We arrived in Delhi and headed back to Cottage Yes Please Guesthouse in the Paharganji, the large backpacker area. We just grabbed something to eat and had an early night as we had to leave at 04:30 hrs the following morning to catch our flight up to the mountains. Again we didn't take any photos of the Pahargangi as, if you take out a camera there, you are accosted by countless street sellers hassling you to buy their wares. So, once again I have downloaded photos to let you see how busy and crazy it is.
Once more we chose the more expensive option of the 1 hour flight to Khulu then a 1.5 hour taxi journey to Vashisht rather than the cheap 14 hour plus, white-knuckle bus journey from Delhi to the mountains. Even the thought of getting back on that domestic propeller plane and the scarey landing in Khulu where you fly over the high mountains and then down into the valley where you are so close to peoples houses on the hillside that you can see the whites of their eyes, we still chose the flight over the bus journey. It was only last October that we did that horrible bus journey when we left Vashisht to go to Dehli to catch the train to Goa, so it was still a bit fresh in our minds to want to do it again so soon.
This time when we arrived in Khulu, instead of getting a taxi driver who thought he was a Formual One Racer, we got an old guy who must have been someone's great, great grandfather. It wasn't long before we realised he was also half blind. The winter had been a harsh one, so the road was in a worse state than usual where it had been washed away with the rains and snow. As well as the road being uneven and seemingly non-existant in some places, there were huge holes which, because our blind taxi driver didn't see these large holes until the front wheel had banged into them, it was a very bumpy and slow ride. A neck brace might have been a good idea to wear on the journey.
Finally bones rattling and teeth shaking we arrived in Vashisht Village and made our way along the path to Pritam and Champa's house where we stay. As usual they were delighted to see Colin and were so welcoming. The house had some of the usual suspects staying there. Jayne and Guy, an English couple and their son Corbin were in the self contained apartment on the middle floor of the house which they have rented for 3 years. Laxmi and her husband, a Nepalese couple and their baby were on the bottom floor with Pritam and Champa and Colin and I, once again, had the large top room of the house. The 2 other small rooms on the middle floor of the house were empty. It sounds a lot of people to be staying in one house but the layout of the house is perfect for it and everyone has their own entrance as such. I will post photos which will explain the house better.
Once more we chose the more expensive option of the 1 hour flight to Khulu then a 1.5 hour taxi journey to Vashisht rather than the cheap 14 hour plus, white-knuckle bus journey from Delhi to the mountains. Even the thought of getting back on that domestic propeller plane and the scarey landing in Khulu where you fly over the high mountains and then down into the valley where you are so close to peoples houses on the hillside that you can see the whites of their eyes, we still chose the flight over the bus journey. It was only last October that we did that horrible bus journey when we left Vashisht to go to Dehli to catch the train to Goa, so it was still a bit fresh in our minds to want to do it again so soon.
This time when we arrived in Khulu, instead of getting a taxi driver who thought he was a Formual One Racer, we got an old guy who must have been someone's great, great grandfather. It wasn't long before we realised he was also half blind. The winter had been a harsh one, so the road was in a worse state than usual where it had been washed away with the rains and snow. As well as the road being uneven and seemingly non-existant in some places, there were huge holes which, because our blind taxi driver didn't see these large holes until the front wheel had banged into them, it was a very bumpy and slow ride. A neck brace might have been a good idea to wear on the journey.
Finally bones rattling and teeth shaking we arrived in Vashisht Village and made our way along the path to Pritam and Champa's house where we stay. As usual they were delighted to see Colin and were so welcoming. The house had some of the usual suspects staying there. Jayne and Guy, an English couple and their son Corbin were in the self contained apartment on the middle floor of the house which they have rented for 3 years. Laxmi and her husband, a Nepalese couple and their baby were on the bottom floor with Pritam and Champa and Colin and I, once again, had the large top room of the house. The 2 other small rooms on the middle floor of the house were empty. It sounds a lot of people to be staying in one house but the layout of the house is perfect for it and everyone has their own entrance as such. I will post photos which will explain the house better.
No comments:
Post a Comment