I arrived In India in the middle of the nite but already the excitement had begun. I walked out of immigration past the prepaid taxi service only to realize that at 2am you really need a pre paid taxi. So I started walking back only to be intercepted by an army officer with more badges and medals than an entire boy scout troop combined. He was also holding a rifle that he looked at ease about using. A quick sharp "you can not come back here" sent me on my way very quickly. Fortunately there turned out to be another pre paid taxi service outside the airport and after some antics of explaining the address in the Tibetan colony of where I wanted to go I was off with my slip and before I knew it cruising in the cool nite air of a 1950's ambassador black black black of course just to make the situation more classic. The temperature was much lower than i expected, outside a chilly 16 degrees, last time I was in Delhi the stock standard was a sweltering 46. As we powered on through the nite even at 3am the traffic was fast wild and as usual with no sense of road rules. Perhaps the most exciting where the big new intersections on the outskirts of Delhi, massive 4 and 6 lane intersections with big new traffic lights. Traffic lights which are ignored, people just punch through these intersections and because there’s no attention paid to lights there’s no give way, its just first through first alive, We almost hit the tail of a bus, a shave so close even my ambassador driver put his hand on the dashboard of his car near the flashing pink, blue, orange Shiva statue and whispered a small prayer. A few more near misses that he didn’t consider as close but that was the most exciting. The streets are still not completely ruled by motor vehicles, donkey and carts and cows still use the roads and are not paid a second thought to. Another amazing thing I saw was a tow truck, sort of small but towing none the less. The tow truck was towing a jeep. That Jeep was towing another jeep. That jeep was towing a trailer. If it can be done it will be done in India this image of the train of vehicles exemplifies this. I arrived at the Tibetan colony village after about 1 hour of the madness driving which soon becomes normal feeling. You just get used to it. I found the guest house I had booked into but it was all dark and locked up as you may expect at 3 in the morning. Not many people where around so I thought it might be the old sit and wait until dawn. I tried one more time and it turned out one of the other doors was open and I went into the lobby and turned on the light. To my surprise a large Tibetan man got up, he had been sleeping in the Lobby waiting for me. He gave me my key and without explaining where my room was or anything else turned the lights out and went back to sleep. Climbed stairs and eventually found my room which was perfectly nice but by now it was 5am and people outside my window in the next door place where on there roof cleaning their teeth and bathing about half meter from my window, they saw me and waved with much enthusiasm! I could hardly sleep, excitement stuffed up body clock and the amazing smell. Its typically India, burning plastic, incense, car pollution and a sort of musky smell that is difficult to identify. and so with very little shut eye the first day had passed.

I got up again at around 8am. Walked down stairs registered and paid, then found out about bus tickets to the north. "The ticket man in at 9am sir ok? ok" In search of food I went for a walk. Expecting to see a bustling town by 8:30 everything was shut up like a drum. seemed almost Surreal, 100s of shops all closed and almost nobody in the streets. I managed to find 1 tea or Chi shop open with a few Indians and Tibetans chatting and sipping Chi. Slowly a few fruit sellers began hauling carts around yelling about the quality of their produce. Bananas! After the cyclone in the north of Australia that wiped out Banana crops in Australia Bananas have become a fruit for the rich and elite. Here they are still the cheap fruit that after conversion are literally pretty much a dime a dozen. Bananas and Chi and some plain flat bread was all that was available with everything so shut up. What I didn’t find out until later that it was the president of Chinas visit to India which had inspired massive Protests from the Tibetans in India, so basically the entire population of the Tibetan colony had gone to the protests. Finally around lunch time the shops began to open again and I was able to get steamed momo's my favorite Tibetan style food. Sort of a dumpling filled with meat or vegetables. In the afternoon I went for a walk down by the river. There where vegetable farmers on the river flats. A Tibetan woman invited me into her home and gave me tea. I was an amazing house built from things her husband had found and put together, an ingenious production that shows the creativity people can have. Later that afternoon I waited at the guest house for the nite bus. I met in the lobby a guy who also played guitar so we got to talking and he showed me some Tibetan songs he knew how to play. His name was Buchung, and it turned out he was great friends with the family friend I was going to visit this very nite. He was going to the same place on the same bus and lived very close to my friend. The world is so small. The bus trip was long but I slept most of the way, it was very bumpy but after not much sleep the previous few days, no problemo. We stopped in the middle of the nite for dinner at a sort of Indian road house, pay your money and eat as much as you want. Great food with incredible pickles! we stopped once more in the mountains, it was freezing!!!! luckily the tea seller had begun pouring hot teas as we arrived. Finally we made it to Kot Wali Bazaar. The closest stop to where my friend lives, I shared a Taxi with Buchung up the hill and he Took me to Jane’s house (the family friend) as she had moved and I didn’t know where too! Jane was very shocked as she had mixed up the dates and didn’t think I would arrive for another 3 days. So we organized the house we where to stay at and I slept.

The next day my parents arrived, they had come up from Sumatra and Malaysia. I then got to meet up with my great friends from the village Bikoo and Chinky, whom I had met on the last two trips and it was great to see them again. Their mother Raj cooked me breakfast in the true Indian style Chapatti’s, rice Dahl a few other dishes and more amazing pickles. In the mountains it was very very cold, fortunately Jane had lent me a spare jacket and this amazing Tibetan hat that is gold and blue and has sheep wool on the back and sides. I love crazy hats. We all headed up to Mc Cloud Ganj as Dalai Lama was around and was giving a teaching. We where too late for the main section but could get into the courtyard and with radio could listen to the translation in English. The teaching was mainly for the Mongolians, The Mongolian Dalai Lama was there for the teaching and of course many Mongolians had come especially for this teaching. Strolling around this courtyard was a Mongolian Gentleman in the most amazing traditional costume. It was Shiny silky dark blue with incredible gold designs. Then he had a had that had a round front and then went up like a circus tent, in the matching dark blue, on top was a red tassel. Additionally his wife not to be too far upstaged was in a similar costume although in a deep maroon red Although she didn’t have such a great circus tent hat. At the end of the teaching the Dalai lama went through the courtyard to exit blessing all along his way, he got into his car and as he was passing he saw my crazy hat looked a little shocked and waved to me! very exciting! That afternoon we strolled around the Ganj looking at the wares from Tibet and drinking coffee. In the evening we met in a Tiny back restaurant for momo's again. This time they had amazing spinach and cheese ones, so delicious!

The next two days where sort of recovery, I purchased a Sim card for my phone which entails enormous amounts of paperwork in the true Indian Beurocratic style, you need photos a copy of your passport and your visa, and a laundry list of other things just to get a sim card! anyways my new number is +919816086331. Down to the market again eating Samosa and other delicious foods and the amazing sweets some covered in real silver or a single almost pressed into the top of each one. The sights the smells the tastes and the bustling atmosphere makes the Kot Wali Bazzar market a place worth visiting. On the second day of 'rest' Jane told us the next day that we would need to prepare a lunch for around 30 people to celebrate the success of the protests in Delhi. We planned a menu and went back to the market to buy food. We baught two goat legs from a very angry meat seller who became more angry when he was proved that his calculation about price where incorrect. We then bought stacks of vegetables and began to cook. We made one Goat stew and one Goat stir fry, never having cooked goat before, experimentation was needed to pick the right flavors. That afternoon we where invited by Rupendra the prince of the district and a mutual friend of ours and Jane’s to his house for coffee and to discuss his plans for writers cottages he wishes to build on his land. His servants brought coffee and we walked around the land to see his ideas. The cottages sound great but he has a massive task ahead of him. The activist lunch party the next day was a success The food worked well. That evening we where invited by our land lord Jai Sri for a High Tea at her house. She had cooked Samosas, a sort of chicken noodle bake and another chicken dish. More Indian sweets and more sweet sweet tea. We took our food to the drawing room and sat under portraits of mostly male ancestors and family members who almost all seem to me military men. Perhaps the funniest was the Mother in Law who told me that when I marry I must bring my wife here for a trip and visit her again. She then offered her services to find me a wife if I wanted, I politely declined trying to keep a straight face. The High tea was charming (I don’t normally use this word but I think its suitable here).

The next evening we had another dinner party. Jan Willam came,  he is a mutual friend who is a bird enthusiast and ran a bird watching club in the area. He Also works for the Tibet cause. He has just got a Job to help the cause more in Amsterdam so will move there soon. Rupendra the Prince also came. Buching who I met in the hotel in Delhi and another friend Karma also came. We had a great time playing guitars (we had 3) and teaching each other songs and drinking some special hot rum drink Jane had concocted. More delicious food and another great evening. It wound up not too late as things had to be done. I heard down the road loud music and realized it was from a pre wedding part that I had been invited to. This is not your average 1 nite party that is before the wedding, it goes for weeks every nite. I went down there, sampled some of the local whisky (only a sample as I really value my brain cells and liver) and then joined in for a few songs as everyone danced madly in the tiny narrow street stopping anyone who passed and trying to pass off illegal whisky on them too, quite wild, great once but that will be all of that party thanks.

The following day down at Kot Wali Bazaar again we met the most fantastic old shoe maker. He had the most incredible shoes with enough shiny things to blind even thoes wearing polarized sun glasses on a bright day. Luckily his shop is in the shade, because I value my eyesight. After that we headed up to the Ganj to organize the tickets to Nepal. It seems like we will take Bikoo and Chinky our friends from the village, very exciting for them as they have never been out of the country. This day we also found an amazing old shop that was founded in 1860 and is still outfit with the original cabinets  with amazing old things for sale. The Signs are strictly not for sale and are the signs for all the old products. This I believe leads most tourists to believe that everything old is not for sale. This however is incorrect. We found a bunch of amazing old things that where for sale including ski glasses circa 192o, a gold trimmed diary from 1915, great tin Johnny walker sign from about the same time and a beautiful old riding crop and a few other things which we got everything for around $30 amazing! The views of the snow covered Himalayas are postcard perfect, it is impossible to get sick of or even get used to the view.