"Northern India - Hindi Tour 2004" a India Travel Page by lachydragon

January 1, 2004 saw me jump on a plane again and return to the Indian Sub-continent. Having trekked in the mountains of Northern Pakistan
in June 2001 this region had a certain pull, a kind of mystic magnetism that you could explain away... justify as a travel bug but could never truly shake.

While my trip to Pakistan was a celebration of mountains and the special place they hold in my life - India was a very different trip, a trip to connect with the people and form those special human bonds that will stay in your memory an eternity.

Please bear with me as I slowly, slowly work on these pages in between uni studies and the realities of life back in Australia

I was fortunate to spend 6 weeks of my trip in India with a wonderful group of students from the Australian National University with whom I had been studying Hindi language over 2003. They were a wonderful team and we had some amazing experiences as many of us explored this country for our first time!

My India experience was made special by having the language, they joy, surprise and amusement we saw in people's faces as we bumbled our way around the country was just wonderful.

My journeyings took me around lots of places in Nth India, with my Hindi class I travelled for 6 wks visiting:

* Dehradun * - capital of Uttaranchal State. A major setoff point for the important pilgramages to the Char Dham of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath.

* Rishikesh * - One of the most holy cities in India, Rishikesh is a celbration of the importance of the Great Ganges (Ganga-ma) river to the Hindu psyche.

* Haridwar * - A weekend trip from Dehradun, my 1st chance to meet the queen of the world's rivers.

* Uttarkashi * - In the mountains of Northern Uttaranchal, we stayed a week at our Hindi lecturer's house in a valley carved out by the Ganges River and with beautiful villages on the surrounding hills carpeted gold with mustard crops!

Having finished my Hindi course and bidding a fond farewell to my friends I set off with one friend to take a tour across North India in a generally westwards direction before heading to the plains of India...our journey took us to:

* Chandigarh - One of India's most planned cities, it is also intersting in that it has 3 sets of bureaucratic buildings. One serves as the State of Punjab capital, another as the neighbouring state of Haryana capital, and a third as its own Union Territory of Chandigarh! Worth an explore for sure.

* Shimla - The Summer Capital of the British Raj in colonial times, Shimla is full of old hangovers from these long gone days. Now an immensely popular retreat for Indian holidaymakers it is definitely a town set up for the tourist industry but you just can't go past the sweeping views of the Himalayas from the main shopping strip, and the clean mountain air!

* McLeod Ganj - From the Hindu heartland of Rishikesh to the Seikh communites of Chadigarh, and the church of Shimla our grand tour of India's religious diversity takes us now to the home of the Dalai Lama in Exile at McLeod Ganj (Dharamshala). This town has a different feel again - wander the streets adorned with colourful prayer flags, and equally colourful devout Buddhist monks and turna few prayer wheels on your way through.

* Delhi * - Certainly a city name that evokes many emotions and mental pictures, Delhi is a wonderful, chaotic city to spend some time in...do as we did and leave your Delhi sightseeing until later in your trip once you have "acclimatised" to the Indian way of life - thay way you can be street smart enough, and relaxed enough to really enjoy this historical and cultural melting pot and can return home singing its praises rather than cursing its existence!

* Agra * - If there is a single view that is the ultimate image of India it has to be the Taj Mahal int he evening glow. Agra heads down into the historical Mughal areas of India and is a treat of winding backlanes, treasures tucked away that feel like they have been undiscovered for hundreds of years and that amazing building....the greatest monument to love as it has once been described...go there with an open mind (but not wallet) and you too will fall in loove with Agra!

* Bharatpur * - shhhh, don't tell the world about Bharatpur, famous for its amazing bird sanctuary where you can enjoy a nature-based Indian experience "far from the maddening crowds". There is so much more to this place, if you are on your way around the golden triange towards Jaipur you can get a feel for the era of Maharajas...palaces, elephants, sweeping vistas. Venture into the centre of town - you will be rewarded with all these sights in a town that is there for the people, but has so many wonderful bits of history doubling as shopfronts or cricket pitches!

* Jaipur * - My only taste of Rajasthan on this trip. Spend a little while getting to know this city, 1st impressions were of a seedy unwelcoming city, but given enough time I too, could have warmed to Jaipur's chaotic charm!