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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Oct 17, 2012 04:00 PM Puri - the Holy City
Puri is small, has narrow streets and a wide beach.
In Puri 2 where backpackers live you will find more then 100 fishing boats on the beach - I was there just before sunset to see the real life - great theatrum!
Puri 1 is west of Puri 2 - there you will find the beach promenade doted by the expensive hotels for the Indian holidaymakers. In the evening there is a lot of food stalls on the beach - that is what they like!
Little Puri is also one of the India holy cities - thanks to the massive Jagannath Temple - sorry , no entry for the foreigners.
You can have a look from the terrace of the ruined library - opposite the temple (10 rs donation will be OK (touts request 100).
I have great time walking along the beach and enjoying the atmosphere of the Indian province. In E-Taj hotel I have a roomy room with bath for just 450 rs - recommended! But check your laundry - they returned my jeans dirty - seems they do not use the washing powder, pure water only! :)
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Oct 16, 2012 04:00 PM India - how much does it cost?
I am already under palms in Puri on the coast of Bengal Bay.
It is the day at leisure - to relax, to make the laundry,
to enjoy the warm sea.
India is cheap to travel.
Young travellers often ask me: How much does it cost?
It depends of the chosen standard of travel.
My - budget version looks like that (sample):
Breakfast: two tomatoes - 5 rs
Bread 400g - also for the lunch - 20 rs
Butter Amul 100g - also for the lunch - 30 rs
Dubar Honey 250g = for 3 days - 95 rs/3
Selfmade tea and coffee (bring your heater!)
Lunch:
Bread, butter,
2 boiled eggs - 14 rs
10 bananas (also for dinner) - 20 rs
Dinner:
Fried fish in the rest - 100 rs
plain rice - 15 rs
bananas, tea, coffee
TOTAL food per day: 234 rs = less then 5 USD
You have to add of course transport, room (around 400) and entry fees.
Cheap, isn't it?
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Oct 15, 2012 04:00 PM The night, and day and second night on the Indian train
It is a long voyage: 32 hours by train from Delhi to Puri.
I am going to Orissa or Odisha, how they call now this state.
Long way, long story. The tea and snack sellers are going along the train all the time. But their prices are higher than on the station platform so think about taking your food stuff with you.
At every station vendors are coming to the carriages shouting and going quickly through, to find the clients. Watch your possession! It is easy to loose! Introduce yourself to your travel companions - they will watch your stuff when you are going to the toilet or jumping to the platform to buy the fruits (10 rs per bunch) or the bottle of mineral water (15 rs per litre).
If you have hard bunk only it is good idea to bring a pillow with you. Funny? I am sure you will appreciate it aalready after first 10 hours of your trip!
I had enough time to read, to listen my music from mp3 and to prepare for the next part of the journey...
32 hours... But I did not beat my 42-hours on the traain record from China - do you remember? :)
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Oct 14, 2012 04:00 PM Indian Railways secret: Taktal
Again I spent more then 6 hours on the train. In the sleeper class - but don't be confused: sleeper class in India offers you just a bare, hard and dirty berth. There is no a/c and the windows with bars are wide open, so you will experience all smells of incredible India...
India is a huge nation and they travel a lot so it is not easy to get a ticket, especially on the short-notice. I tried to buy a ticket online a month ahead via the cleartrip.com but the response was always the same: waiting list only.
Now I have a secret for you:
They have a special last minute ticket sales (emergency quota) via TAKTAL system. It starts exactly exactly at 10 am the day before your train leaves. To get your tkt you have to be at any station earlier, fill the booking form (clerk will help you to find the train number) and you must be the first in the line in front of Taktal window. At 10 am sharp the race for the seats starts. I wish you be lucky!
That's how I got my ticket for Delhi-Puri train!
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Oct 13, 2012 04:00 PM Bye-bye Himalaya!
It is time to say goodbye to the high mountains.
There are elegant private buses going from Shimla to New Delhi (800 rs oneway) but for me much more interesting option is the narrow-gauge train from Shimla to Kalka. It cost only 16 rupees for 6-hours trip. The problem is that you have to book your seat well in advance or if not available - to come to the station 2-3 hours ahead to get the space.
There are more then 100 tunnels on the way, great views and opportunity to socialize with the fellow Indian travellers.
I landed in Kalka at 8 pm.
Train ticket for the next stage to New Delhi (sleeper class) cost me just 125 rs (2,5 USD). Close to the station I found Amber Hotel to spend the night. And in the morning I had enough time to make a haircut in the local salon (20 rs - 40 cents)! I am in the heat...
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Oct 12, 2012 04:00 PM Former glory of Shimla
Dear Friends. Sorry for the errors I made in my notes. You should imagine me after 12 hours on the bumpy roads writing my journal in the dark and crampy internet cafe on the dirty computer - maybe 15 years old. Forgive me, please my errors!
Today I spent another 10 hours on the Himalayan roads. Public bus took me up and down the mountains, but slowly I am loosing the high altitude. There is more of green in the landscape...
In the evening I reached Shimla on the level of "only" 2200 m. Shimla during the British colonial time was the elegant resort. And that's what I expected to see.
Forget it! Todays Shimla looks more like mountain shanty-town, crowded, noisy, with many houses of different styles squeezed on the steep slopes.
Yes, there are old British buildings, but many of them is running down. But Shimla has still better outlook than the other Indian cities: they have even garbage bins on the streets!.
I was welcomed by the hord of monkeys when I was approaaching my hotel. Accommodation in the "fancy" Shimla is more expensive then in the other Indian places. Expect to pay min. 700 rs per room (like 14 USD).
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Oct 11, 2012 04:00 PM The road in the sky... Himalaya...
The bus from Kaza arrived already full of Tibetans. I managed to find for me some space on the driver's tool box... We started to climb up the endless switchbacks at 9.30.
Wow! View through the dirty windows were breathtaking, but no chance to photograph them...
Up and up - to the skies. Small villages on the level of 4000 m... Cross to Kinnaur Valley, where they have apple orchards!
Crossing streams and waiting while they repair this single-lane unpaved road to the skies...
Snowy peaks... - There is already China - thy say!
Dust and altitude sickness are your main enemies, if you took this challenge.
But is is unforgettable.
We reached Rekong Peo - tille village on the slope at 7 p.m. Just near bus stand I found room in the "hotel" for just 300 rs (6 USD) What a day!
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Oct 10, 2012 04:00 PM Great Himalayan Circuit - new challenge!
It takes me 1,5 hours waiting patiently in the office in Kaza to get a permit for the border areas. I got it and now now I am ready for the new challenge - The Great Himalayan Circuit via the Spiti and Kinaur Valleys.
One local bus per day. The fare is almost nothing, but you should be ready for the heat, dust, crowd and thrilling moments on the edge...
In the afternoon I managed to visit two interesting tibetan monasteries close to Kaza:
Especially Ki Manastery is very live and offers great views of the Spiti Valley. Dankhar Monastery on the lonely hill is 1200 years old.
Just before sunset I reached Tabo village. Tabo Monastery is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
It suprised me: hard to say it is nice. But made of the mudbricks it is very old and very different.
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Oct 09, 2012 04:00 PM High passes of the Himalaya
We started early from Manali - first climbing the bumpy road to the Rothang Pass (3978 m). Nice views. Hindi tourists are coming to the pass to touch the snow for the first time in their life! Yes there was the snoiw little temp0le and the caravans of the little horses passing by.
Then ous car started go go down in the direrction of Leh - to the Grampu junction.
We wanted to turn right to Spiti but the road was blocked by the "Raid de Himalaya" vehicles. Can you imagine? We were forced to wait there 3 hours!
Finally we started to drive to climb to the next pass. Bumpy, bumpy, oh my God! No single sheet of pavement! Crossing the streeams many times, big stones, landslides... But what a breathaking views! It was 4 pm when we reached Kunlum Pass 4551 m above sea. Picturesque chortens an praying flags. Little oxygen. Headache... But even nicer views in the Spiti Valley - on the other side of the pass.
I am in Kaza town. No electricity, 3700 m above sea, cold, dark. But what a adventure!
The owner of the cafe has the private generator so I can send you the greetings fron the remote Spiti Valley in the Himalaya!
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Oct 08, 2012 04:00 PM My trekking boots stolen in the temple!
Manali, Indian Himalaya - now I am on the southern side of the main range...
I took the walk to the Hindi temple in the nice forest, then I climbed to the OLd Manali (they say marijuana is easy to get here) for the nice views and photos of the local life. Just 50 m away from the guesthouses there are traditional houses, cows and normal life to see.
Then, down in the New Manali I visited Tibetan Drukpa Temple. Great moment - some 60 monks of different age (from 6y old boys) were sitting in and praying. I was listening more then hour. Enchanting!
Then I recognized at the door that my shoes - my only trekking boots - dissapeared! I respect the rules and I always leave shoes before entering the temple - thousands of times on different continents.
But. Stealing in the holy place?!
I was desperate.
Monks helped me. I have new shoes. But why?
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