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Leaving from Kanda we got a 10hour bus to Nainital. It was a standard indian country bus and quite an experience on the weindy roads. Leaving Kanda it was so full the people standing were pushed to loom over those sitting and there were about 4people sitting in each bench meant for 2. Thankfully it was only this crowded for the first hour to Bageshwah and after that we had seats each for the long journey. Arriving at Nainital it wasn't quite the 'lake district of India' as described instead it was closer to the blackpool with many quite tackey shops. We stayed in an old palace which was huge and as us as the only guests a little creepy, but the food!! Oooh it was sooo tastey after 10days of only dohl and chabaties, international food and meat was exactly what we needed. The following day we went down to the lake and found the most amazing cake shop, again it had been a while for any of us to have proper desert food and we filled up on CAKE!! Wasss sooo tastey!! We then took a horse ride up the mountain to the views, which was eventful itself with the cobbled streets on a ridiculously steep hill but was actually real good fun and i think many of us myself included enjoyed riding more than we thought. After admiring the not so splended view (completely cloud covered) we took the cable cart back down:)
The others then went for peddle boat and row boat trips around the lake which seamed quite fun but sadly i was feeling a little ill so didnt join.
Heading off just as the weather turned we left for Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve. Here we stayed in a safarish hotel, with a big walless staw hut as a resterant (where the food took 2hours to arrive) and a swimming pool (was amazing but ridiculously all us girls still had to be fully clothed while swimming!!). We went for a elephant ride safari which was great! We didnt get to see any tigars but just the ride was fun :) and spent the rest of the day chilling by the pool. Next day Grace left :( back to Kanda and the volenter project, hope shes having a good time there now. And the rest of us traveled down to Hawidwah. Here i left the others who were to stay here and take the train to the golden temple in a couple of days, i headed off alone to Rikishesh.
Getting there was horrible. Just confusion, i couldnt find the share taxis so took a bus to 'rikishesh' didn't realize where i was staying was the other side i took a Rickshaw (an indian tuttut which really over charged me this time) to where he said i only have to walk down a small path across the river to the Ashram i was meant to be staying at. I walked down the path (in about 40 degrees with my massive bag) at the bottom I checked i was going the right way, i wasn't apparently, had to head up back the path and get another rickshaw.. I was not happy, i started back up only to ask again and find out the 1st way was right after starting and stopping in each direction for a good 20mins and asking literally everyone i could find i got fed up... chose a direction and just walked... crossed a bridge but had to take another taxis to the Ashram in the end, i was in an awful mood, just tiard and hot. Happily they still had rooms so for 100rupies, approx 1.40 a night i booked in. While this is ridiculously cheep!! You kinda get what you payed for, not a lot lol. room was literally a like prison cell.. a slab of concrete was the bed with a couple of mats, no covers or pillow or anything on the walls. I shared a couple of stinky toilets with the whole floor which were just long drops, completely minging. Then shower was a stinky room with a bucket(but there was hot water YAY.. well in the morning). I was happy just to get there at this point and over the next couple of days I just hung out sorting out all the things i needed to do, went to yoga(which was HARD!!, i think everyone agreed the classes were very hard, even the people who do yoga all the time, so you can imagin but was qutie good fun) and spending a lot of time trying out the food and choosing where to eat, it was ok but i was very bored and kind of just wanted to get to Thailand.
On the second day there tho I got a text from Caroline and an invitation to go Whitewater rafting down the Gangys, it was sooo much fun! Probably the best thing yet (maybe along with the tarj mahal) we went for the long one, the rapids were great, a real adrenalin rush and just about stayed in the boat, well untill we jumped out and swam down the rapids, so much fun and then they get you really into it with chants and things before each rapid, was just great.
On the 3rd day I met a load of people, just leaving my room i got in a convo with a guy called Barun, we went for breakfast, we ate at the 'office' which is a small very 'indian' place at the front but had a balcony over the gangys you can sit on to eat your food (which was soo tastey and fresh). i soon found that this is the place to meet people and when he went to class i stayed and had many a convo with the people who came there. I suddenly was enjoying Rikishesh alot more! Had dinner with some of them after yoga class, in a kl bamboo hut thing, with benches across the floor where you eat. Spent the evening with them aswell was great fun :) (and got introduced to chocolate and bananna samosas... best investion ever, sooo tastey). Woke up early for a yoga sesion with a 103year old instructure, apparently it wasnt on so went to meditation instead. Now i met alot of people there who enjoy and sware by meditation, personally I didnt quite get it, i mean sometimes its good to sit and take the time to sit and sort out what you should do and give yourself and new perspective on any issues (actually gave me such a big apprication for everything i have, realise life is apsolutly awsome at the moment and to just enjoy it) so i suppose it was good i went but i think this can be done your own way without the ummming and chanting and not so into the 'spirital alightenment' as i recon people are looking for answers when i just think, whats the point of the questions.. enjoy waht you have and except what you dont and i know its not that easy for alot of people or alot of situations and then yeah meditation may help these people so im not putting it down in any way, just not for me. Yoga too 2bh, i enjoyed it but i think ide just prefer to stretch before and after excersise (cough) lol.
So anyway last day just sorted out myself, met another guy who taught me to juggle(i got alrightishhhhh, was fun) and walked with Melony (a yoga instructor i met the day before) down to a small waterfull, was beautiful and good fun :) . Realised when i got back... i lost my bus ticket... i had been carful in the days before to save money so i didnt have to pay the withdrawal charge and had rashioned my Rupies.. i didnt have enough for a new one.. i looked everywhere (can i just say, this is the 1st thing ive lost, which i think is pretty good for me! :) ) but this was the only bus and i needed to get it to get my plane and if i missed my plane i missed my tour around south east asia... i was screwed, going back to the place i brought it i managed to blag them to right it out again without me paying... was sooo happy :))) went to the stop after dinner... the bus wasnt running that day.... s***! (sorry mum) but i was very worried. went to the main bus station thankfully i found another bus to Delhi, and with my refund from the non existant bus everything was ok. Spent the night on the bus... on indian roads... safe to say i didnt sleep a wink plus there were soo many mosquitos, have 24 on one arm alone, 17 on the other and 10 and 13 on each foot, i mean that is rediculous!! was soo anoyed my mousito repellant was packed!! (just did a recount now so some of these may have been in the couple of days sinse but i think most were from then). Sat righting this now its sooo fustraitingly itchy!!
Waited for 8hours for my plane, ugh (i was very early with my bus but had to be to get there and then the plane was delayed) but met another couple, one of which works at STA who had loads of good advice so wasnt too bad.
5 hours later and im in Bangkok :)
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