Monsoon

Rain! It just keeps coming down. After leaving the Pakistani border and the Sikh city of Amritsar, the full force of the Indian monsoon hit. Roads blocked by entire trees slipping onto the road, villages swamped by orange coloured muck and bucket loads of fat drops of water. Makes things interesting!

 

Amritsar is the Sikh holy city and is home for the Golden Temple, a guilded temple built in the middle of a rectangular lake. Our Sikh guide, Lucky proudly showed us the complex and the communal cateen, which serves over 100,000 chapatis and dhals a day! From Amritsar, the six of us headed north-est for a seven hour drive to Dharamsala.

 

Dharamsala, or the Macloud Ganj where we stayed is home to the Tibeten government in exile and nestled high in the himilayan foothills. There were lots of 'enlightened' westerners hanging around too but we settled for a wander around the Dalai Lamas complex and lunch at the Chocolate Log - which served delightful chocolate cake! (home comforts taken at any opportunity in India!)

 

Next stop, Shimla, the official summer capital of the British Raj until 1939. We stumbled around here in the rain taking some poor, ill-kept horses up to a hindu monument on a nearby hill. We were less than impressed when a chap offered us his telescope to peer into the fog - arhh! Our moods greatly improved when walking around the Mall, a street at the top of the ridge which is lined with colonial style  houses. We spotted pipe-toting cardigan wearing locals and school childen with smart uniforms on. Very English!

 

So a fun few days. Lots of history, culture and rain!