On Sunday I said goodbye to my monk friends, the cool air of the mountains, and my amazing view of the himalayas from my hotel room. Joseph and I took a sleeper bus from McLeod Ganj to Delhi, which is a 12 hour journey. The word "sleeper" for me meant no sleep. I thought having a bed on the bus would be useful for night travel, but it turns out it is a bit hazardous. I also didn't realize that they book 2 people per bed. Umm, let's get cozy. So Joseph and I crammed into our compartment and did our best not to roll out of the bunk or have any more spouts of vomiting on our way down the mountain. I am not sure if Joseph posted his epic tale of vomiting on the airplane to Amritsar on his blog, but if you like that sort of thing, you can follow his blog. http://eatpadek.blogspot.com/
Oh yes, and to be clear, I didn't end up swimming with the monks. I only watched, which was for the best. Later I saw a foreign girl swimming in the proper attire, shirt and pants, and the entire crowd of men at the pool stopped to watch her. After scoping out the situation, I figured less attention for me would be best. But we did have a lovely afternoon walking to a waterfall.
Another side note, and moment of amazing coincidence, I was in Delhi for just a few hours after taking the night bus. I had purchased a ticket for a night train and was walking down the bazaar in Paharganj to gather my things and I saw Frieda walking in the street. She had come to Delhi to pick up her daughter from the airport and meet with the publisher. It was amazing to see her even though for just a few moments. Who would have thought that was possible?
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