Having a great time in Asia… great and impressive.

I wish, my days would have more than 24 hrs., the weeks more than 7 days… 

Too short… too short to see to discover more… Now it can go on: Through Nepal to Tibet, through China, visiting Buthan, Bangladesh. Heading in the direction of SEA: Laos, Northern Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia back to India with Andaman-Islands, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan…

There’s so much more outside… So many different people, at the end we are all the same. With same needs and wishes. So many different values. So many different faces with smiles. So many different religions living in one country… (will have to read more about this when I am back… Sikh. Hindhu. Tibetens. Muslim. Buddhism…)

My next steps
In McLeod Ganj I prepared the next steps. This night (from 11.05. to 12.05.) I am going by sleeper bus from McLeod Ganj to Delhi.
Tomorrow (12.05.) I will visit Old Delhi and at 6.30 PM the nighttrain is leaving to Varanasi. I am very much looking forward to Varanasi. It is an old, but - as told - very, very dirty city. I am looking forward seeing the Ganga and the Ghats. Trying to stay at a place called Hotel Alka.
I will stay there one night to continue my trip to Kolkatta. Again by nighttrain, which will take me 10.5 hrs from 14.05. to 15.05. In Kolkatta I am going to stay for 2 days.
I will decide in Kolkatta how to go on: Either going to Darjeeling and then to Kathmandu or directly to Kathmandu from Kolkatta. So many possibilities… :) Super…

It seems, that my original plan is working + some more.

India and some inputs
Time is running very fast and every day is a real adventure. Varanasi, Kolkatta and the rest will be very interesting. India is very interesting. It is one big states, with many smaller states in it. Those states are very different, even the people there are different in their behaviours and looking. Religions… Hindhu, Sikh, Muslim… A lot of different things in a complex setup which is running more or less “peaceful”. Some states are wanting their independency (Kashmir, North-eastern-states and so on) and are having mixed emotions with Pakistan. People differ from every region. Sometimes friendly, sometimes rough. Kashmir people are very friendly as well as the people in Amritsar. Delhi is a hard place lets see, what the other regions and cities bring. Punjab people are having their turbans, with their hairs in front of their head. The people in the north are more Hindhi, wearing their colorful Saris and having a good makeup with kayal and so on…

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…

Went to the border to Pakistan near Amritsa in Attari. This is the only possibility to cross the border between India and Pakistan. I went there by riksha and it was quite hot (20 Rs both directions).

It was interesting, as there were many many people… It was like a “show”, when both sides (Pakistan and India) showed their powerness by the people, who are working at the border. There have been many Indians - I noticed only a couple of other “foreigners”.

It was very loud there, as there was nice Indian music and the animator was speaking - shouting - his parols about India…