14 May 2009
We are about to say goodbye to India. In a few days, we’ll head back to Amristar and cross into Pakistan.
We are still waiting on iranianvisa.com for the documents to proceed with our visa application. Hopefully, everything will be ready soon. We hope to meet up with some friends we made in New Delhi. We are all going in the same direction, so it will be nice to get a little convoy going.
Last week was nice and relaxing. We didn’t do much in Kashmir, but that’s exactly why we went there! We wanted to cool off in the mountains and take in the fresh air. After our time in Sri Nagar, we decided to head North, into the mountains. Our plan was to do a big loop and head to Leh and then straight south to Daramsala. It would mean taking the wombat about 4500m. Our dear friend, and fellow Landcruiser owner, Dave, gave us incredibly useful tips before taking the wombat to high altitudes. Click here to read the tips he gave us. Thanks a million Dave! Realizing that The Wombat was not properly equipped to travel at very high altitudes, and knowing it would be a risk to go to Leh, we decided to turn around after Sonamarg. It’s too big a risk when you still have +15000km ahead of you to finish your journey. Also, we don’t like to “wing it” with our wombe, we like him too much.
So driving to Sonamarg, we got stuck in traffic. In the middle of nowhere in mountain country this usually means: a landslide, construction or an accident. Jonny got out of the car to investigate as I slept (high altitudes really get to me...my first time at high altitude I woke up wearing 2 jackets next to a man called Raul, another story). Who did Jonny see a few cars ahead of us?? ADAM! We thought he was back in England! It was such a coincidence to see him on this random road to Sonamarg. It turns out he extended his holiday to see Sri Nagar. Amazing! We spent the day with him and Catherine, frolicking about the mountains, checking out the glacier. They left that evening, and Jonny and I camped with a gorgeous view. Lucky they left when they did, because the next day was effing freezing, and it rained/wet snowed the entire day. We stayed in the wombat, cooking, playing cards and reading.
We left Kashmir after having had an amazing time. It is truly a beautiful place where you don’t really have to do anything to enjoy yourself. Taking in the gorgeous views is enough!
Now we’re in Daramsala, actually McLeodgang. Residence of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile. The whole town is like a Tibetan education centre. There are many foreigners, more than I’ve seen anywhere else in India (but we didn’t go to Goa...) There are people selling Tibetan crafts all over the place (many old ladies knitting next to their stalls), there are monks and nuns walking about, and the whole atmosphere is pretty welcoming. The Dalai Lama is here, but as far as we know he is not giving lectures.
We parked the car about 2 kilometres from town. It’s at a parking lot near a catholic church, in the forest. It’s really nice and calm. We’re staying there, without a problem. A man tried to charge us for parking today, but you must be weary! He looked just like a random guy, and he didn’t have receipts. No receipt, no money! Sorry!
It’s going to be strange to leave India. It feels like we’ve been here for ages. We’ve really gotten used to the pace of things here... Today, we’ve been on the road for 7 months. I’ve been away from Canada for over 2 years now... Time flies doesn’t it? I remember 5th grade feeling like an eternity, and the most menial things being so important. Now that I’m a “grown up”, times goes by so fast that I hardly have time for anything anymore! Crazy.
We don’t know how internet will be in Pakistan, but I’m sure we’ll have no problem giving updates in Lahore. They love Landcruisers there, so we’ll have the wombat checked out.
Marie-Claude
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