Sunday 6th June 2010
3pm
My bed at the Dip Tse Chokling Monastery
So my bags are packed. All that is left to do here is wait, eat a few chaptis and biscuits, shower, then march up the hill to the bus stand.
The bus leaves at 6.30pm. Seat 8.
I just paid for my room. 26 nights at 150Rs a night. 3900Rs.
At the same time I picked up a leaflet about the monastery here which was a good history lesson.
This morning I rose a little later than usual. The guy in the in the paper shop wouldn't accept my 10Rs. It was like speaking to a brick wall.
Picked up 2 papers.
Met Liz from the room next door and we had something to eat. I had Tsampa and she had some veg. chop suey with an egg on top.
2 milk teas.
It was good to get to know her and have a chat.
Her son is half Chinese and she is from Brisbane.
She has a degree in Chinese.
She paid for the meal which was very kind of her.
Perhaps I see her in Oz if I make it there one day soon enough.
After eating we parted.
Liz does Yoga twice a day.
I went to Lhamo's French Cafe and sat on their rooftop with a pot of Darjeeling tea and read Vanity Fair, browsed over the newspaper headlines and stopped from both activities from time to time admire the scenery.
I took a walk out of McLeod for 30 minutes and enjoyed one last time the quiet hillside roads and paths weaving through banks of richly green and deeply brown trees.
Yesterday after descending the hill I bought two small bugs and some postcards for people back home. Also went online for 20 minutes and drank tea on the rooftop of Lhamo's French Cafe (though I don't what exactly it French about it)
Dinner was two takeaway paranthas, curd and biscuits.
Today is sunny but windy with plenty of cloud around.
...I have reached the end of a road.
Tomorrow in Delhi I may look for a cheap place to crash for one night so I can sleep and wash properly. Or, depending on the airport bus and bus terminal's left luggage facilities I may wonder around Delhi until the evening, then head to the airport and crash on the floor there instead.
The bad news is that the Red Fort and Ghandi Museum will be closed because it'll be a Monday.
The Jamir Masjid will be open though, while walking along Chandi Chowk and seeing Raj Ghat promises to be nice in between cups of tea. I could wonder south to Connaught Place. Frankly speaking I am not expecting or desiring to really see much of Delhi, although the city does interest me after reading The Last Mughal. However properly seeing this city is for another day.
This time in India has not necessarily been about see the sights, more of a trip to experience learning new things.
I look forward to waiting and people watching at the airport and a nice 9 hour flight, which will take me to an all together different world.