While in Leh we decided to do a side trip to Pangong Lake. An Australian guy we’d met in Rishikesh said it was ‘one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen’, which is an unusual amount of sentiment from an Aussie bloke. We had arranged to share the cost…
Leh
Ladakh is the eastern region of the northernmost state of India, a dry place in the rain shadow of the Himalayas. It is an alpine desert, with high mountains and valleys composed of loose rock, dust, and sand. Ladakh is devoid of trees except for the valley bottoms where rivers…
Jammu and Kashmir
After some great machinations in Shimla, we finally agreed on our approach to head further north. India’s northernmost state ‘Jammu and Kashmir’ extends north from the rest of the country into a volatile region bordered by Pakistan to the West and Tibet (part of China) to the North. This state…
Shimla
We arrived in Shimla on a ‘toy train’. This is the name given to India’s narrow gauge railways. Our train went from Kalka, a one hour bus ride from Chandigarh, to the hill station of Shimla, in the province of Himachal Pradesh. It took about six hours to cover the…
Rishikesh
Rishikesh is a small city in the state of Uttarkhand that is known for its yoga and meditation classes, trekking, and white water rafting down the Ganges River, known in India as the ‘Ganga’. It is also a holy city where Hindu pilgrims come to the site where the Ganga…
Traveling as a Couple – by Patrick
I’ve noticed some differences between traveling as a couple and traveling as single, as I did in 1991. We are more likely to meet and socialize with other couples who are traveling, rather than singles. We’ve spent time with other male/female couples (either married or dating), but also other pairs…
Traveling Then and Now – by Patrick
After completing university, I traveled in South East Asia for nine months from Sept 1990 to June 1991. Traveling almost twenty years later, there are some notable differences. Internet – We are able to stay connected with friends, family, and vendors (like banks, utilities, travel agent, etc.) through email, online…
Delhi
This morning there was a major eclipse in India. In parts of India it was a total eclipse, but in Delhi it was about 80%. We woke early and headed out onto the roof to watch. This eclipse was apparently special because at 6 minutes it was one of the…
Observations about India
Men where pants here, regardless of the temperature. Usually only boys (and tourists) wear shorts. Indian women typically wear a sari (a single piece of cloth that is wrapped without pins or buttons) or a salwar kameez (a long shirt and trouser combination). Younger people prefer jeans, despite the fact…
Karni Mata Temple
Today we visited one of the most bizarre temples in India. It is located in the village of Deshnok, 30 kilometers outside of the city of Bikaner in Rajasthan. According to Hindu legend (as retold in the Lonely Planet guidebook), Karni Mata, a 14th-century reincarnation of Durga, asked the god…