I arrived in Dharamsala at 8.00 am today after an epic fourteen and a half hour journey over the plains of India. We left Delhi at 5.30pm on Sunday in an Indian coach with no toilet or air conditioning in temperatures of 40+ with sights and sounds to make your hair stand on end!
Varun and Aoife had met me last night at the hotel and it was very reassuring to be able to ask questions and know that they were with me for the duration of the placement. They are both extremely well organised and sympathetic to the needs of volunteers visiting India for the first time and I immediately felt relaxed and ready to enjoy the placement.
We drove into Himachel Pradesh just as dawn was breaking over the snow capped Himalayas, it was breathtaking. We wound our way up the mountain passes while parrots flew below us in the valleys and monkeys watched our passage from stony outcrops at the side of the road. Exotic flowers bloom everywhere and perfume the air.
I rolled off the coach with feet that looked like two baisted turkeys ready for the oven and we caught a taxi to our accommodation. It is a huge farmhouse with the ground floor taken over by the project, I have a lovely bedroom, a king size bed and three windows overlooking the farm and the Himalayas, it was all so unexpected and thrilling.
Down to earth tomorrow when we start work on the project.
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Auntie Margie, your trip sounds amazing already!. Your descriptions of the place are brilliant I am imagining what it must be like. I hope they dont work you too hard, so you time time for rest and quiet comtemplation. Love you!xx Dale, Paula and girls xx
ReplyDeleteHi Paula,
ReplyDeleteGlad somebody is out there reading this!
Love you
Auntie M xx
hya dear margaret, i have been following you since your prep it sounds wonderful, it sounds like hard work but great fun we really miss you at home but all is well here we even have some sunshine today,it sounds like you are really happy and you deserve that, keep well honey and take care, lots of love cath tony and the gang xxxxxxxxxxxx
ReplyDeleteHi Margie - hope you received my last email - we are loving the blog. I am having problems getting onto this site to send messages, but that might be due to having been sending emails from the Cotswolds! It all sounds as though you are having amazing fun - if rather hairy at times. Hope you are taking lots of photo's. We all send love to you - we miss you lots. Vivi, Lozie, Mum and Tony xxxxx
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