Manali to Dharamsala

I rented an Enfield for 10 days in Manali. Yesterday we started heading towards Dharamsala. Last night we stayed in a small town called Kullu. Now we are staying the night in Joginder Nagar, which seems pretty nice so far. We should be be in Dharamasala tomorrow night then we will loop back towards Manali. The ride has been pretty nice so far. It rains sometimes but we usually just stop until it passes. The roads go through the mountains so it takes quite a while to cover a fairly short distance. 

I had a little trouble with the bike before leaving Manali. The kick start lever fell off. I got that fixed and its been running pretty well. It cost me 600 Rupees per day (about 12 USD). It is kind of expensive but seems to be worth it. 

I have a bus ticket back to Delhi on the 7th. That means I will be there on the 8th and can catch my flight on the  9th. The bus from Delhi to Manali took about 18.5 hours. Hopefully we make better time going back because its much less comfortable taking buses through the mountains then trains. 

Its beautiful up here. The mountains are a nice change from the chaos of the cities. Its like a completely different world.

Khajuraho to Delhi

On the way to Khajuraho we stopped in Allahabad for a night. There was a festival so the town turned out to be pretty interesting. Its also on the Ganga but further up from Varanasi, so its cleaner.
Khajuraho had some really nice temples. We also biked 27 km to a waterfall while there. The locals all said it was really beautiful. They didn't tell us that its only a waterfall during the monsoon. So we didnt actually see any waterfall. None the less the bike ride was a nice change from sitting on trains.
After Khajuraho we stopped in Agra on the way back to Delhi. We were there less then 24 hours, but I got to see the Taj Mahal. It was really impressive.
Yesterday we took the train to Delhi. Tonight we are taking a bus to Manali which is in the mountains in the north. Its probably going to be a 17 or 18 hour ride.
Lately I have been moving really quickly. I've been taking night trains a lot and not staying in one place too long. Usually I dont like to travel that way, but its been good. I only needed a day to see Khajuraho and a day at the Taj.
I have 2 weeks left in India. Im going to try to hang out some place for at least a few days during that time. If its possible I might try to see the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala. Its probably a days travel from Manali.  
(When I say we Im talking about me and a Dutch guy Ive been traveling with since Kolkata)
  

Kolkata

On the train ride here we got general unreserved tickets. That means we had to fight our way in for a seat on an overbooked train. It took 12 hours and was pretty interesting. There were people sleeping on the floor and a fight broke out.

A couple of days ago I went to a cricket game with a few guys. It was a big stadium and a good time. During 1/2 time I went to get a couple of sodas and had to fight my way to the front of the "line". Getting out was even harder because everyone was trying to move forward. One of the guys that went with me got his camera stolen in the chaos. That was one of the most intense crowds Ive seen so far.

My plan was to head to Delhi yesterday, but I met up with some friends from the trek so I stayed here a bit longer. The city is really hot but Im starting to like it more everyday. Im going to head out within the next few days. My plan is to go to Khajuraho then north of Delhi. Hopefully I will get back into the mountains and out of the heat for a bit.

Its difficult to decide what to do because I have to be in Delhi on May 8th at the latest. Ive been taking night trains mostly which saves me a night's accommodation and it doesnt take up a day. Getting to Khajuraho is probably going to take me at least a day because there is no direct route. My plans might change but now I have a tentative schedule.

Finished the trek and heading to Kolkata

The trek went really well. The first day it was rainy and there was practically no view. On the second day it snowed then we saw the mountains for sunset. The 3rd day we woke up at 4 am to see the sun rise. It was clear and we were able to see the 3rd highest peak in the world. The views made the trek really incredible. Three of us decided to trek back to Yuksom (the town we started in) after breakfast. We hiked about 26 km yesterday so that we could catch a jeep this morning to get to the railroad station a day earlier. Now Im heading to Kolkata. Its going to be a big hot city. Numerous people told me to go there so hopefully its nice.

Something random: there is a huge spider on my backpack right now. It freaked me out a little, so Im going to have to take care of that now.

Sikkim

It took us over 24 hours to get from Varanasi to Darjeeling using two trains then a jeep ride through the mountains. We spent a couple days there checking out the cable cars and tea plantations. After that we took two jeeps to get to Sikkim. It was through mountain passes with no guard rails so it made me a little nervous but it was beautiful. I had to get a permit to come to this part of India, but it was free. Tomorrow 6 of us are doing a 4 day trek in the Himalayas. We are on the west side of Sikkim near the boarder of Nepal. We have a yak and a guide so it shouldn't be too difficult. I think the highest point will be below 5000 meters, so the altitude may cause some shortness of breath.

Leaving Varanasi

Im catching a couple trains to Darjeeling this afternoon. Its a Himalayan city to the north. I dont know that much about it but it looks pretty.

Varanasi has been really interesting. I have never been to a city anything like it. There is a crematory on the river where they burn bodies 24 hours a day. It made me uncomfortable to watch the cremations, but its normal in their lifestyle. I took a boat ride on the river and the guide said they burn 150 - 200 bodies a day. There are a few cases where the bodies don't get burned and they just sink them in the river (ie. pregnant women or children under 12). That means you can see bodies and body parts floating in the river. I also saw them put a cow in the middle and watched it float down. People still use the river for bathing and washing their clothes. Its pretty amazing that it doesnt make them sick. They have been doing it their entire life so I guess their immune system is different.

I do like the city though. There is something about it that is alluring. From what I understand nobody knows how old it is. Some people have told me that its the oldest city in the world. I asked the boat guide and he said he honestly didnt know.

If I had more time in India I would stay here longer. I know there is a lot more to see.