Sunday 18th November
My last day in McLeod Ganj was yet again spent relaxing: reading, sending a few emails, nothing too exciting. I planned my onward journey to Amritsar, a town near the border with Pakistan. I wasn't sure which route to take: the train would be more comfortable but takes longer, while the opposite was the case for the bus. In the short time that I have been in India, I am already fed up with buses. However, in the state of Himachal Pradesh, where I have been for the past 10 days, you don't have much choice as the terrains is too mountainous.
I packed my stuff in the evening so that I could make a quick exit early the next morning, then headed out to meet some of the guys I had met the day before (one of whom was a construction worker from Meath). It was a quiet night but good fun. I had met some nice people in McLeod and managed to chill out for a bit, but I was also looking forward to heading somewhere new.
On my way back to the hotel, I passed a pack of dogs rooting around in piles of rubbish, a similar scene to the one I had come across on arriving that early morning a week previously. It can make the place look vile, but India can be a filthy place and you just have to see (and smell) beyond that. If you can bring yourself to ignore it, you will be fine!
I've been away for two weeks now but it seems much longer, more like a month. But I say this in a good way - I've packed a lot in and met some good people, while I've also managed to stay in one place and take it all in as well. I feel like I am really starting to get used to the place, the people and the culture. Just being familiar with the way things are done here is a big advantage and, hopefully, it will stand me in good stead for the rest of my time here.
