Oke so i had time to upload the pictures on my drive. Later on i’ll transfer the images on my camera to the internet ;)
Enjoy with Love
Archive Page 2
21
Apr
Check the Gallery
21
Apr
Almost a month ago!
Wow just realized its been almost a month ago since i wrote anything here…amazing! I’ve been to buissy working on Shans webpage (www.indianinstrumentmaker.com) and getting things setup there that i’ve forgot about my own stuff =) Anyway i’ll try to fill you in on the latest news.
After 15 days in Laxman Jhula i left for Banjar, my hometown in the mountains where i have a indian family =) The trip there was quite funky i must say! To Chandigarh with three israeli friends on the train and then rikshaw to the busstand. My friends took the buss down to Dharamsalah and i took my own to Aut. Trip was quite good on the local buss, not as last year when i went from Delhi to Aut, this buss was almost the same but more comfertable =) The bussdriver though is another story.
Since im foreginer i got a seat in the front (when i bought the ticket) and ofcourse im the only tourist on that buss. After 3-4 hours on it they stoped to pick up one guy (another buss driver i thought) and after a while they changed seats. Now the old bussdriver sits on the left and starts to smoke. He calls me ower, im thinking he wants me to see more of the landscape so i go in front to sit with him. He passes a ciggarette and even though i shouldnt be smoking i take a zip. What i’ve forgoten is that the locals never roll joints in rizla paper but in ciggarettes or beedies. I then realize he’s called me up there just to share a joint. So this one goes back and forth a few times and im set and enjoying the view. Sitting there for a while and he starts to make a new one, i rise polite and try to move back to my seat.
He says please stay and points at the joint hes rolling, well oke, i’ll stick here for a while until its rolled and then go back…no no…he passes it along again. What the hell, one more zip then he smokes it all himself. Tells me i can go back to my seat thats now been taken by a indian but the bussdriver sorts him out =) 30-40 mins on the road and we stop for dinner. Im out smoking a beedie and watching around, i see the bussdriver (Sundil) and hes calling me. I get to the table and im invited to sit down and so i do. With hard english or mostly body language i understand that he wants to give me a drink. Sure why not, alcohol i like =) So we get one peg each and then some food arrives, some really nice mutton soup. And one more drink and more soup, one more drink and more soup.
Enjoying all this with all the locals smiling and laughing he brings out another joint =) Well im all done now, kindly say no and passing it to the waitor. Two joints and probably half a bottle of some local spirit is gone in 40 minutes. We hop back up on the buss and to my surprise the new driver we had picked up has left us. On the driving wheel was Sundil thats now all stoned up and boozed…well-o-well-o-well i think. Remembering back to what he had said to me before all the joints (we had a small chat before it) that this was his government duty, to drive this buss everyday back and forth to manali and aut. After taking some comfort in that i sit back and try to enjoy the crazy ride! We had a few turnpoints where the breaks hit in hard (and belive me this busses are something else, fast and furious =) some locals walked to the front and started talking. But that didnt affect our driver, luckily i get off 1h after that stop so i didnt get to be on the whole ride…but i bet it was a bumpy one =)
I get to Aut around 11pm, my friend Kamlesh has rented a jeep with driver to come and pick me up since there is no busses to go anywhere. We are having a good laugh about seeing eachother again and me telling him this story. In the end all you can do is laugh, since probably most of the drivers up here are doing the same just that we dont get to see it. And its not like you have an option to get off and take another buss, your stick to it =) The comfort you can have is that this person probably have been doing the same ritual for 30+ years and that they know their ways around the curves. Eventually it might even be up to god to bless the buss =)
So staying a few days in Sojah (the upper house from Banjar) we are invited to go to Ani, a little smaler village past the highest top (Jalori Pass) and down again. Spend 5 days there with a shit load of flies everywhere, dogs barking at 4am in the morning and food thats cooked very strange. Even though the chicken was big and “ecological” they dont really know what to do with the meat. Anyway we had 4 nights of drinking local wine and whiskey, walking 8km down the himalayas to the big town…twice in two days. My knees are still hurting from this experience but damn the view was so amazing! I’ll try to resize some pictures and upload them today.
I was going to Dharamsalah today but since we got some really bad weather up here now with rain and thunder still going on at 7am and 10am i decided to stay for another day. Hopefully i can leave tomorrow withouth a hustle on the road.
All in all im doing great, some stomake pain but not at all as last year. Semes i’ve addapted a bit to the bacterias out there. Drinking local water (not that there is an alternative) but the water is damn fine. A new pipe has been made to the house and the water comes spot on from a spring out of the mountain, so its relativly safe. They’ve also managed to build a indian style toilet out on the back and fixed the roof on the kitchen. Good to see that things are happening here, maybe next year this will be a full-on guesthouse with visitors all the time.
So thats it for now, see if i get some time to update the pictures, otherwise i’ll do something from Dharamsalah.
Take care and always with Love!
Well Rishikesh ofcourse =) Laxman Jhoola its called, even though the Beatles where in Ram Jhoola thats like maybe 1 hour away (i can still see the ram jhoola bridge from here) its a pretty cool place to be in. First impression wasnt the wOw aha as Jonathan had but now i’ve gotten used to it…same with all places u visit the first time i think. Many temples here and today i was in at the main Ganga River temple and got a few souveniers from there to use in the morning prayers =) Its not really so big here, at least the main town, way smaller than Banjar but still its cozy here. Meet Chris and the Yoga teacher from Patnem that are here for a few days before they head up to McLoud or whatever that place was called =)
Tomorrow we will be going to another ashram (we are staying at one at the moment) to see if we can find anything interesting there. It would really be a shame to be here and not try meditation or yoga or even swim in the ganga. So hopefully we can do something tomorrow. The honemoon couple are thinking to head back to Israel =( but im trying to keep them here for a while hehe =) Would be really sad to split appart but what can you do. Karen is pregnat and feels every smell probably 50 times stronger than we do so its really understandable. At least now i’ve got some experience of being with a pregnant woman =)
Other than that we are doing fine. Lost 1100 rupies yesterday, not really happy about that, since i filled up my Reliance netconnect with 1 rupie more than i’ve should. So 1 day of surfing the net (or downloading Lost episodes =) cost me 1100rs. Went back there today and charged up with 1099 so i have one month unlimited usage now…sux but what the hell can you do…its india…took me 17 times to get in touch with someone on the customer care…and belive it or not…still after the hustle 2 weeks ago im still not the owner of my card that i’ve paid for…nor is the indian guy that came along to help us…amazing isnt it…but thats how it all works…all i can do is laugh about it!
Oh yeah! Tomorrow is the last day of the Champix, today was day 13 and we stoped smoking today (even though i had one and a half cigarete today) but tomorrow will be different. From now on i’ll keep my self free from tobacco…curse that horrible drug that kills you slowly…more dangerous than weed and more leathal than lsd…good damn hypocrits!
Anyway always with LOVE! =)
18
Mar
Finaly some PICTURES!
Took me some time but hey we aren’t perfect =) Pictures from different places are now up. Im had some trouble configuring the old gallery so im using the same one as before. Anyway enjoy the pictures.
Sara and Karen came back from Hampi today, happy time for us all =) Now we are going dow to the beach and have something to eat and then to the party thats next doors to us. Oh yeah we paid the bill today…8500rs for 17 nights out here. Comparing to sweden price this is nothing =) but comparing to india its a little much but hey, we are having a great time!
Speak to you soon, my stomake is telling me its time to eat =)
With LoVE!
Btw see the link for the gallery on the right:
Gallery & Old Blog
* The Gallery <—— this is the one for the current gallery =)
* The Pilgrimage
09
Mar
Imagine the HEAT!
Its almost going insane now =) Everyday its getting hoter and hoter, i think its up to at least 35 celcius all day, if not peaking at around 38-39. Today when i woke up around 10.30 went out to sit in the chair (in the sun ofcourse =) and smoke a ciggarette, after that my whole body was dripping. Almost a lake under my feat from the sweat! Wasnt even this hot in 2006 when we where in Pushkar! Anyway i am fine, taking many showers during the day, drinking a lot of water and swiming. To bad the ocean is all messy now due to the fullmoon and tides that comes with it. First day we where here was cristal clear…now u can barly see your hand under water. Hopefully it will clear up anytime soon now.
Went to a Holi dinner yesterday around 11.30pm and had a nice plate of food. Plate made of leaves and then some curry, dal and few more different dishes. It was really tasty and in the end we got something that reminded of chai ricepudding =) So tomorrow its time to throw colors on everyone!! The Holi festival is during 5 days, where all the villages invite all the people to eat two times a day. First at lunch and then in the evening/night. Drums are constantly played here so you can really feel the Holi spirit. It all ends on the 10th (or 11th if u ask someone else =) and its full of colors. I need to buy some scarf to put around the dreads, else i’ll be one colorfull jolly =)
On wednesday we are going to Anjuna to visit the flee market and buy some things, then on thursday Karen and her mom Sarah will go to Hampi while me and Johnatan will be left here in Patnem for 6 days with no females =) This will be the longest our honemoon couple has been away from eachother but luckily i have my cellphone that Karen can call and be in touch. For me and John its time to get drunk and live the hi-life hihi =) I havent bought a didgeridoo this time, found a few at the market but with no beeswax (forgot mine at home) so they where really hard to play. The guy selling them could play them good but for me with 7 stiches in my lip it wasnt to easy.
Doing a webpage for a friend in Delhi (not sure i’ve mentioned this before) but the domain is all ready now www.indianinstrumentmaker.com will it be. Hopefully i can finish it of pretty soon or at least when we go up north where its cool and shanti to work =) Other than that i’ve looked up the adds in the paper and found a few interesting purposals but they are all in goa so we will see what happenes. We have also meet a french couple with their daughter on vacation here. Her father was here 40 years ago!!! for 4 years! and hasnt been back since then. She (Melody) is living in Bangalore working with children and fotography. I might take her contact just in case i go to bangalore later on =)
What more to say, not so much time for computer stuff, affraid the damn lappy will burn up in the heat so only 1-2 hours of use, even that is to much =)
As always…with LOVE!
23
Feb
We are connected!
So i managed to get a hold of a CDMA modem for the computer with unlimited internet surfing (download & upload) Was quite costly, 4400rs that included one month of unlimited surfing. Later on i will need to pay 1100rs every month for unlimited usage! Not bad at all. The speed is practicaly shit =) but still i can use it for doing simple tasks and maybe leave it on during the night to upload pictures and stuff. So not only do i have a cellphone number now but a internet connection where ever i go ;) Hopefully this means that i will be able to post pictures and keep you more updated than i have before.
Jan is leaving in a week back to UK, we have already discussed some things to do in the summer…one including me going to UK for 2-3 months and drive around festivals running a little shop. We’ve just worked on that idea today but it doesnt seme bad at all =) Something i wanted to do a few years back but only on trance festivals, this will be for every festival around. Something to work on =)
Tomorrow we are going back to Goa for 1 week vacation before Jan goes home. Also saw ay today =))) (hi mate!) and had a good time with him. He might come to goa after Jan is gone ;) I will probably stay in goa for a while now, until my friend Rajo goes back to Banjar so i can meet up with his family again. Then im probably of to see Ram in Manali and stay there for hopefully one month if not more depending on the future =)
Im off to hustle with the roomservice guy whos trying to rip me off right now…haha…he knows its our last day so he wants to make some money…well-o-well!
Happy Shivrati day to you all!
With LOVE!
16
Feb
Crazy stuff!
So after some good time around south of india we are now heading to Delhi! My friends visa has run out so she needs to get back home asap! I’ll follow her up to Delhi and see that she passes on oke and then i might take the train down again towards Goa. I would probably stop by Pushkar to see the guy that makes the didgeridoos there =) And hopefully get one as well. Or i might join up with my friend up in Rishikesh where he is atm. Going to the same place as The Beatles isnt to bad ;)
Just need to sort out my luggage today and we are on the go again ;) Ill let you know how it goes. And Jay if you see this i will call you tomorrow or the day after ;)
With Love!
09
Feb
Gokarna & Ohm Beach
So it was time to get ass to Ohm Beach in Gokarna. Took the sleeper buss from Hampi at 6pm yesterda and arrived today at 6am. Got dropped of in some station that they said was Gokarna city but some ppl that had already been here said it wasnt the city but just outside of it. A little hustle with the bussdriver and a few americans that wanted to hijack the buss and go down the beach ended up in me paying 150rs to get a rickshaw to Ohm Beach.
Not much was happening here at 6am so me and my company Jan took our bags down to the beach and sat there for a while. 7am the water buffalos and cows came towards us, hustled with us for 15 minutes until i got a stick and chased them away =) Then we got a bungalow for 100rs the night, not so bad but has no fan so its hot. First night here and i finaly got my Kingfisher again so im happy. Everything is VERY calm here, not to many tourists and im not sure what will happen in the night. We will be sitting in our shag and drinking beer thats for sure =)
Im off now to hot in here =) Sun is just going down now so we will have a look at it. Hope you are enjoying the winter while im enjoying the heat =) hihi
With LOVE!
02
Feb
In Goa we are =)
So here i am in the heat of Goa =) Not bad comparing to the cold in Sweden! I got me a simcard today so i have a Indian number to be reached on: 9657445591. Calling from outside India will be landcode (+91?) and then a 0 i think as well, you will have to manage =) Anyway all is great here, meet up with my dear friends Ram and Rajo and staying at a appartment in Calangut with Ram. Weather is fantastic if not a little to hot but better that than cold for now =) Havent done so much as usual in Goa, went around with the car to Arambol beach and saw how it looks like there. Got a massage for 500rs by a old lady thats been doing it for 30 years so you can say i feel very relaxed right now =)
Today is Prem Joshua playing here in Goa, Rajo got us two tickets so we can go and see him in two hours. Will be very nice i think, i’ve heard him before and even have a album of his so looking forward to this one. While Ram is taking a powernap i got to use the Gprs of Idea telecom. Its quite expensive i think since they charge be KB, so after this post i need to check out my balance. Calling home to sweden for 3-4 minutes went on 36rs so i hope its not going to be more expensive than that =)
I dont dare to check the email out yet but i will in a few days. Anyway we have internet shops here so it shouldnt be that impossible for me to get to one and update even more =) For now i’ll leave the uploading of pictures. This is my alternative to internet when we are on the move =)
Take care everyone and always with LOVE!
27
Jan
on THE RUN! =)
Last call for Stockholm, going to town today to do the final stuff, meet some friends and take the last goodbyes. Everything is set soon, got laundry time in 8h and i’ll pack it all in 11h =) Then call the cab to get me to the airport and vola we are on our way to India =) Im leaving behind 6 moving boxes (not sure if i wrote that earlier) with my mom and thats all my stuff in sweden. One backpack on 60l and one smal in front to have on the airplane and thats me =) I’ll hola at you from London probably if i get some time there, else maybe Delhi when i arrive there.
With LOVE!
