so, at long last i am here. it seems strange that iäve only been in india for 8 days, it feels like an eternity. let me catch you up first .
we retrieved our luggage (martina, the girl from germany, and i) and she went off to platform 9 with my email address..
from new delhi i had been on the waitlist for the train to pathankot. well it turns out )after trekking through the station many many times with my backpack and everything from the tourist information office to the board with the train names and platform numbers, to the platform back and forth looking for the list, and finally finding it and trying to find my name) i ended up 3rd on the list and had to get a refund. that involved queing with the locals at counter 30 downstairs and that was a mess to say the least. me with my backpack and sidebag squished between sweaty men all yelling and cutting in line b-c if the form wasnt filled out exactly properly someone else grabbed your spot in line in a heartbeat. then you ahd to force yourself to stay there and shove the paper back through.. well you get the picture. fun times.
anyhow i went back to the tourist office and the guy recommended the train to chakki bank (or chika bank i dont remember) which departed at 20,55. at least it was supposed to depart then.. so i hung out in the tourist office as long as possible, as i had already sweated through my shirt at least 3 or 4 times walking around the station. then i went to the platform to wait for the train. and wait. and wait. and 20,55 came and went, and i was getting quite worried. then what do you know but there are a couple westerners sitting on a bench and sure enough they are waiting for the same train. the train ends up being delayed by two hours at least, i think we left around 11 or 11,30. and it took twelve hours. luckily i was in two+tier a-c class which is rather nice, but no one spoke english so all the next mornign starting at 6.30 i was trying to find out which stop would be mine. finally we got there and one of the younger guys told me this was it. so i tracked down david and michelle(from earlier, david from australia and michele from england but living in australia) and with their help (sheäd been there before) we managed to get to pathankot by rickshaw, dharamsala by agonizing bumpy 3 hour bus up steep narrow winding roads, mostly unpaved, adn then taxi to mcleod ganj where i am now, in a rather decent midrange hotel with hot water and a balcony which would have an amazing view were there not fog through the whole valley. nonetheless iäll take some pictures later or in the morning likely as i need some food.
iäm here, though, and alone. and now what, is my question to myself. i have no clue whatsoever. i know i want to see some things in the area, stay a while.. but it was nice having company this whole time and now for the first time i am alone and it feels quite strange.. so im off to try to distract myself with dinner and then a beer or two i think. i deserve one after crossing half the country in two days through tortuous whatnots. i would have liked to have bought david and michelle dinner, as they were good company but i didnt get to spend too much time with them as they were ni the non a/c sleeper and i was in the nicer one. oh well..
pictures next time, i promise..
