Poornima Guest House Kullu

... sparks at least one person into reading more into the whole situation. Or even the history of Tibet and the horrible things the Chinese have done.

So I guess in our little way of trying to help at least a little, we've decided to volunteer here. Starting tomorrow we'll be helping to look after Tibetan kids at a creche to enable their mothers to go out and work/train to work. Its a two week thing so it will be tough work ...

It was good to get back on the bike today after 1½ days off with my crook knee, traveling and touring on a bike makes this experience much more intense, and you really see, hear and smell everything. I started off tenuously planning to just ride the easier sections today so that I don't do any further damage to my leg, but I managed every section and it loosened up and got stronger as the day wore on. Todays ride across the Rohtang Pass, through Manali to Kulu was probably the most difficult ...

... cliff face among a multitude of cedar pines and beautiful views it instills an instant calm on new arrivals. it's only 4 miles from dharamsala, but the circuitious "road", bordered by steep cliffs on one side and stomach churning drops on the other, takes a winding ten kilometers to make the journey.

the village is a haven for backpackers and this, combined with the heavy tibetan presence, has given it a much more multicultural feel.

we spent ...

... Holiness to pass. Kunchok helped me find a good spot so I could take my picture, and as he drove by, and waved, I snapped my photo, realizing I had just seen, in my opinion, one of the most admirable people on this earth.

On the way out, two young children said something to Kunchok. He reached into his pocket for money, but did not have any small bills (ie bills worth less than 2 USD). He asked me, and I showed him 10 rps ...

... playlist of the best American pop of the 90's, Xcite ended up being a pretty cool place to wind down. It had a very loud dance hall that always seemed to be blaring music for an empty room and a comfortable rooftop bar and lounge. Here we met some really wacky characters. The first was a Tibetan refugee who, though always drunk, spoke decent enough English. We ran into him a few times, and he told us stories about attempting to escape Tibet, being sent to a Chinese ...

... only wish that I could make you feel this way with my words but one can never fully appreciate an experience unless it's experienced firsthand.

Shame ...I still have a nasty habit of saying "shame" all the time, can't quite get that South Africa off me....but then, I don't really want to.

By the way, I still keep in touch with my two boys back in SA, I've even called them a few times.

I did another lesson yesterday and today I have one last ...

... meeting lots of cousins/aunts/uncles and other long-lost relatives (he hadn't visited in over 10yrs!), we didn't really get to do a lot of sightseeing but it was still a memorable trip. In addition, we had a 12 hr layover in London on the way to Delhi so we spent the day exploring London and doing the walking tour Rick Steve's highlights in his London book

... where they take you round the back and weigh it and make you pay. The post office bit today took me 2 hours which I thought was very reasonable considering in India most tasks take at least 2 weeks. So I have now sent home 2 parcels which, with a bit of luck, may even reach the english shores and if I'm even luckier may even find sheffield! wow! I will be surprised but the best I can do is pray to Ganesha the cool elephant headed hindu god! I am going a bit ...

... in town is full of Indian people on holiday and really enjoying themselves. Monkeys are a bit scarey but are trying to avoid them - they're everywhere, taking on dogs and avoiding shopkeepers who either throw stones or use slingshots to keep them away. The town looks like it's about to slip off the steep mountain side and it's very atmospheric. Would be amazing if the mist cleared and we saw views of the mountains. We ...

... have 500 per day and this is more then i need. But more stunning where the people. In the breaks we where swarmed by people who took photos with us, invited us to their homes or hotels, wanted to drink with us, asked us to perform at their guesthouses and so on. One guy from a delhi based company wanted to hire us when we come to delhi. It all got way to much in the end. Drunken people touching the girls, gay people touching me (while it is hard to tell weather they are ...