a postcard from india

tommer · #1 06-14-2005, 06:01 AM

hi everyone
i'm writing from what appears to be the slowest connection i've witnessed since the 90's, from a small northern indian village called Kasol.
i arrived in Delhi more than a week ago, there i joined my brother who's been in india for 7 months already. delhi is a nightmare; a dusty, sweaty chaos, filled with millions of ppl vhiacles and animals, on the same street you'll see bikes, cars, rikshas, trucks, donkeys, cows, pedestrians, and the occasional elephant crossing the roads that's filled with piles of waste and crap.

anyway, after 20 HORRENDOUS hours by over-crowded buses, we arrived here to this tiny village, 2000 meters above sea level, in an extremely beautiful valley, surrounded by snow caped hymalaian ridges

with a mighty river crossing on one side, and hot springs on the other.

in the last few years it became a hot touristic spot, especially for israeli travellers, but you can now find many japanese and europeans here as well.
Parvati valley is known for its top-quality charas; cannabis and magic shrooms grow freely in the forests and all around,

and everywhere you can hear ppl's constant caughing. everything's very lazy dazed and chilled, i guess most ppl don't even know what day it is.

India's a challange; it's a far cry from the beloved everyday western comforts, even a "luxorious" resort like the one i'm staying in, doesn't provide a tv set or a guarentee for a full day of water and electricity. the longer i stay, the more i find this country fascinating, and (excuse me but) disgusting at the same time. it's just hard to digest this place, everything looks, tastes and feels different (my current bathroom routine is not something you'd wanna know more about

) but i'm trying and hoping to blend in at some point.

at the moment i'm hangin' with a very friendly bunch of wonderers, tomorrow we'll be heading to Dharamsala, which is 10 bus-hours away, where there's supposed to be a huge rave this weekend. if everything checks out okay, we'll go from there to Kashmir, which is known (other than being an ongoing war field) to be the most beautiful part of the north.

i hope everyone's going to see the tour and having a great summer.
much love
Tommer

tynan88 · #2 06-14-2005, 06:05 AM

Hope your having heaps of fun...don't worry too much, you can spend a half hour in the shower when you get back!

GODDESS6 · #3 06-14-2005, 06:18 AM

wow

, too cool

, i hope u have a gr8 time & thanx for the photos!!!~

Mari · #4 06-14-2005, 06:25 AM

wow, sounds like an amazing experience! and you managed to upload pictures too at such a slow speed

Thanks for the 'postcard' and please tell more

GateandGarden · #5 06-14-2005, 07:01 AM

Thank you so much for the fascinating photos and the descriptions of a place that (as you can probably guess from seeing my location) I've never seen and probably never will see. Have fun and like Tynan said, look forward to a long shower when you get back.

skcin · #6 06-14-2005, 07:12 AM

Thanks for popping in, Tommer! Great pics.

Livia · #7 06-14-2005, 09:38 AM

Looks really beautiful! And it sounds like you're having fun, despite the filthy parts....Now I've got Zeppelin's Kashmir stuck in my head, thanks!!

Enjoy the, ahem, vegetation!!!

Sugar · #8 06-14-2005, 09:54 AM

Thanks tommer! Have a great time. I always like to hear about and see your pictures from places I'll probably never see!

GypsySorcerer · #9 06-14-2005, 10:06 AM

Thanks Tommer for the pictures. Have a great time!

GardenStateGirlie · #10 06-14-2005, 10:13 AM

Thanks for popping in to share. It looks beautiful. Have a great time and stay safe!

wondergirl9847 · #11 06-14-2005, 10:23 AM

If I hadn't read the subject line or anything, I would swear that was Colorado! It's gorgeous! Glad you are having a great vacation (holiday), Tommer! Be safe and have fun!

gldstwmn · #12 06-14-2005, 11:15 AM

Thanks Tommer. I've got to hand it to you, you are one courageous traveler to go to India. It looks really beautiful. Have a great time and please send more photos if you can.

gldstwmn · #13 06-14-2005, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wondergirl9847

If I hadn't read the subject line or anything, I would swear that was Colorado!

Yes, it does look like Colorado.

seeker007nmss · #14 06-14-2005, 11:19 AM

Thanks Tommer! Keep spreading the word of "The Mac" worldwide!

gldstwmn · #15 06-14-2005, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lux

Are you kidding? Yes I wish I were that courageous........? If I weren't up financial ****creek I'd be a bundle of courage. Sorry, I just thought it had more to do with that than courage.

It's a matter of personal taste. India is not high up on my list of places I have yet to go. No plumbing, electricity and dysentery is not my idea of a vacation. But kudos to Tommer for going.