The Trek

Before I start, click this link to see more pictures from the trek.

First day was rather easy going. We hiked along a small road first and then along a wide and travelled path. The difference between elevations was almost 1000 meters from the trekking shop to Triund, a popular mountain camping meadow in 2875 meters. We stopped twice during the way, once for a chai and once for a some instant noodles. When we got up to Triund, there already were at least twenty people up there. It was Saturday and a few bigger groups had decided to go up for a night. I saw a lot less westerners up here than I did in McLeod Ganj the past days. After a dinner of rice and dal I crawled up in a nice and warm sleeping bag in the tent, both of which were provided for me and were waiting for us in Triund. It was raining and really chilly outside, so there wasn't much else to do anyway. The partying students in the tent next to mine bothered me for the first two hours, but after that I was able to sleep well. The night was colder than I had expected though.

The next morning we didn't need to hurry. I got up at seven, because I could see it was sunny. When I opened the tent zipper, I was rewarded with an amazing view of the Moon peak (4650m), the highest peak in Lower Dhauladhars. Now I knew what I had missed because of clouds the day before. The next sleeping station was to be a cave in 3500 meter elevation. We started after a good breakfast and some relaxing at around 11 o'clock. The first stop was after about an hour of walking away, around the snow line, where the last chai shop before the pass is located. We had another instant noodle lunch followed by a mug of hot chai before we continued up the trail. Or rather down the trail for the next two kilometers. After that it was nothing but up all the way to the cave. Before starting the last climb of the day, we filled our water bottles from a mountain stream.

We reached the cave around three in the afternoon. Four other people were already there, but the cave is big enough to accommodate at least ten people. The word cave is perhaps not the best word to describe the place. It's a big slab of stone laying on another one so that in between the stones is a spacious area, higher in the front and lower in the back. It looked something like a Finnish "laavu", but made out of stone instead of logs. (picture 1, picture 2)

We had a packed dinner of rice and vegetables. around five and before it got dark and we crawled in our sleeping bags, we went down a few steps to see the waterfall. It was very beautiful, but it lost some of its beauty and appeal because of so many beautiful things around it. (picture)

The night was even colder than the first one, but the sleeping bag was up for the challenge. It was a new experience for me, but I have to admit I'm more of a tent person than a cave man. The cold damp air was not so nice and made the cold temperature feel worse than it actually was. There was some thunder and lightning during the night, but I was too drowsy and afraid of the cold air to get out of my sleeping bag to look.

Day three started early. We got up before six, quickly sorted out the things we would need during our ascent and left the other stuff in the cave to wait for our return. We only took my bag, because it was smaller, but I wasn't allowed to carry it. Ranu, my guide said he's so used to carrying a rucksack, he doesn't know how to walk without one. This of course was not quite the truth, but after about thirty minutes up the hill, I noticed that carrying anything extra, would most likely have been too much for me. At least without at lot more breaks on the way. We needed to hurry, because the clouds were chasing us from below and would soon block the best view.

Up to the cave, I hadn't noticed the thinner air, but during the last climb I sure did. Panting like a dog I took small steps towards the top. For a while the thought of giving up crossed my mind. It was suddenly so much tougher than the first two days had been. Thinking back, I think my brain went into a kind of survival modus, only taking care of movement and breathing. All the higher functions seemed to have gone to off-state. I felt like the good two hours went by in much less time and on my way back I saw many things that I had missed on the way up. I think I went into a kind of meditative state. Who would want to sit still for hours to achieve a similar state of empty mind when you can do something cool like trekking?

There's one thing that I experienced on this tough last climb up to the pass that I'm most likely not able to describe to you in any understandable way. It was probably the thin air or the low air pressure that were playing tricks on me. A few times I felt like my body kept going, but my mind wasn't there. After a few seconds, I felt like my mind, or my consciousness caught up with me and I suddenly was fully aware of myself again. First I was afraid of the feeling, afraid of not concentrating enough and tumbling down twenty or more meters onto a bed of stones. After a couple of these "fits", I felt more fascinated than afraid. I know that sounds weird, but there's no other way I can explain it. Maybe it had something to do with the meditative state of mind I described above. I had a few of these moments on the way down as well.

Okay, I know you're more interested in hearing what it was like on top. The pass was definitely worth trekking for four days. The Chamba valley on the other side was much clearer than the Kangra valley on the McLeod-side and the view was awesome. Mount Kailash, the Buddhist, Hindu, Jain and Bön holy mountain (6638m) was clearly visible as were many other high peaks in the distance. The Moon peak felt almost reaching close, but of course there still were 300 meters to the top. We had a simple breakfast of bread, boiled eggs and the leftover rice from dinner in the pass. The Sun was warming us enough for taking an hour's break before we headed back down. Sitting down in the elevation of 4330 meters didn't feel any different than sitting anywhere else. Only when my body needed more oxygen, the difference was more than apparent.

Out of the four guys who shared the cave with us, two reached the pass just when we were starting our descent, third one we saw after an hour's descent and the fourth one we met just before the cave. He had given up and was on his way to the cave. He seemed to have shrunk from the night before, when he was rolling his cigarettes and telling me about his studies. I almost wanted to say that smoking is bad for you, but I figured he knew that much already. Later down in Triund I saw at least three others, who had given up the climb.

We took our stuff from the cave and continued to the last chai shop on snow line to have lunch. Now we've arrived back to Triund, the first night's camp ground, and we're spending the night here again. The easy nine kilometer part is still left for tomorrow to finish the total of approximately 45 kilometers.

To sum it up: a wonderful experience, but a harder one than I had imagined. I'm very glad I did it.

I really was lucky with my guide, Ranu. I feel bad the guy in the agency takes so much of the amount I paid without really doing much himself. I promised to send all the people I know, who happen to come to this part of India directly to Ranu. So if you need a guide, who really knows his business, speaks good English and is very friendly, please let me know. I'll gladly give you his contact details. Believe me, we saw a few guides during these past three days, who looked more lost than guiding. (PS. He's even got a small room he rents in Bhagsu, next to McLeod Ganj. I'm staying there for one night.)

Trekking to Indrahar Pass

I'm leaving for a four day trek in about three hours from now. The goal of the trek is the Indrahar pass (elevation 4320m). Today's part is only nine kilometers to Triund, but tomorrow will be a tougher day, if I understood the person who sold me the trip correctly. But I'll report the details after I'm back, makes more sense that way.

I postponed my trek with one day, because I was hoping to find some company. Unfortunately it didn't work out. It would have been nicer to share the trail with someone besides the guide and the price would have gone down as well. There's no complaining about the deal I made though. I'm paying 5500rs (about 70€) for three meals a day, three nights of tent or guesthouse accommodation depending on the weather, and a personal guide. Even though I was unable to find company, I'm very glad I waited a day. Yesterday evening a heavy thunderstorm hit us. I'm glad I was in my room, even though it was mostly in complete darkness because of power outages. It rained heavily as well and during the night the rain came back. I'm hoping that was enough for the next couple of days, but I'm not very optimistic. It's raining right now. No worries, I'm well equipped and won't get wet so quickly. What I'm more worried about is not being able to see much from the top. What I've heard, the view is breathtaking.

Wish me luck! I'll be back on Tuesday.

Tibet Awareness

I visited the Tibet museum today and it made me much more aware of the history between Tibet and the People's Republic of China. Not a very happy story, but a story that needs to be told more. Reminds me a lot of the exhibition I saw in the museum of occupation history (I think it was called) in Riga two years ago. The Soviet methods of relocating Baltic people to deeper parts of the USSR and sending Russian people to replace them seem strikingly similar to what the Chinese have done and still are doing in Tibet. Except that to my knowledge the Baltic states were never used as atomic test range, as nuclear waste dump yard or neither were their natural resources as ruthlessly harvested, with no thought of ecological values.

It is no longer as much an ideological issue as before, but more an economical one. The natural resources, especially the minerals in Tibetan soil are of great value to China's growing economy. Still the destruction of temples and sacred scriptures continues. Tibetans are fleeing over the high mountain passes to India to avoid detection from the Chinese military. Many are frozen to death while trying, some are captured, sent back and imprisoned. The waiter in the bar I'm sitting in right now, came to India nine years ago. He managed to remain undetected and warm enough and found refuge here in McLeod Ganj. He says, he wants to go back, but that it's impossible.

The international awareness of the Tibetan situation reached it's latest peak during the Beijing Olympic games. The news about people, especially Tibetan monks, setting themselves on fire got a lot of media coverage. The situation has not changed much since. There are still people turning to the most extreme form of protest, self-immolation. According to the July edition of the Contact Magazine, a free monthly publication for Tibetan issues & community information, the toll of self immolations has now risen to 120. After the incident, the Chinese police detained more than a dozen arbitrary Tibetans and the whereabouts of six of the detained people are still unknown. At least ten Tibetans also sustained severe gunshot wounds, when the police opened fire in Tibet when people were celebrating Dalai Lama's 78th birthday on July 6th. That's not something that the international community should ignore.

A side note. I decided to wait for another day before going up the mountain. I'm hoping to find some company tonight or tomorrow morning. If no one is willing to do a four day trek with me, I'm going alone on Saturday morning. That means tomorrow's another day to relax and enjoy the sceneries here in McLeod Ganj.

McLeod Ganj - Dharamsala

After 13 hours of train and almost four hours of sitting in three different overcrowded buses driving on terribly bumpy roads (the regular Indian travel experience that is), I finally made it to my destination just before noon yesterday. McLeod Ganj is located in the district of Kangra in Himachal Pradesh and it's ten kilometers of curvy, climbing roads away from the main city it belongs to, Dharamsala. The average elevation is just above two kilometers, but it varies because of the hilly landscape.

I was tired and exhausted when I got to the city and decided against a long hotel search. I walked for about ten minutes and found a hotel called Annex and after some bargaining, I booked a room for one night. It was more than I normally would pay for a night here (1000rs, around 12e or 15$), but a nice hot shower, comfy bed and a beautiful view from the balcony made the deal sound too nice.

After a two hour nap and a shower, I started exploring the city. I went to the Tsuglag Khang, the Dalai Lama's temple, but unfortunately cameras are not allowed there. I'll try to take a picture or two from the outside later today. Instead, I managed to take a few nice scenery shots yesterday. 

The town was a popular place during the British rule, but after an earthquake in 1905, the town lost most of its appeal. First in 1959, when the Tibetan uprising failed and the 14th Dalai Lama took refuge in McLeod Ganj, the town returned to the world history. In 1960 the Indian government officially granted him refuge and the town became his official residence and the residence of the government of Tibet in exile. Thousands of refugees from Tibet live here now and the town has become a pilgrimage site for Buddhists and tourists seeking enlightenment.

Right now I'm having breakfast in a nice cafe. I just found a hotel for the next night as well. I'm only booking one night at a time, because I'm planning to do a trek up the mountains, maybe tomorrow or the day after that. I'm still trying to decide, whether to go for a one night trek or a three night one, but the more I think about it, I'm starting to lean on the latter. How often do I get a chance to climb up to 4500 meters?

Today's plan still includes a visit to the Tibet museum and some relaxed looking around. Later I'm trying to find some Tibetan food for supper, which will not be to difficult here. I already had vegetarian Gyatog (soup with noodles and vegetables) and tsampa (porridge made out of roasted barley flour). The latter was worth trying out, but I think I'll stick to wheat and oats from now on. The first mentioned was something I definitely can recommend.

Himalayan Farm Farewell

Just like while writing the last post, I'm again waiting for a train. I'm leaving from Kathgodam, the station I arrived in just two days ago. I'm traveling through the night and early tomorrow morning I'm getting off in the Chakki Bank station. From there I'll continue to Dharamsala, or more precisely McLeod Ganj, the home of Tibetan government in exile. But I'll tell you more about it, when I'm actually there.

The two days at the farm went too quickly and I didn't really feel like going yet. I'm seriously considering a second stay there before leaving India. What made leaving a bit easier though, was the fact that four other people left yesterday. Only four volunteers remain now and Niraj was the only one of the four who was staying at the farm with me before our hospital touring started.

Even if saying goodbye to the people started on Sunday night already, leaving the peace, beauty and tranquility of the farm life behind today was still not easy. There is something magical about the place. If you are considering volunteering in India, you're physically fit and you're not too much of a hygiene freak, this is where you need to go. Ok, I admit, it's not as Indian as other places may be, but the welcoming and social commune atmosphere more than makes up for it.

Yesterday I did a trip further up the mountain to an abandoned farm with two others. It was again a combination of business and pleasure, since we had our axes with us for firewood collecting. The farm is not much more than a small hut, but you can still see the fields that had stayed clearer than I expected for not being taken care of for the last twenty years. The real sight for me up on the hill was not the farm itself, but the mountain spring where the water to the farm and to the villages below comes from (picture). I've seen springs before, but nothing comparable. The water gushes out of the holes between rocks and it almost looks as though the spring was a boiling pot of water. The picture of the spring doesn't show this as clearly unfortunately.

Please also check out the other pictures from the farm (and the hospital tour). This link takes you to the folder.

Rainy Delhi

The day before yesterday, when we'd left the hospital, we decided that Saturday would be our sightseeing day in Delhi. Well, this plan didn't quite work out as we hoped. Heavy rain made it almost impossible to leave the apartment. We still managed to get out just before three in the afternoon.

For me the most interesting thing to see today was a school, where Juneli, the granddaughter of the farm project starter, goes to. In the morning I read parts of a book that explains the school's view on learning. The book is called Psychic Education and it explains the pedagogical thoughts of the Mother and Sri Aurobindo. I might order it when I'm back in Germany. It has many similarities to Montessori-schools and other reform-pedagogical concepts I'm familiar with, but it is spiced with (more apparent) Indian philosophy and spirituality.

The school building itself was something quite amazing. All the classrooms are open to the corridors. There are only a few doors in the whole big building and there are areas without a roof every now and then. Hanging plants are growing all over and the roofless areas have a tree growing in the middle. Here are three pictures: picture 1, picture 2, picture 3.

After seeing the school, we took a bus to Dilli Haat, a bazaar, where every Indian state has its own food and crafts huts. We weren't really hungry, but we had some samosas with coffee while waiting for the rain to stop. From there we walked back for an half an hour and then took a bus back to the apartment.

Back at the apartment it was time to say goodbye and thank you for our hosts. They will take care of our patient for at least another week. He is anxiously waiting to get back to the farm. Since I'm leaving the farm on Tuesday, I had to say bye to him as well. He was very grateful for me helping him. I told him that I was happy to pay forward the good things done to me by others during my stay in India so far and said that I saw many things that normally tourists don't get to experience.

It's now 5 am Sunday morning and Niraj and I are sitting in a taxi going to Anand Vihar train station. Our train departs in one hour and arrives six hours later in Kathgodam. I'm looking forward to getting back to the farm. It's a lovely place and I'm seriously considering coming back there for a week or two before I return home.

Hospital Inspector's Notes

Here's a short summary of my experiences in the three very different Indian hospitals I saw the past nine days.

Bhimtal health centre was not much of a hospital. It's state owned, so the only payment they took was a registration fee of 13 rupees. The town itself is to small to have a real hospital, but the health centre is enough for taking care of basic health needs. The hygiene was appalling, but a person only familiar with western hospitals could say the same about the two other hospitals as well. The doctor we saw there was very friendly and he spoke excellent English.

Krishna hospital and research centre in Haldwani is a private hospital. For three days there including all the medicine and tests, we paid around 15 000 rupees. The hygiene was better, but there were a lot of cockroaches as well. The room we had was a single bed one, but there was one berth for family members on the other wall. The doctors and nurses were very helpful, although the latter only knew broken English. It it's good that Niraj knew Hindi well enough to understand and to be understood.

The A.I.I.M.S. on Delhi was something completely different from the two other hospitals. The emergency ward alone is maybe twice the size of the Krishna hospital. Officially there are about hundred beds in it, but there area are always at least thirty or forty people lying on trolleys between the beds and on the corridors. There are always about ten doctors and ten nurses on duty and they are highly professional. It's mind boggling, how the doctors can treat as many patients simultaneously, especially considering that many of them are serious emergencies. In addition to the staff, a big responsibility for taking care of the patients falls on the one person allowed to stay with the patient. If the IV-drip needs to be changed, the nurses need to be chased and informed about it. When new blood results are due, the person has to look for the result slip from a separate table near the doctors' station. Then it's time to show the results to a doctor, who then decides on further treatment and medication. The newly prescribed medication then needs to be retrieved from the nurses' station and brought to the patient. There is a lot to do and nothing much happens to the patient, if the person with him isn't pestering the doctors and nurses enough. The most awesome thing about the A.I.I.M.S. It's that it is a state hospital, so we only paid the registration fee. The hygiene in the emergency ward was again not something to be compared to western hospitals. Mice and cockroaches running around, patients spitting and vomiting on the floor and blood and urine spilled on the floors and walls were things that I found hard to accept. Especially, because cleaning such a crowded place properly is nearly impossible.

As a summary I can say that I'm very much hoping to stay away from hospitals here. Of course I'm not so keen on being admitted to a western hospital either... I'm convinced that the staff is mostly just as competent here as in other countries, but the hygiene is something that scares me. I know it's probably for nothing, but I can't shake it off, no matter how I try.

Two Tough Night Shifts in the ER

Well, I'll book it as another experience. But it will not listed as a pleasant one. My friend stayed the last two nights in the emergency ward of the hospital. There's not really that much of an emergency for him anymore, he's there just for observation. The working diagnose was dengue fever, until this morning, because all the symptoms were pointing in that direction. This morning a doctor started getting other ideas, but whatever it is, the worst has definitely passed.

It may sound weird to say this, but after spending about 36 hrs in the ER of one of the biggest hospitals in the world, I'm happy my friend "just" has dengue fever (or whatever). In the first night, two people died inside two hours in front of my eyes in the same four bed cubical (in India it fits six people). I shared some of my water with the second one just an hour before he died. In addition to two deaths, I saw, heard and smelled plenty of other unpleasant things. I'm hoping to avoid places like this in the future.

I went to the apartment in the morning after my first night shift. I rested in the apartment (best sleep I ever had) and Niraj took over for the next twelve hours. I was hoping, that the two important criteria needed for discharging him would be met the second day but unfortunately the blood tests didn't come out the way we hoped and we needed to spend another night in the hectic of the emergency ward.

Right now I'm back to the apartment and almost ready to crash for some six hours. The patient it's doing much better, but they are still waiting for some test results before they let him out if the hospital. I'm not sure whether Niraj and I can leave back to the farm tonight or tomorrow night, but I'm guessing that it will rather be tomorrow.

Delhi - Always a Pleasure

You won't believe it, but I'm in Delhi again! The doctor in Haldwani told us yesterday, that we should take the patient to a bigger hospital. It all happened very quickly and without much time to spare. We got emergency train tickets for the three of us and took off at quarter to nine in the evening. We first went to the apartment of the farm owner's daughter and then after a quick breakfast to AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences). It's one of the biggest and best hospital in Asia, busier than Heathrow airport and it reminds me of an ant hill. People are going all directions, everyone is trying to get their or their patients' problems heard.

I'm not going to tell too much about the medical circumstances, but it seems to be a viral fever of some unknown sort. The patient is doing a little better than he was yesterday, but he's still very weak.

For me this means that my plans for going to Nainital tomorrow are not going to work out the way I was hoping. We're hoping others will take over the responsibility soon and we can go back to the farm for a couple of more days. The absolute deadline for me is my train on the 24th from Kathgodam, near the farm, to Chakki Bank close to Dharamsala, my next stop.

Visitors from the Farm

The patient is as yesterday. Some symptoms have changed to others, but there haven't been any big changes in his overall condition. Today's highlight was a visit from three other "Himalayan farmers" who came to buy some groceries and used the opportunity to come and visit the missing sheep. For all three of us here in the hospital, it was a nice break to the hospital routine.

I took another break from the hospital in the early evening. I went to a restaurant with Wi-Fi to check my e-mails and read some news. I also had two scoops of butter scotch ice cream with a cup of instant coffee. An hour away from the stuffy hospital atmosphere did me good. Otherwise there isn't much to tell. Last night went better than expected. We stopped taking turns at midnight and slept pretty much through the night. The nurses came in a few times to check on the patient and to measure his blood pressure and temperature. The coming night we've staying here as well and for tomorrow night, if needed, we'll see about other alternatives.

Another Hospital

Yesterday everything seemed to be going well for my friend. This morning brought some bad news. He was feeling very dizzy again and couldn't get out of his bed on his own. We were hoping that this wouldn't last long, but unfortunately things started going worse for him.

We went to the small hospital first, but the doctor told us directly that we should continue to Haldwani, to a bigger hospital. We did that and since this afternoon the room number 68 of the Krishna hospital has been our new home.

There hasn't been a breakthrough yet, but my friend is feeling a bit better. The hospital is much cleaner than the small one we visited a few times the last couple of days, but it's still no comparison to western hospitals. All three of us are sharing the room for tonight. It's going to be my turn to sleep soon, Niraj will take over watching over our friend. I'm really happy about it, because I'm getting really tired. In three hours, it will be my turn again. If we end up staying more than this one night, we might have to look for a budget room somewhere close, or maybe there's an empty bed somewhere here in the hospital. But we're still hoping that the test results coming tomorrow morning will bring a diagnosis. But we will just have to see how it goes.

Bhimtal

We're staying in Bhimtal for at least one more night. The patient is feeling much better, no fever and the dizziness has subsided at little. He might spend a few more nights here, but I think I'm leaving back to the farm tomorrow.

The house we live in right now, is the farm owner's home. A beautiful place, on a steep hill overlooking a lake. The whole area here is so different from Vrindavan. Much cleaner and quieter. Even in Haldwani, the main market town in the area, everything seemed less stressed than in Vrindavan.

I'm taking a walk around the lake later. Or at least half way around. We walked some distance next to the lake yesterday already, but on a rather busy road. I might skip that part today. I uploaded some pictures from the past week yesterday.

Hospital Visit

The long term volunteer came back from a shopping trip the day before yesterday and went straight to bed complaining dizziness and feeling weak. He got up once to go to the bathroom and passed out on his way back. We were seriously discussing of taking him to the hospital before sunset yesterday. He was against it, so we decided to wait. His fever was extremely high yesterday evening, but the night went well.

We started our slow trek down the path around nine in the morning. It took us more than two hours to get down to Do Gaon, where a taxi was waiting for us. It took us to a small hospital in Bhimtal and there the doctor prescribed an IV-drip. What it exactly is, I'm not sure, but I'm guessing just some electrolytes. The first 500ml were done in an hour but the second bottle took much longer. We're still waiting for it to finish. After that we'll see how our patient is feeling and decide the next steps. We can stay here in Bhimtal in the house of the farm owner. He's not at home, but a neighbor has the key and has already prepared beds. If the condition hasn't improved, we might have to change to a bigger hospital. Let's hope that's not the case.

The hospital makes me feel grateful of my health. The hygiene is something other than I'm accustomed to in Europe. I'm not sure what's more likely to happen here, getting well or catching another illness. I'll post a picture or two from the main ward as soon as I can.

Waterfall

Today we combined business and pleasure. The morning was very sunny and while having breakfast we decided it would be a nice day for a swim. There's a waterfall not far from here and it has got a small pool just under it. After breakfast the sun had gone hiding again, but we thought we'd risk it. If the plan is to get wet, it really doesn't matter much if we already get wet on the way.

Our supply of firewood was running low, so we took axes with us. Before we got to the waterfall, the local young man who was with us, found a dead tree that was waiting to be cut down. It was all but easy, but we managed to cut into carrriable chunks. In addition to normal firewood, we collected some "magic wood". It's the local equivalent for the Finnish "tervanen", meaning pine tree that has a lot of pine resin soaked in it. It's something that works as the perfect kindling since pine resin lights quickly and burns hot. Instead of waiting for years after the tree's been cut and then harvesting tervanen from the tree stump like the Finns, the locals here cut wedges on the living pine trees and wait for them to get filled with resin. Then they cut thin slices with the axe from the area. The effect is more or less the same.

After the work was done it was time for a swim. The water was cold, but not too bad. I didn't really think I would swim, so I hadn't packed my swimming trunks. My underwear served the purpose well.

The climb back to the farm with the firewood bundled on our backs pretty much cancelled the refreshing effect of the quick swim. The only thing I did after that was chopping some of the older firewood into pieces that fit the oven. It started raining soon after we got back so there was not much to do.

Oak Planting and More

On Saturday, we got a batch of 200 oak saplings. The last two days we have been planting them. I've planted spruce, pine and birch before, but never in this kind of environment. The steep and rocky hill makes it really challenging. We're finished now. The hill where the farm is on, has a lot of pine trees growing on it, but they were planted by the British little over a century ago. One long term goal of the Himalayan farm project, is to change the forest surrounding the farm into its original state.

Another reason for oak trees is a plan of introducing silk worms to them in about five years and start producing silk. This would not only profit the farm, but also the small village below, creating desperately needed employment.

Otherwise the life here runs on its own course. One volunteer left today and another one arrived. There is always something to do, but there are also idle times for playing the guitar or reading a book. There are a lot of books and a guitar here that were left by former volunteers. I'm now working my way through Murakami's 1Q84. Right now it's raining, so there's time for some blogging and reading.

Third Day of Ascetic Paradise

I love this place! It's the exotic counterpart of a Finnish summerhouse. The "time zone" here is not the same. Time seems to flow with its own pace, everyone here is more or less unaware of the weekday. The nature gives the rhythm for daily routines rather than the clock.

Today after breakfast I chopped some firewood. The monsoon makes it hard to find dry wood and the fire in the kitchen is not the easiest to get started even with dry wood. I first sawed the pieces a bit smaller and then chopped them into thin pieces so that they can be used as kindling. I think that should be enough for two, maybe three days. The oven needs a lot of wood for cooking three meals every day.

The second project today was to help the long term volunteer with some electric problems. The second circuit had been inoperable for some time already, but we managed to get it up and running again. We also changed the LED-strip lighting the kitchen, since it had been covered with soot. Now cooking dinner is much easier. The DC to AC inverter has a problem we couldn't fix. It will have to be brought to the city for repair. When it works, there will be internet again.

I pitched my tent today. It hasn't been raining much the past couple of days and the room I've been sleeping in (picture1, picture2) seemed a bit stuffy, damp and dusty. I found a nice spot (picture1, picture2) for my tent about 100 meters from the farm buildings. I'm looking forward to sleeping there tonight.

There are some snakes in the area, but they are mostly not venomous and there are leopards in the area.They keep themselves hidden, but some pets have gone missing and there are two orphaned cubs not far from the farm in a forestry office. I'm hoping not to get visitors during the night.

The Himalayan Farm

At last the Himalayan farm! The moment I arrived on the top of the path, I was greeted by the current volunteers. At the moment there are six people all together, but some newcomers are supposed to arrive the next week or two. Ideally there should be four long term volunteers and ten to twelve short term ones. Right now there are only five short term volunteers and one person, who has been living on the farm since March. The main reason for the low numbers is the monsoon.

The place got started about 18 moths ago, when the now owner of the farm bought the land and the abandoned house on it. He had an idea of starting a permaculture farm on the Himalayas. It has been visited by many volunteers and they hosted a Permaculture Design Course in May-June this year. There were over thirty people living on the premises at that time.

The living quarters is the old farm building that had been abandoned for 15 years (picture). The past eighteen months a lot has happened. Two other buildings have been built out of clay from the premises, the kitchen and common room and the villa, a living area for the long term volunteers. In addition to that, there are two composting outhouses and two showers. The electricity for lights is provided by solar cells on the roof of the oldest building. The water comes straight from the mountain stream and is completely drinkable.

The kitchen is very basic (picture1, picture2, picture3, picture4). It has an oven heated with wood and enough pots and pans for cooking for at least twenty people. The dishes are washed with the ashes from the oven and the bigger chunks of coal are used for composting. Next to the kitchen is a pantry for dry foods like beans, flour, chopped wheats, sugar and spices.

The common room is located in the same building with the kitchen (picture1, picture2, picture3). That's where we eat most of the time. The work on the far is basically weeding, sowing, harvesting and collecting mulch and firewood. Yesterday we planted some coriander (picture) and today we'll do another patch from a different sort of coriander. There are also potatoes waiting to be planted.

In all its simplicity, I'm really enjoying the farm so far. The relaxed atmosphere and the amazing nature and sceneries (picture1, picture2) make me feel very much at home here. There are a few things that I need to get adjusted to, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons so far.

I haven't felt very well today. A bit dizzy and low on energy. Maybe it's the altitude (about 1500m), or maybe it's the weariness from the hard two days of getting here.

A Tough Hike

Sleeping in the bus was not as easy as I had hoped, but I did manage to get about three hours of continuous rest. At four in the night there was a loud argument in the bus and after that I couldn't sleep very well. I was no longer feeling comfortable in any position and I was anxiously trying to find out our location.

After I saw a sign with Kathgodam on it, I went to the driver and told him once more that I was getting out in Do Gaon. The driver luckily understood me and assured that we would make a stop there. After a while going up the serpentine road, I saw a tea shop that was described to me in an e-mail. Behind the next curve were four other small huts and a small sign stating that we had now arrived in Do Gaon. It was almost eight o'clock in the morning. (picture)

I knew the 50 minute hike up the mountain path was going to be a challenge, but one I was prepared to face. The path was a bit slippery and in parts steep, but otherwise easy to walk (picture). The only problem was that there weren't as many signs as I had hoped for and in some crossings it was difficult to choose. Once I left my bag in the crossing and went to do some recon. I found a small village and a young man said I was on the right track. I doubled back to my bag and got back to the village just as the young man came out of a hut with a cylindrical metal bucket with milk in it. He said he was taking it to the Himalayan farm. After ten minutes of following him, I had to call him and tell him that I needed a break. I was panting like never before. He asked me if he should take my bag. I thanked, but told him, it was my bag and my burden. After another ten minutes, I gave him the small bag I had fastened outside the big one. Fifteen minutes later, my walking was getting really dangerous and I had no choice, but to change the bags. He took my heavy bag and I still couldn't follow him... Just before arriving the farm, he told me he does this trek every day. That made me feel a bit better. It didn't occur to me that I could have kept walking my own pace instead of running after my guide. The path didn't have many crossings after the village.

I was really happy to be there. I was tired, exhausted and sweating. I'll write a separate post about the farm itself later.

One Grateful Tourist

I'm writing the beginning of this post at 11 pm while sitting safely in the parked bus in Delhi.Without help I would never have made it to this bus. I'm very grateful, almost to the point of of crying to be honest. It's amazing how helpful my new friends have been. And most importantly, without wanting anything for themselves. Just for the pure feeling of doing the right thing. In the first week, I was overly critical and might have given the impression that everyone here is just looking for ways to make money with you. I'm so sorry now to have implied something like that. In every country there are a few "rotten apples", who sometimes manage to spoil the first impression. I now realize that I had just not met the right people. I would now go as far as saying that we westerners could learn a lesson or two of altruism from the Indians.

I spent the day with my hosts in their apartment and walking around the area close by. This was not actually Delhi, but Noida a city neighboring Delhi. We visited a big and very beautiful (also very expensive) mall called The Great Indian Place. For the first time during my trip, I saw the brands and shop chains that are all too familiar to me from the western world. I only bought one book, because I had again ran out of reading. I also saw something that surprised me positively. Noida had a separate lane for bicycles! Admittedly, no one was using it because it was full of trash and rocks.

The bus is finally starting now, about two hours late of schedule. I will try to get some sleep.

Still Alive

Sorry about the blackout guys! I'm doing just fine, or even better actually. Really enjoying the Himalayan farm. There's just no internet connection at the moment. I have written a few posts, but I'll post them as soon as I can. I'm now taking just a quick stop in an internet-cafe.

When Things Go Wrong...

First of all, everything is fine. I have been laughing at my stupidity the past 16 hours. Everything was so simple and I managed to screw it up. Here's what happened.  

Yesterday I got to the Mathura train station over two hours before the departure of my train to Delhi. While waiting, I noticed that my train name isn't listed in the departures and I went to ask the friendly tourist police on the station. He explained to me that my train it's one part of another train and it will be separated at the next station. He even told me that my wagon will be in the very end of the train. Well, everything was clear, right? The departure time on my ticket was 5.10pm and I had already forgotten the name of my train. But I saw a train arriving at 5.10 and everything was clear for me.

I boarded the train, even when a young man was telling me that the train doesn't go to Delhi. I was so sure of myself. When I asked the ticket inspector, he told me that I was in the wrong train, one coming from Delhi and that I need to get off at the next station, Kota. That's the moment when I saw the board announcing arriving and departing trains before my eyes. There was one train arriving at 5.10 and one departing at 5.10 and my mistake was revealed. I asked the inspector how long is it to Kota and he smiled and said three hours. And that, my friends was the moment when I realized, I would not be able to catch my connecting train in Delhi. There was a crazy thought of jumping off the train when the train slowed down twenty minutes after leaving Mathura, but there still was too much speed and my reason told me to abandon that idea. Instead I smiled and thought, I'm going to enjoy the ride. I messaged the owner of the farm, telling him that I wasn't going to make it like planned to his farm.

When I finally got to Kota, I bought a general ticket to Delhi for 140 rupees (less than 2 euros). The problem with general tickets is that they are for the second class and there's no guarantee of getting a seat. Just before the train arrived, I met a young Indian man, who once again proved the helpfulness and friendliness of the locals. He told me to follow him and after two hours of standing, we both were sitting, uncomfortably, but sitting at least. There were four people sitting over my seat, I could see their feet hanging in front of my face, four next to me and dozens of people sitting on the floor, lying on the luggage shelf and standing around, looking for a possibility to sit. Quite an experience, believe me. I felt like I was a piece in a game of Human-Tetris.

We arrived in Delhi at six o'clock in the morning, the same time I should have arrived in Kathgodam. My new friend and I had been planning for the best means for me to get from Delhi to the farm for the last hour of our trip. I told him that I'm not very keen on doing another six hours of Indian rail second class. He laughed and told me that a bus might be a good option. We pondered about getting a taxi as well while having a breakfast of coffee and two samosas, but he said the price would be at least ten times that of the bus. We continued to his friends' apartment and a friend of him found a sleeper bus connection to the farm (or very close to it) after less than 15 minutes of searching. The bus leaves at 10pm and arrives at 6am tomorrow morning. After playing some guitar with my new friends and taking a bath, I'm now going to sleep a little. I'm so grateful for meeting these guys, just like I'm grateful of my two Indian friends in Vrindavan. Amazing people!

And please mom and other people who are worried, even when all this sounds very strange, I promise you there's no need to be worried. These guys really just want to help.

The Last Days in Vrindavan

I've been posting a bit less the last couple of days. Everything is ok, there's just been a lot to do.

I'll start with Friday's events. We were supposed to leave early to Rhada Kund, a small town near by, to visit a goshala (I'll explain this later), but it was raining and we had to cancel it. After lunch we went to see another school, a not sponsored one this time. It was located just outside the city in a rural area. To get there, we needed to walk through a filthy (there's just no other word for it) flooded area. First I tried to find a way through a drier dump yard looking area, but in the end I had to give up, take off my shoes and walk through the unknown waters. When we got to the school, it was closed because of the rain. If you're thinking why does a school close because of rain, I've got a simple answer for you: it was an open air school. The only building was just a small hut, with a bell. The "classroom" was the area in front of it (picture). I was very surprised to see a beautiful school like the one we visited on Monday, Sandipani Muni. This rural school most likely was the other end of the spectrum.

After we returned from the school, we went to see a local tradition to a temple near by. It was one of the funniest things I've seen here so far. A ten meter pole was standing in front of the temple and there was a scaffold next to it (picture). There were some prizes on the top of the pole. A group of ten men, dressed only in boxers (or something similar), was trying to make a group effort to reach the prizes. The four guys on top of the scaffold tried to stop the guys below by pouring oil and water on them and on the pole. The shrine of Vishnu was watching the games from a wagon close by (picture). The group below tried at least ten times, but they weren't successful.

After watching the pole climbing, we went out for dinner with two of our local friends. One of them insisted on paying for the dinner, no matter how hard we tried to explain that for us the price was much less than to him.

Yesterday was a full day as well. In the morning it wasn't raining, so we headed out to Radha Kund. It was almost an hour's ride with a tuk-tuk and the road was very bad. When we got there, we went to another ashram first. There's a Krishna devoted man living with his family in the ashram. He comes from the very east of India, Assam. He offered us tea and told us that the ashram was built mostly by one Swedish man, who came to this place for the first time over 35 years ago. Most of the western people coming there, are from the Nordic countries. At the moment the ashram only hosted two monks and one old orphan woman.

The man living in the ashram also has a goshala. Cows are holy animals here and goshala means "cow-house", a sanctuary for cows who have gotten old or sick. Many families who have got a cow, can't afford to keep it after it gets old and gives no milk. Often these animals end up walking around the streets hungry. A goshala is a place where some of such cows are brought to. This is by far not the only goshala in the area.

In our way to the goshala, we walked through the countryside and saw many species of birds, peacocks, a crane and birds I don't know the names of. We also saw a Banyan tree, claimed to be 3000 years old (picture) and a magic tree of sorts, that heals illnesses. For this to happen, the person standing under the tree gets water poured on him through the leaves and then he has to leave his clothes hanging in the tree (picture). We saw a child "getting cured" this way as we passed by.

We took a short cut to the goshala through the rice fields. Walking knee deep in water was one of the scariest things here so far, because there was no way of seeing what else beside rice was in the water (picture). After surviving this, we finally reached the goshala. It looked a bit like a barn actually. Three men and two women were living there with around 250 cows. All the people working there, used to be poor beggars, but now they get food and a little money for tending to the cows needs. The oldest man living there offered us chai-tea, which he cooked on a fire made of sticks and dried cow dung (picture 1 picture 2). It was really nice of him, but since I had just gotten over my stomach problems, I had to decline. The man touched the fuel and the tea and sugar with the same hand, so it was too much for us westerners.

In the evening we again went out to eat with our local friends. They took us to the restaurant with their motorbikes. Three persons on one and two on the other, no helmets, bumpy roads. It makes up a nice thrilling feeling. We weren't going fast, but in this traffic 60kp/h is fast enough. We had the best Indian food I've had so far. The two brothers are the nicest and friendliest Indians I've met so far. I feel sorry, I didn't meet them earlier.

They helped us with getting a prepaid number, since our first attempt ended in a failure two days ago. The number should be activated on Monday evening.