Hey guys,
Well we’ve only been away from Melbourne for about 6 days,
but already it feels like a few weeks at least. We spent our first couple of
days exploring Delhi which is the craziest place we’ve ever been to and so much
more polluted and populated than we imagined. We eased our way in on the first
day by hiring a car and exploring some of Delhi’s sights including the Red
Fort, Jama Masjid Mosque, India Gate and Humyaman’s Tomb. All really beautiful
places but the things we will remember most about Delhi is the thick smog over
the whole city, people trying to photograph us everywhere, cars and motorbikes
EVERYWHERE, extreme poverty, kids with firecrackers, our travel agent ‘Mr. Manik’
and waiting in the horrible bus stop for our bus which was cancelled and then
being downgraded to a stupid bus with stupid fan that made Matt sick!!! Even
though it sounds like a horrible place it still has a certain amount of charm
about it and we loved it for the fact that we learn so much from experiencing
new cultures, it definitely put our priorities on life back in order and makes us
appreciate our lives even more– plus it means that Kiara is back on the travelling
band wagon!!!
We’re writing this from a small cafe in McLeod Ganj, Upper
Dharshalam which is the home to the Dalai Lama and a beautiful place full of
hippies and stunning scenery. It was a spontaneous decision for us to book the
long 13 hour bus ride but definitely paid off. It feels a world away from Delhi
due to the fact that it is populated by Tibetan refugees who now call it home.
It has a distinct Buddhist culture and is full of yoga, meditation and massage –
all of which we have yet to try. This
place has the feel of somewhere that you could easily find yourself spending a
few weeks , with plenty of tourists flocking to this marvellous place. The
standard of living seems quite high here compared to Delhi (besides the
numerous lepers begging for money). When we wake up and step out our front door
of our $8 a night accommodation, the first thing we see is the picturesque
landscape of snowcapped mountains, hawks circling the sky and a valley of pine
trees. We’ve spent our time up here relaxing, visiting the Tibetan Children’s
Village, joining in random protests, shopping for hours because Kiara is so
stupidly indecisive and Matt doesn’t want to influence her decisions and
eating, eating, eating!! We would definitely recommend this as a holiday
destination and hopefully we’ll be back here some day as well.
Missing you all but
not enough to come back home just yet!!
Enjoy our photos – they speak for themselves
Ki and Matt
xxxx
