Tea, tea, tea, tea, tea, tea, tea, tea, tea, tea.

After seeing the sunset this morning, I went to the tea-fields in Darjeeling. Interesting, as I have never seen tea-fields in real life before. The plants are very low and look like “Schwarzbeerstauden” (Blueberry plants). A nice green. Went to a tea-factory…

After having a short sleep I was woken up by a thunderstorm with heavy rainshowers. When I am sleeping I am sleeping. Normally I am not waking up by loud noise or sth like that. But this time I was woken up by the water, which came down on me from the ceiling :)

5 o’clock tea

Then I went for another tour through Darjeeling and after a while I stopped at a coffee-shop to have 5 o’clock tea and a blackforrest pastry… Good good! I think, my stomach will do it.

The temperature in Darjeeling is OK, although I am wearing a fleece-pullover. In the night I need two blankets as it gets colder… It”s OK, compared to 44 Cels. in the other regions :)

Tomorrow: Kathmandu

Tomorrow morning I am leaving to Kathmandu/Nepal. Going by jeep down to the Shiliguri, then by jeep to the border - crossing it - then with another jeep to the airport or by bus to Kathmandu.

Soo much to see……..

More images?

Check here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarmeloncom/sets/72157604536603810/

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 :)