Venturing out on my own - Pt 3

My time with Chris and Rishikesh had come to an end and it was time to venture out into the wilderness solo. I was heading up north to Dharamsala to explore the beauty of the mountain villages and take part in a vipassana meditation course. Chris had walked me over to the mainland and I was searching for a Tuk Tuk to take me down to the train station... by this i mean an hour long journey down the main highways in a tuk tuk packed with 2 indian families and a lovely American girl I met as I was bartering with tuk tuk drivers searching for the best price.

This was only the beginning of a 24 hour journey across India... lucky I wasn't alone. Ive found that something special happens when your travelling. Your never alone, things always happen at the right time when you least expect it, if theres a way, theres a will...

I got chatting with this girl and she just s happened to be catching the same over night train with me to Amritsar and then venturing on up north all the way to Mcleod Ganj where we would find ourselves staying in hostels right next to each other... Is that luck or are some things just meant to be...?

Your never quite alone... This family literally sat on top of us while we waited for our train.

The Golden Temple (Amritsar)

This place is absolutely huge with hundreds and thousands of punjabis praying everyday, apparently you can stay in the temple in exchange for help with cleaning and cooking etc... If you are a foreigner they have a few rooms set aside for you and you can stay there for 3 days free of charge with basic vegetarian meals included. Help and giving back to the temple is common courtesy. What a beautiful place, we only had time to have a mad dash in a tuk tuk through the busy streets of Amritsar 

(even at 7.00 in the morning)... We washed our feet in the holy water, ran in, took in the beauty a few photos and we were off again, onto the next leg of the journey... The indian passenger train... (you'll never understand unless you do it for yourself.

So after a 12 hour overnight train journey to Amritsar we had to get another 3 hour passenger train up north to Pathankot and then another 5 hour bus journey up into the mountains to the first town of Dharamsala and then a further half hour bus ride up to Mcleod Ganj which didn't even make it to the town and stopped 2km down the windy hill and told us we all had to get out a walk... oh the adventures of carrying your backpack up a steep 2km hill after an epic 24 hour journey across India with the only other western tourist you met along the whole journey. But... Id do it all again. It was the best thing I've ever done, definitely taught me to be a lot stronger and realise that nothing is permanent and good comes out of everything.

This was the result...

Bliss xx

Madz