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Sadie and Steve's (not Steve and Sadie's) travel b
Hey, our first journal entry, its only taken aorund three weeks to get around to it! Should of known i'd be rubbish at keeping this thing up to date.
Can't believe we've been here now for over three weeks, its really weird in some ways its gone really quickly and then at the same time it kinda feels like we've been here forever (but in a good way).
Our camp is based in Palampur, which is in Himichal Pradesh, in the himalaya region, right up in the mountains, the scenery's amazing great views whereever you go. There are two camps the main one where we eat all our meals and everything and another camp where me and steve are staying there are about 16 of us there. Its pretty good for Indian standards, you walk out on to the balcony and you've got the mountains right in front of you, its a pretty good view when you're brushing your teeth!
Altogether there are about 50 volunteers here, quite a few names to remember. There are about 27 of us that all started at the same time, the rest are leaving at the end of this week. Everyone's so nice, there's a few english, some dutch, germans, canadians, 1 australian and loads and loads of people from denmark!
I think overall we've been coping with the culture shock pretty well, i'm proving dad wrong by sticking it out with the bucket showers! The hardest thing to get use to is the food. Everything has a least a hint of spice in, even if we go into town for pizza and chips. Have been seriously craving english food, a really big steak and ale pie, with chips and gravy, mmmmmmmmmmmmm, that would be sooooo good, just gravy on its own would do me fine actually.
Started our work a week or so ago. Steve's doing computer teaching in the morning, and then he goes into an orphanage in the afternoon where he get to play cricket and football, so it keeps him happy. I'm working in a day care centre, which is basically like a playschool, the kids are aorund 3-4 years. They are sooooo cute, it took them a while to get used to us, at first they were like who the hell are these strange people, and some of the looks they gave us when we were singing songs to them were priceless! They're really starting to come out of themselves now. Yesturday we went to a couple of the families houses, its quite a shock seeing how some people live, and watching the kids getting loads entertainment just from playing with a cupboard.
At the weekends we get the chance to go to different places. A couple of weekends ago we went to McLoed Gange, which is where a lot of tibetan refugees flee to. Its really touristy though, loads of westerners, which feels qite starnge after you get use to hardly seeing any, it doesn't really feel like you're in India. But you do manage to pick up some home comforts, got some really nice jam, which makes to horrible toast pretty bearable. You can also get meat, even though its actually pretty awful stuff it tastes so good when you haven't had any for ages.
Last we weekend we went on our himalaya trek, which was amazing, altough really tough, my legs feel like jelly now. We reached our camp on saturday by about 2pm, so we had the rest of the day, to collapse. Then in the evening our guides sang us Tibetan songs and danced around the bonfire. The next day some of us carried on higher up, and we made it, although we did nearly turn back once it started hailstorming. So glad we didn't though, cos we made to the snow line, which was amazing, made everything worthwhile, and now we can say we wlaked to the snow line in the himalayas, which is pretty cool (well i think it is anyway).
Both me and steve are fime health wise, in case you were worrying at all. Finally have got over the Delhi Belly (yes!) it only took about three weeks. Steve's had an ulcer for the last few days, and in typical steve style he's milked it as much as humanly possible.
Hope everyone is well back in sunny England! I think i'l shut up now cos i think I've gone a bit too much!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAWN!!! (sorry its a bit late!)
I heard that the girls let the side down with the TP, you obviosly struggled as the best member of the team was missing! Sounds like you all had a good weekend though, sorry i couldn't be there : (
Miss you all lots, stay in touch
Lots of love Sadie and Steve x x x
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