PLC - India

Hey guys

Sorry bout the absence of writing ... we have been stuck in da mountains
Starting from when we left off ... we were still in Dharamsala .
We woke up on the 7th at 5 00 to catch the taxi's that would take us on our 7 hour drive to Manali. We came across some beautiful views on the way but the windy roads werent exactly pleasant. A few felt sick with some Dehli belly and carsickness but we got there in the end. Manali is beautiful!!! Snow capped mountains in every direction. Amy and Ruth had booked us the 'mount view hotel'. Little did they know it was very dodgy. Creaking and steep stairs, little electricity, no flush in the toilet and stains on the pillows. It was very funny, but a bit of a shock. Not exactly what we had expected. It alll worked out in the end. It turned out there had been a double booking, and we had previous arrangements that had been booked for us that we did not know about. The Hotel Mayflower was very different to the Mount View Hotel. Beautiful wooden furnishings, massive comfortable rooms and comfy beds. we were all very pleased and relieved. In Manali we played some cricket in the middle of the road with some locals, a very cultural experience. We met our trekking team who briefed us about our trek. We were very excited!!! The next day we were taken around Manali sightseeing to get to know the beautiful town. We visited many temples, and sights and took many pictures. We packed that night for our trek and had our final showers.

The next day we were transported to the start of the trek and met our guide, the much loved Gupta- Ji. The first day of trekking was all uphill, but quite short and we reached Pujan village at around lunchtime. We were welcomed by the locals and our trekking team, served some chai and had chilled out by the campfire. That night we had our first amaazzziinnggg meal by the cooking team. One of many to come. We were waited on hand and foot by the very attentive team.

The next day we trekked along with similar scenery, winding higher and higher into the snowline. There were very beautiful views, but it rained a lot. We were very excited to see our village and slowly inch closer and closer. We were welcomed by the locals and shown the school we were to be working on. It was in pretty bad shape but we were very eager to get to work on making it look ammmazzinnggg. The majority of the kids had never seen a tourist before and they were very interested in our appearance. They were shy at first. Our accommodation was a small room where we fitted 8 girls and another room for the teachers.

The next day we met the children, wearing the uniforms that we had provided and sang the national anthem in two straight lines. We got to work teaching and playing right away. We taught them the alphabet, animals and numbers, and they were very eager to learn. One game in particular was very well liked. We called it cat cat dog (duck duck goose). They couldnt get enough of it. They started to warm to us and surprisingly, the language barrier was not such a big deal. We couldnt start painting on that day unfortunately because it was raining. That night Amy took a trip and cut her hand on a rock. That was a very long night. Amy is fine and her hand is recovering nicely. We got to work the next day painting and teaching. We painted the rails blue and the walls white. It started looking better immediately. The next day also, we worked very hard painting and cementing up some holes in the walls. It helped to have some handymen on board to help us. The last day, we were treated to a great celebration, where the men and women wore their traditional mountain dress and danced for us. We all joined in and it was a very exciting expeirence. Most of the village was there and it was then we officially presented our gifts to the school. We bought beanies, gloves, socks and hats for them in Manali, but also our fundraising money was able to provide stationery, chairs, books, uniforms, tables, school shoes and all the supplies to build and paint. A sign was put up on the school dedicated to us which was awesome. That night we were invited to an indian wedding where we ate with the locals and got to experience the culture. We were serenaded that night by the cooks who sang and danced to indian music. HAHA.

The next day we trekked out in SNOW! which was very exciting for some who had never seen snow fall before. It receeded as we descended the mountain. The trek that day was very challenging and uphill but we got there in the end in a very tired state. It was very cold, but beautiful views. The next day, the final day of the trek, we walked for 5 hours downhill to 3 taxis that were waiting for us to take us to our hotel. This would be the last night with the trekking team and we were very sad to see them go. That night we found out tht the trek that we had just finished, had never been trekked before and was to be named after us. We were all stoked!! We had a nice shower after a long time away and slept as long as we could before a very long bus ride to Dehli. We drove for 16 hours on very bumpy, windy road that had us all very tired and bothered by the time we pulled in at Dehli at 11:00 at Cottage Yes please. the next day we caught the train to Agra, a 2 hour trip that many slept through, checked into the hotel, and started the sightseeing for the day. We saw the Agra fort, a massive red structure, full of history. We also had our first taste of crazy indian bazaars. All senses were attacked at the Kinari Bazaar, busy, loud, smelly, crowded. A very overwhelming but unforgettable experience. We then went to a less busy market where most of us bought many prezzies for home.

Tomorrow we visit the Taj Mahal. We will keep in touch. Missing you all.

xoxo
PYMBLE TEAM