Hello from India! It has been a long time since my last post...it was a crazy, hectic time, leaving Japan, and I was a stressed-out, crying mess! It was really hard leaving my home of three years...my time in Japan has truly been a life-changing, wonderful experience. People in my town were so kind, many treated me like family, my friends were fantastic, and my students always made me laugh! Many things happened, some which were very hard to deal with, but I wouldn't change a thing. My only regret is that I left everything to the last minute (no surprise there!) and I feel I didn't have a chance to say goodbye properly. I'm glad I'm taking some time off to collect my thoughts in India.

Arrived very early in the morning in steamy Delhi on the 26th. I only spent a couple days there, as it was unbelievably hot and it was just exhausting dealing with all the touts and rickshaw-wallahs. Saw some beautiful gardens, temples and tombs, and wandered through the frenetic bazaars.

Moved on to Shimla a couple days later, a hill station where the British used to spend their summers. Had to take a couple trains, the last one being a "toy train" (single-gauge, whatever that means!). It was a tiny train indeed, very bad news for the backpackers who had huge bags! I think the Indian passengers had a good laugh watching us trying to stuff our packs somewhere and anywhere! Sat next to five very gallant young men from Delhi, who very nicely helped me with my bag, and bought me juice and snacks. We chatted about Indian pop music, my impressions of India, our jobs (they work at a call centre for companies like AT&T and Microsoft, so their English was flawless) , and they taught me some Hindi.

Shimla still retains quite a British air...Indian men sitting in coffee houses in their sweater vests, smoking pipes, mock Tudor storefronts, and adorable kids in their school uniforms. The kids are great, they all smiled and said hello to me, and obligingly posed for photos, giggling behind their hands. There is definitely an Indian presence in the bazaars...bolts of colourful sari fabric, pakoras sizzling in oil... Shimla is a populaur place for honeymooners and families from Delhi, so there is a carnival-like atmosphere - white ponies giving kids a ride through the square, cotton candy and bright balloons. Liked Shimla but there are definite bad points - aggressive monkeys, equally aggressive men, leering and yelling "sexy!" (WHAT men hope to accomplish with this, I have no idea!) and expensive hotels. I stayed at this one dingy place...at 1 am I turned on the light and the light exploded overhead!! I woke up the attendant who picked up a few shards of glass and said someone would come to pick up the rest in the morning!! I made him change rooms though, there was broken glass everywhere!

Then moved on to McLeod Ganj, which involved a ten hour ride on the rattling local bus. Beautiful scenery though...the green Himalayans, streams, and everything so fresh and green. Felt bad 'cause my pack wouldn't fit overhead so I was taking up two seats, but people were very understanding and some even offered to hold it on their laps! A very nice gentleman behind me helped me watch my bags when I used the toilet, told me about the passing sights, and even bought me some fresh coconut. This is what I love about southeast Asia, people are so kind and generous, sharing everything and helping each other out. Probably if someone offered me a snack on a bus in Canada, I would eye him with some suspicion! He wouldn't accept any snacks in return for his kindness either, waving his hand and saying, "It's such a small thing I do for you, please."

McLeod Ganj is a little village in the magnificent Himalayas and home to the Dalai Lama for the past 40 years. Lots of friendly Tibetan faces, weird to see so many people who look like me! And of course monks...I have to admit I am fascinated with Buddhist monks - they look so peaceful and serene and beautiful. I'm here for a couple days to relax...there all kinds of classes, like meditation, yoga, reiki, tabla, and Tibetan cooking, and there are lots of opportunities for short treks. I'm staying at a guesthouse run by a very nice Tibetan family, so I comfy and planning to rest well!

Next I am heading to Amritsar to see the Golden Temple, an important place for Sikhs, then back to Delhi to meet Aggie-chan and to start a new adventure! So all is well...loving India and all of its intense colours, tastes and smells, and all the beautiful, kind people. See you soon. Peace.