thanks Gem
will post the next part!!
Chillyx

Next part please, I need cheering up

Still enjoying it all Chilly keep it coming
ann

Ok!! thanks everyone here goes ... part 9

OH DEAR!!! Mike knocked down by a tuk tuk!!
Mcleod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh, India
Saturday, May 10, 2008

Well we woke up this morning both feeling a bit better, yes!! here we are, still here in Mcleod Ganj,, we have had to extend our stay here in Mcleoud ganj for a few extra days (ahh thats tough!!) due to us both being unwell and other unforseen circumstances!!.... so here goes ....

Firstly i have got/had a stinking cold and Mick has tummy probs still...so we didn't do very much for a couple of days due to this as neither of us had much energy and it became a bit overcast at times and felt cold so we just chilled for a while on and off in our room, going out to eat and for short walks about the town, when the sun does come out it is boiling but there have also been one or two bouts of thunder and lightening with light showers but they only last minutes...........but we both feel the cold easily these days.......lol...anything under about 26 degrees and I think we start to seriously shiver!!

so, since being here, we must have drunk a thousand ginger, lemon and honey teas which we pop down and order from the restaurant below, part of the hotel, and the young lads bring up for us, they are so good, (the ginger honey teas...and the lads!!) and make you feel better too when you feel all stuffed up and like poo!! then just as we were both feeling a bit better today we got up and decided to walk the steep climb to the waterfalls, the weather was perfect and we had been hankering to go...,

All started well and we had gone a couple of kilometers, enjoy the scenic views, and other little interesting things like the couple singing and playing music, a Tibetan guy painting by the side of the road animals and mountains.......stunning.... when I saw this tuk tuk hurtling down the steep hill towards us....there was a guy sat inside hanging onto a massive 'bill board' of some kind, that he was holding onto on the outside as it wouldn't fit inside, it appeared to be for a shop or hotel, pretty large, well it virtually covered one side of the tuk tuk outside anyway... and more!!....so we were walking fairly near the edge, and its quite steep, we were chatting and as i saw it heading towards us.......... I shouted to Mike to move further in to the side..BUT TOO LATE!!! the wind caught the board and took it from the hands of the lad inside and it caught Mick at tremendous force, knocking him off his feet, at first i think we both felt a sense of relief as for one he was not down the edge of the steep drop beside us!! ... and two, he moved, got up, and spoke...but we very quickly realised that the heavy board which also happened to be impaled with long nails, had actually ripped a nasty deep gash to Micks leg, below the knee, cutting to the bone at one point.......blood everywhere, by this time Mike had started to feel the pain and was torn between yelling obscenities at the tuk tuk and boy and howling in pain.... i think the tuk tuk was intending on making a quick get away escape after having rescued the bill board, but i was having none of it!! and told them so..'hey you come here, don't you go, come and see what you have done, no go!! no go!!!'. the young bill board owner was looking very sheepish and started to come and see us, by this time a large crowd had gathered about us, and we were hunting for tissues etc other people were hollering at the tuk tuk and boy and we decided that Mike needed attention and stitches..so we all had to clamber into the tuk tuk to get to the Dr, hospital???.........no standing on ceremony here then LOL!! ... Mike squashed in a corner scrunching his leg up almost crying in pain...blood splurging everywhere..ah bless...and me and another guy squashed in beside him.......... all those of you familiar with the inside of a tuk tuk will know how tiny and cramped they are!! In the front the driver and the bill board culprit.....still clutching the board to the outside, for he had to get it wherever he was going!! ..you really have to smile, although i have to say at that point we were doing anything but !! so we went off and found the Dr the boy stayed with us and was given another major rollicking by the Dr, who was a very authoritarian sort, obviously well respected and esteemed locally and the lad, who must have nly been about 17 or so, looked like he might cry! I actually ended up feeling really sorry for him in the end...but only when it was all over and I knew things were under control!! ......so poor Mick had to have 3 stitches in his leg, it was well cleaned first with iodine i think and then he was layed on the couch, in this very old fashioned treatment room, come hospital, come surgery, and it took three people (not to hold him down!!) but one male nurse /junior Dr (not sure which) to hold what looked like a handkerchief in front of Mike's face so that he couldn't see what was going on with his wound, the female nurse was at his feet end assisting the Dr whilst...with no anaesthetic injection...or pain relief...they stitched him up...........OMG I had to look away, i couldn't bear it, and noticing this the Nurse nudged the Dr who in turn interrupted the proceedings to check i was ok ! and to tell me everything was going to be fine...by this time , Mick being incredibly brave ...(for a man!!) just gritted his teeth with the occasional yell at the Dr to just "FINISH,FINISH NOW.....JELDI, JELDI PLEASE!!!!" so after being bandaged up we asked 'how much' at which the Doc waved his hand at us and said...No boy will pay, you come and see me in few days...the poor boy was still sat outside trembling and as we were preparing to go was hauled inside to the Dr for a further telling off.......Dr did ask us 'have you called the police' we thought, o know, we didn't want to get him into any trouble....and made this clear, the boy was really apologetic to us or rather me, as Mike was still inside at that point and i had run off as i couldn't watch any longer!!!.... it has been painful for M but is well bandaged up the worst of it is he cant have ashower for days yet!! we went back to see the DR after a few days and he has put Mike on antibiotice to be on safe side, but it is looking clean, stitches intact but leg a little swollen................

We did however manage the waterfall walk in the end..... a couple of days later...and guess what, on the back ( as it rained!!) and we reached the bottom i heard...'CHILLY' .. and there were our swiss friends from Amritsar.....what a great surprise and we have met up with Kuba our Polish friend too we also amongst many other people made friends with Claudia from portugal, also traveling India but now nearing the end of her travels!....... its been marvellous despite the few hitches...............anyway, the climb to the Bhagsu waterfalls was absolutely wondeful scenery, we were so high up, stopped en route for a drink of yes u got it... ginger/lemon/honey tea!! and met up with more people to chat to....the photos dont do it justice...talking of which i think the most difficult part of doing this blog is getting the photos uploaded etc so i may have copied some and misssed others or given only vague descriptions, its been a trial, but still i hope you enjoy them...even if they are in the wrong entries at times..the power goes down regularly, as does the internet when the power is ok!!! you always end up taking twce as long to do anything in here and while Mike has been resting I have been here where they all know me now very well and when the internet goes down we all chat and have a laugh... met lots of different people this way.......by the way forgive the spelling and missing letters, half the keys rarely work, or dont have letters on them where they have been worn away by over use!! andf they stick and all sorts........ so NO I am not illiterate!! well not altogether and do try and edit but it all takes time andf mostly i am just rushing like crazy to fdo it all before it crashes again...and again and again!! LOL

So now we are packing up and preparing for he 9 hour night bus to Manali tonight....another experience.where we will meet up with our friend who lives there, who we know from palolem...Sth Goa......... so more to come..... there is just so very much I have been unable to add due to times and already mentioned problems with net but hope you are enjoying sharing our travels with us thus far?! I feel i am forever rushing it and not giving enough detail of interest due to the time it takes but hey this is India!!! sent a pile of books home to UK (sent to Mum) and its very cheap apparently as they want these books distributed worldwide to awaken peoples awaremess of all that Tibet is about etc....we have had some fab tasty food here but cant stand Momo's...(sorry Suresh!) haha..........MUST GO!!! see u in manali!! xx chilly hope you like the pics.. especially of mummy's (wounded) little soldier being very brave...

Oh Chilly, poor Mike I hope he has made a full recovery? As you say it could have been a lot worse, particularly if he had fallen down the slippery slope beside him
Love your photos - what a walk to the waterfalls.
What a fantastic adventure you are on, take care and enjoy yourselves x

oh my goodness- what a terrible thing to happen with Mike. Its nice to know how everyone rallied round though.

Keep it coming Chilly, I'm really enjoying your travels, what an adventure you guys have had.

Hope Mike's leg made a full recovery, sounds really nasty.

Once again amazing photos, hope your little soldier has recovered. You really do pack in some excitement on your travels dont you, what an amazing time you must have had, looking forward to the next part

reading back over it is so funny for me too!!! wasnt at the time though!! yes he is pretty much recovered now!! got a scar to show off!! i think the most scary was getting the stitches out in Manali!! ..thats to come ...
chillyx

India overkill, where is my sanity!!??
Manali, Kullu valley, Himachal Pradesh, India
Thursday, May 2008

Well I feel totally blitzed and I think this is due to just about everything, a total assault on all my senses!! but mainly starting with the night bus to Manali from Mcleoud Ganj!! lack of sleep and cold!!!

we packed up said our goodbyes...and headed to the bus stand for the 8.30pm bus........ well that was a good start especially as the bus stand as such doesn't really exist, but is just a little open chai stall lit by a single bulb, see picture, with a line of buses parked up in front in a line only inches from the edge of the 'Cliff' edge, bearing in mind it was dark you had to take your life in your hands just to get down the side of it and clamber on... let alone find the right bus in the first place ........

so we finally left Mcleod ganj with an assortment of nationalities, all heading off on their forward travels .....now this was the 'grand' tourist bus we had paid extra for... and by and large was pretty ok apart from the fact that some of the seats didn't recline and the driver and his 'mate' stopped every few minutes to pick up people whom they allowed to clamber into the cab up front and then get dropped off at various places en route.... presumably making an extra few rupees this way!!!! we also had about 2 or maybe 3 stops when we had just managed to get to sleep (sort of) and were awakened by all the lights blaring on and a voice shouting 'chai chai' (tea) whereupon we all climbed off and chatted and drank chai and i even had a thali (rice dal, vegetables and lush fresh chappati )........ it was a pretty bumpy (huh understatement!!) and scary ride at times, many hairpin bends beside vast cliff side drops, on some of these the driver had to do some real navigating ie stop and reverse 2 or 3 times in order to get round the bend... great if you were looking out of the window, as we reversed, at the drop below!!!! fortunately it was dark much of the time but sad in some ways as what we did see of the views of the kullu valley as dawn awakened were awesome ......

so we finally arrived..2050 meters above sea level.still very cold at night but warm during day mostly!!. (see morn-view -from-our-hotel-balcony) our Indian friend, was there to meet us it was freezing cold and we just could not get warm... Mike was by now in quite a lot of pain with his leg and my cold had develloped into a chest infection over the last few days so we both felt pretty yuk!! this was about 5 or 6 in the morning!!

we went back to our friends house for tea and it was quite a shock, even to us, hardened by poverty, to see how they lived, firstly we had to follow him, treading extremely carefully over large rocky stones, mud and faeces and trickling water that smelled ominous, as did everything!! (bearing in mind we only had flip flops on!!)the place was a real maze of these very small 'shacks' for want of a better word, backed up behind with earth (that must be damp??) and they were so close to each other there was just no space with one door looking into the other, with curtains covering the doorways, (see PHOTO at-the-front-door) and a very small area in front of each, it was a slatted wooden 'house' that I can only liken to an English garden shed... one room, .... in fact Mike remarked it was about the same size as our garage in the uk!!! it was mostly filled with the double bed where they all appeared to sleep together and a couple of plastic chairs a coffee table and a single bed/couch made from plywood, the kitchen (very small and very primitive) (PHOTO their-kitchen-all-mod-cons) was at one end and doubled up as the bathroom although there was no running water there (I don't think) just a bucket and a concrete slab that served as the shower tray??....although when we came back later in the day we did notice most people seemed to bathe outside using a bucket, [PHOTO our-friends-house.] our friend is lucky as he only has the 2 kids (by choice) whereas his neighbours 'house' seemed to have dozens of kids spilling out and was very sparse indeed, a mud floor, no comforts or luxuries i didn't even see a chair, and only hammocks for the babies hanging from the ceiling, it was amazing later to watch the mother sat on the 'doorstep' doing her daughters hair (or nit picking?? I don't know) at the same time the daughter of about 5/6 was gently pulling on the rope that was attached to the cloth hammock [PHOTO baby-in-hammock-in-house] inside where one of the babies slept.... [PHOTO doing-her-hair-whilst-pulling-hammock-string] ... anyway, him and his wife had left the 2 kids in bed (with the kitten) whilst they came to meet us from the bus........the eldest girl not much more than 7/8 i would think was amazing, got out of bed shook our hands and in clear clipped English very regally welcomed us in, she struck me as very elegant as well as eloquent and reminded me of a small public school girl in the UK!! amidst all that poverty.... but he does pay for her education with the money he earns waitering in Goa as this in his mind is a priority, a good education, so his kids can rise above the poverty line and hopefully make a good life for themselves.. very far sighted of him... and judging by the eldest money well spent...the little one who is only about 4 was a real cheeky mischief and very different from her sister but friendly and cute.... [PHOTO so-cute]

However i have to say they had made it really cozy inside with wall hangings covering the walls and matting on the floor, a metal wardrobe and they did have a flat screen TV!!!! and every nook and cranny carefully used to house all their personal items very neatly placed....and spotlessly clean and tidy....well tidy when we got back there later and the bed had become a couch and the kids were up and dressed etc....it felt warm and friendly but his wife insisted on digging out an antiquated one bar electric fire which looked like it had seen better days and having tried it she proceeded to unscrew the bar (heating element) poke around put it back together and placed it RIGHT NEXT TO ME on the 'couch/ bed....i mean almost touching me...despite my protestations that i was 'fine thanks' .... they just seem to have no idea of the dangers posed by electricity etc. so, we had some chai which was warm and welcome,......... and then headed off to book in some where.

We decided on staying in the small nearby village of Vashisht, which is about 4 kms by road up the hillside from manali new town. The views of the snow covered Himalayas were/are spectacular, and its such a quaint little village with one main street and lots of narrow alleys leading off it but boy were we cold!! Of course it was still very early in the morning. and the rickshaw ride i can only compare to being on the big dipper ride at the funfair.........my God how he went. so fast and swerving here and there throwing us all over the place and we just both gripped on in front of us, arms outstretched and i had to start laughing as it was just so like the funfair, closing your eyes with horror, but this time at the many near misses, knowing you don't stand a chance if it happens and we just happen to be about the smallest thing on the road!! well apart from the mules etc!! then when we did stop for breath (traffic jam) people looking in at us [PHOTO some-people-in-manali-amused-by us) and obviously talking about us..and laughing but not in a nasty way...

We looked at some places for just 100 and 150 rupees a night (one or two pounds stirling) which were fine, basic but with amazing views of the Himalayas ... but no hot water. And although we might have hardened up somewhat and could perhaps in heat cope, this was just a real 'NO NO' we are both feeling a bit 'rough' and needed some basic luxury at this point!!!!! so we decided to splash out and headed for a more modern (not half as characterful) hotel (Surabhi) that was quite plush compared to what we have had, but also had a large balcony [PHOTO) and windows the full length of the end wall overlooking the magnificent foothills and Himalayas.. ...and room service!!..... And TV!!! We were shown a 1st floor room and quoted 900!!! What!! So as he did not intend to drop enough we looked at the identical room the floor below (same view) which we bartered to 400 rps, about a fiver!!! Loads of hot water and views to die for, imagine how wonderful it was to wake to those views this morning.....stunning and surreal, even if we did emerge from countless blankets and quilts!! We were invited back to our friends 'house' for a special lunch he had cooked us, after we had had some sleep, ........ so after a quick coffee on one of the many rooftop restaurants, [PHOTO a-meal-in-rainbow-cafe-vishist] we caught a rickshaw back to his place, the food was beautifully cooked and presented but I have to be truthful I was a bit daunted as he told me with great pride how he had been out and bought the mutton, lamb AND LIVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG!!! What to do!! I had to eat it (liver) as it was mixed in with the other meat and we were being observed constantly and urged to have more!! They were just sooo hospitable and we felt very humbled by their generosity and welcome, and the food was good and very tasty, of course all the neighbours were out in force to take a look at us!! [PHOTO_all-the-neighbours-out-to-meet-us)
All coming in to greet us and our friend told me many /most of them have never seen the white skin thus we were such a novelty

.... I think the funniest moment came when I asked where the loo was as I needed to go, and he told me go with his daughter down the road, I had no idea where...and I said 'no problem I can go where you go here somewhere'(imagining an outside area for this purpose or at least somewhere he might feel was not up to our standards) but hey NO ... they do NOT have a toilet and all have to traipse, what felt like miles, through all these little houses and then along streets, CLUTCHING MY PIECE OF TOILET PAPER, where incidentally I was gawked at by just about everyone ... to the public toilets!! 2 rupees for the pleasure!! This did rather shock me I have to say and suspect it might account for the early morning streams and faeces (which had incidentally been cleared when we returned for the lunch)... I don't suppose they feel too inclined to go down the road in the middle of the night!! I found out later that they actually pay six mthly (each household, ) and therefore do not have to pay the 2 rupees each time so on emerging from the loo I was given this back, after the daughter had had a serious chat with the toilet attendant!!

Anyway, Vashisht is amazing like stepping back in time [PHOTO some-of-the-houses-in-vashist] but by the end of today I really did feel blown away, exhausted.... mentally and physically by everything...like one of those moments in India when you just feel it is all unreal and happening to somebody else...where you suddenly feel like you want to escape...scream... run away...hide.... and be safely at home in a 'normal' environment and out of this utter madness that assaults every part of you .............. throughout the day we saw so many unbelievable things, and of course we were tired after the night bus fiasco... but I felt utterly blitzed!! [PHOTO washing-day-people-and-cows-alike] There were people in the main square washing their clothes, their bodies, and with cows joining in and bells ringing at the temple, people shouting, donkeys and mules everywhere, old men smoking chillums by the side of the road, and masses of people everywhere (staring, smiling at us, wanting to talk to us and observing our every move) and then there are small stalls and shops and last but not least the hot water springs that flow into an area in the village, from the mountains, boiling water, and the smell of sulphur, where they all do not only their washing of clothes but soap themselves all over the men and boys in their underpants, and wash/bathe...

then of course the Public bathing areas of which there are three, like open air mini swimming pools, fed by the hot spring water where every Tom dick and Harry lounge and bathe, right by the old Vashisht Temple of which there are a few here,(temples) there are the free common public baths, which look utterly disgusting and unhygienic, [PHOTO)
then regular baths and the deluxe baths, looking at them I don't think I personally would want to step foot in any!! Particularly as you can be seen from the cafes and guest houses above getting changed...well maybe not in the private deluxe ones but no thanks all the same!!! The Indian pilgrims come to ceremoniously bathe in the hot spring waters and visit the temples here.....

It is impossible to really explain the atmosphere here and all you see, hear and smell, I have posted a load of pictures which I hope you might find interesting and which will perhaps give a better insight into why this entry is called 'where is my sanity'... because frankly I was seriously wondering last night and was only too glad to get into a warm bed, with a ginger and honey tea and watch some TV and have a bit of privacy and space!! but guess what no place is sacred, for at the hotel they knock on your door, for you to do this or that, like sign the register/guest book or to bring your tea etc and push past you straight into the room all jolly ho!! and despite me physically trying to keep the manager out and on the 'doorstep' on one occasion he was having none of it despite my trying to sign this book at the door, not a hope, ME a mere woman!! Oh no.. 'Sir has to sign'!! he pushed past me (politely, can u push politely!!) all smiles and jolly hockey sticks??!! I was really impressed !! NOT!!

I hadn't seen the news for ages and of course it was all pretty shocking what with cyclones, bombs in Jaipur and earthquakes........... its weird how you can become so detached from 'the real world' when you have read no newspapers, have no TV, radio etc which we so take for granted at home...so I have just heard a cow mooing outside and the temple bells ringing so think I will head off and take a look out there...... in the not so real world!!!
Bye for now
chilly .....

chilly
I've put a link to this on the General Holiday Enquiries forum

hi chilly and mike fantastic keep it coming

Seeing how they live makes you feel very humble, am so enjoying this, please keep it coming

chilly
I think you know that I have read many books on travel in India, and all I can say is find a publisher, your travels with the wonderfull photos, would make a great book.
Best wishes lassi x

thanks for your lovely comments all...
chillyx

Hi Chilly, thats was so good to read. Really interesting to read about your visit to your Indian friends and meeting all the family, and the little children sound so sweet. I couldnt help laughing when I read about your trip to the loo
Your photos are amazing, I love looking at photos.
As Lassigirl says you could write a book, its so fascinating and exactly what we need during the months when not very many Brits are visiting Goa/India.
Keep it coming - youre doing a brilliant job

Thanks so much and enjoy America... you lucky thing!!!!
chilly

great reading

and even better when you see the pics.
loved the story of the loo and your bit of loo paper

and that pic of all of the monks clothes drying on the rocks

I shall never forget the humiliation!!! and being stared at every inch of the way!!! 'what to do'!!!