Well hello there Dolly.....Dalia LAMA!!!

Wow, where to even begin...
So I had a reeally long journey to Delhi, 3 flights and one night in the Bangkok airport. Let me tell you one thing about the airport in Bangkok, there are giant speakers everywhere where obnoxious voices announce things in English that I can't understand, all night long. And fluorescent lights that never dim...and I got locked in a gate with no water or bathroom hahaha. It's a pretty awkward airport, but I cuddled up in my sleeping back and read my book for the night. The next morning I flew into Delhi and thankfully found Ellie with ease! We hopped in a cab and proceeded to try and find the apartment we would be staying at that night, and after about stopping 7 times to ask random people on the street for directions we found it. Allie was already there, so nice to see her smiling face. No time to sleep when Delhi awaits, so we got a ride into the city to check out some markets. I bought some clothes and drooled a lot at all of the beautiful things. It's strange that I didn't really experience any kind of culture shock (or even jet lag). Everything seemed really natural...the interesting array of smells, the cows in the street, the crazy driving, the half-built everything. I felt like I had been there before (maybe that's because I read so much about it hahaha...or perhaps I lived here in a life past). We had a lovely evening and crashed early. The next day we organized our stuff and began planning our next move. Ellie and I decided we wanted to head north right away, all the way up to McLeod Ganj which is just a little north of Dharamsala. Oh and the bus ride!! 14 hours through the night in what felt like a constant wooden rollercoaster. It wasn't bad at all though, and I noticed a kind of intimacy with such kind of travel. Everyone jammed in a bus, being jostled around, hopelessly trying to find some position that allows for sleep. Limbs seemed to be everywhere, people sleeping in the aisles, somehow someones hair would tickle my feet or a sleeping hand would graze my knee, twas a beautiful thing. I didn't sleep a wink but I enjoyed laying there. And another thing that happened...I was seated under the air conditioner, which was apparently broken and periodically shot water out at me. So those of us lucky enough to be under the wretched machine had to take cover--Ellie busted out her rain coat that we hide under for most of the trip.
The sun began to rise just as we caught sight of the Himalayas. They are absolutely breath-taking. I couldn't help but smile (even though I was a little car sick) the whole way there. We arrived where I am now about about 730 this morning. McLeod Ganj is really beautiful. The people are very nice and there are many Tibetan refugees living here now (one of which is the DALAI LAMA...who is in town but not available, so I think I'll send him a text later so we can have some chai together, I think he misses me). Tonight we are all going to a English conversation group with some monks to help them learn the language. Then are going to a yoga class and THEN to a pizza/documentary partay. The films look really good and I am excited. I am so excited that I can't even sleep although I haven't slept in many, many hours. I also think I will do a little trek through the mountains either tomorrow or the next day. It is SO beautiful here!!! Oh and did I mention the Himalayas are a stone's throw away? I can taste them.

Well that's all for now, perhaps I can post photos sometime soon.

All o' my hugs, all o' my kisses,
Laura