya mountainas through the clouds.

Next time, I am sure :)

So, after spending two amazing days in Amritsar, I went by bus to Pathankot and then to Chamba. It took me a litle bit more than 10 hrs. Drive was interesting, stopped two times eating some dal with rice. Had some”fruit cake” in the bus and a lot of chips… The bus-drive cost about 140 Rs (about 2 EUR).

Found an accomomodation in Chamba: Hotel Aroma Palace with a real nice view to this village in the valley. So it’s a little bit like “Heiligenblut“, as you are starring out to another hill out of your window.

Had some interesting conversations with locals and learned a lot about Hindu and the history of India. Did not know so much… Very interesting… f.e. Pakistan was part of India 60 yrs. ago, then splitted u. Bangladesh was formaly known as “East-Pakistan”…

Before going to bed I watched TV (there is a TV in every room I slept…). Did not found CNN but many sports channels. “Cricket” is very popular in India… So teams like “Kalkutta Knight Riders”… btw, I like this name…

OK. Today had some recent walks to some temples and ready to leave tomorrow early in the morning to Daramsala, where the exil-government of Tibet is located.

My stomach-barometer… If it was 50 % yesterday on a scale from good - bad, it is now going up to 70 % in direction of “bad”. Lets see… :)))

Internetconnection is very bad here and found a lausy internet-business near the market. So lets see, how I am succeeding in uploading some images and some GPS-routes…

Afterstaying in Kashmir and visiting city and Gulgmarg outside in the mountains I went down to Jammu in a Jeep for 10 hours. It was the most exciting drive ever. Through rough mountains, a lot of trafic jam the whole way: Jeeps, Busses, Lorries, Rikshas, Sheeps, Goats, Cows, Bikes. Exciting and the local next to me was always crying “Allah” (Kashmir is Muslim). The drive was very dangerous. It was raining and there was a thunderstorm all the time. It was along journey through the mountains where itwent down meters on the right side all the time. We had twice stops where we had dal with rice and the next time salted tea.

The first days I had everything: heat and cold, freezing and sweating, hail and rain and sun, snow, thunderstorms as well as big big desert-storms with broken trees on the “roads”… Amazing.

We had to sop many times im between and saw a lot of accidents, b roken cars and strange things.A lot of military (of course, Kashmir) and dead cows which felt down into the valley on the right side of the street. It was very much exciting and made me feel how i could be in Afghanistan.

At about 11 PM we arrived in Jammu, the other part of Jammu & Kashmir. We stpped there and hwent searching an accomodation. We decided to search for another jeepwhich drives us to Amritsar in Punjab. We found one and left at 0 oclock.I was very tired and was sitting in front next to the driver, left to me was Mehmet.

The drive was crazy again. I felt like in another movie. The street was big, then thin. Then tared, then not tared. Then splitted, then together. Then absolutly no street and then a big big big space, then separated by tons or broken up by military. On both sides next to the streets I always noticed lorries parking - mazbe having a rest. It was a crazy drive, horning all the time and shaking up and down. I trusted the Punjab driver. A lot of strange cars where heading or in front of us. Strange vehicles where I do no know, what they should be for. Strange lights, strange colored cars with strange sounds. Very extraterristic. Very interesting.

We arrivved in Amritsa anb 4 AM in the morning. There was high/life at the Golden Temple and we decided to go there to have a short sleep. I slept there on the floor outside and - as we have checked a hotel before - we went to this hotel after a couple of hours to go to sleep.

The Golden Temple was amazing. Never seen such a building and such an athmosphere before. So. More tomorrow, I have to leave…

OK. And eve somewhere on this road, between Jammu and Srnagar I found the even most most most terrible toilet until now :)

After staying and travelling around in Delhi I started up to Kashmir by plane.

I had some strange feelings, as Kashmir seemed to be a very, very dangerous zone a couple of years ago. So, I was informing myself a lot and everything seemed to be OK there. Checked a flight from Delhi to Srinagar.

The flight itself was horrible. Had to stop at Jammu due to technical problems. We had to left the plane and then getting in again after a couple of hours. The security checks have been amazing.I had to varify both of my luggage a couple of times and my body was checked again and again. People told me, that due to travelling to this zone, everything is checked a lot of times.

Then after a cople of hours (I prayed, that i do not have to enter this plane again) we entered the machine and started up to Srinagar without any troubles. Puh.

In Srinagar itself I was “welcomed” by a lot of inhabitants: Offerd me Rikshas, Stays in houseboats, in hotels, food… It wasOK. Checked a pre/paid/taxi to Hotel Swiss near the Dal-Lake. Stayed there two nights and had some recent conversations with the local hotelmanager and the people outsite there. There are not many tourists… And the present of military is amazing… Everywhere… On every corner… In every place… Made my stomache feelng a little bit different the first hours, but it was Ok then.

Visited the city whic is something like Afghanistan. Amazing and very exciting. Interesting landscape. Lake, Mountains.

The \second day in Kashmir I went together with Mehmet, a guy I met at Hotel Swiss to Gulmarg. A place in the mountains - a “ski-ressort” n INdia with a gondola up to 4.000 m (Lonely PLanet says so).

Very much exciting… stood in a qew up to one hour, but there were only 50 peple waiting for buying a ticket. Interesting temperament the people are having - the quew was controlled by military..

We went to the first section, sawq some snow a handful of skie, soe slidges and had a tea at a hut there. Strang, strange, strange. Very wexciting.

Went there by shared jeep and back the third with a local indian buys. standing near the open door, packed bnetween all other guys and having no space :) funny driveand alinteresting experience.

At the hotel swiss I got in good contact with the local “hotelmanager” as he was very much interested in Online (Marketing). I even installed him Google Analytics into his webpage aas he was interested in it. Some optimazation in the webpage will provide him a good online-presence :) Wonderful… and fiunny./

Arrived in Delhi. Flight took only 7 hours, there is a time-difference about 3 1/2 hrs. The flight was very good, I had a window-seat and a free seat next to me. Check-in in Delhi airport was good, and luggage is also here. It seems to be quite hot and the first things I arranged was getting some bottles of water.

The taxidriver was waiting with a shield at the airport and then driving 32 km into the city. Big motorways, big trollies and overtaking everywhere: left, right, middle… “In India everything is possible”‘ the driver said. OK. Driving was good, I felt secure.

Arived in good condition in the city near the station. The close, we got to the “Hotel RAK International”, something like a budge-hostel, the more animals and cows have been on the streets. OK.

Room was reserved and everything went well. Looking forward visiting Delhi and the rest. Maybe I am changing my tour a little bit. BEst, everything is OK.

So, just booked a room in New Delhi for the first night(s) at Hotel Raki International in the area of Paharganj, where most of backpackers are staying. The idea is here getting in contact with other guys and checking posssibilities and latest travelling-news.

Lonely Planet is saying, that rooms are having windows - important, at least for the first night(s). Rooms is 300 Rs/Night, which is around 5 to 6 EUR.

I am arriving late at night - at 00.20 with Austrian Airlines, so a taxi will catch me up at the airport with a shield with my name on it.  Funny…