Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 03:52:15 -0700
Subject: india part 2, the hills.
From: "Anthony Butler" 

Dear All,

{
I will probably be out of email contact for about 6-8 weeks. As such
I will not be able to read you letters.
}

Well I'm better and tomorrow we leave india for pakistan.

Since I last wrote I've become well and am now feeling better than I
have since leaving new Zealand.

After delhi we went north to shimla. Its a quant english hill station.
Its built on the ridge line at 2000m. Looks like a little english village.


Then we went to the kulu valley. That was really nice. WE stayed in a
town called vashesh (?sp) Hippies used to go there but now they hang
out 5km away in old manali. Vasesh has hot springs and great views, and
a lovely villgae atomsphere. 

We went up to the rohtang pass (3978m) for a day trip. We hired a jeep
with 4 english people we meet. The road up was like a ski field road,
except its a major trucking route up to north india.

We then went naggar village further down the valley. You can stay in
a castle for the night for 10NZD a double. This was really cool, and
the village was nice and quiet.

We then took the worst night bus I've ever taken. It was jammed with
people standing, went on a winedy road for 10hrs and dropped us at a
bus station at 4am, 10km from our hotel. 4 people (locals) were sick
during the winedy bit over the pass. In the end we did make it to dharamasala,
home of the dali-lama, and a town of tibetan refuges. Many of the tourist
there were doing mediation courses, being calm, empathysing with tibetans
and pretending to be buddists. The town was a dump but with nice walks
and we found a good cooking course. I can now cook momos and thanthuk
soup.

Now I am in amritsa. Industrial town on the border with pakistan. We
are cathing a bus to the border tomorrow. Amritsa does have one very
cool thing going for it. That is the golden temple. This is a amazing
building, 2nd only to the taj mahal in beauty. Its the sikh people main
temple. In it all the glitters is gold, and the rest is inliad marble
and precious stones. It sits in a small lake, and is accessed by a causeway.

Anyway off to pakistan- or as the local insult each other with...
  "cello pakistan" -go to pakistan

Ants

PS- unlikely to be able to access email for 6-8 weeks, don't be offended
if I don't write.