A new trend is on the rise...

Shaina and I have quickly come to the realization that we have one very obvious problem with travelling together, which ineveitably always results in us taking much longer walks and explorations than intially expected - we both have a compulsion to find out what is "around the next bend" and will not turn around until we figure it otu. I guess this isn't really a problem, unless discovering amazing new views and interesting situations is a bad thing.....

We posted our last entry from Shimla, where after spending 2 nights we took a bus to Tattapani, a small town Northwest of Shimla, which we picked randomly off the map as it was on our way. After having experienced the chaos of our earlier mountain bus ride,the hairpin turns, sheer cliffs and constant contemplation of hurtling over the edge felt more normal this time. To our surprise, we arrived to a small town with only a couple of hotels that was set right on the banks of a river - beautiful! The laid back atmosphere, delicious food, cheap room ($1 CDN each per night) and beautiful environment got us - we quickly decided to prolong our stay by one night and spent an entire day hiking to a cave on the river, where we splashed in the water, let the current carry us downstream, let the sun warm our skin, and practiced our rock climbing skills while checking out the great scenery.

After spending 16 hours travelling (the out of control mountain bus rides almost feel quite normal now...) which invovled a 3 hour delay to change the bus tire while being entertained by the antics of monkeys, a ride that rattled every bone in our bodies and shook up our blood, stopping at a random and seemingly out-of-nowhere rest point in the middle of the mountains with all you can eat chapati, dal and chana for less than 25 cents CDN each, we arrived in Palampur. Although we only had one night here, it was definitely short and sweet as we spent the next morning walking through the tea plantations with women working amongst the squat dark green plants in their vibrantly colored punjabi suits, along a road that was accompanied by a small canal of water on either side, yielding a relaxing gurgle of flowing water. We watched women minding their cows while knitting warm woolens, and tailors in their small shops concocting beautiful garments on hand operated Singer sewing machines.

On another note, wow, I have to say I just love the Indian hospitality! I was just offered milky Chai (tea) by the man who runs this internet cafe. This is so typical, as in most shops and stores you go into, they will offer you tea whether you make a purchase or not! To think, internet cafes back home likely wouldn't even let you bring water into their establishment, let alone even consider offering you a drink...... what a life.

We are now in Mcleod Ganj and are loving it so much that we are contemplating completely changing our entire plan and spending the rest of our time here in the North. (This would involve cancelling the flights we already have booked down south) To living in the moment...

Another notable point that I cannot leave unmentioned - today Shaina and I bought the most incredible matching hats. They are like fur-trader hats with big ear flaps and sheep skinned lined giving neverending possibilities for ridiculousness. But they are SO warm and you should all watch out when we start up a contagious new trend when we get home....

Thanks for all the comments - they are hilarious and always so great to hear from everyone back home!