The last few days have been a bit wierd to say the least.

On the 4th we had a tour around Delhi in which we got to see the Red fort, the Jama Masjid mosque, the Bahai temple (a lotus shaped building inspired by Syndney opera house), the Indira Gandhi memorial and some gardens.Some of the places were really pretty and i have taken some good photos. I really enjoyed the gardens. Delhi was too busy for us and the people were very rude and pushy so we were glad to be getting out. In the evening we went to meet Niyas, a guy i met in Varkala who was in Delhi for an interview. Jess and i went to have something to eat with him. It was really good to see him again to remind us how nice some Indians can be.

On the 5th we flew up to Sringar, a town in the Himalayas in Kashmir. To be honest we weren't really expecting to go there (we wanted to go to Manali) and it was all booked very last minute through the tour. We checked into our hotel and went along to a local market which gave us the chance to try some Kashmir bread and cookies which were very nice. The Kashmir tea is very good aswell, it has got cinnamon i think, or maybe nutmeg. We met some tourists in the hotel (a guy from Holland and a couple from Norway) who were all in the same position as us. They had all planned to go elsewhere but one way or another had ended up here. They were very nice and we played cards and chatted to them for ages.

Today (the 6th) we went onto a house boat which is basic. There are a lot of midges around and it is a bit cold but we are hopeng to meet some more tourists later on tonight. We went on a tour around the lake but it was overcast so the mountains, sky, and lake were all the same colour. I'm sure it would have been much better if we had been lucky enough to have the sun shinning.

Communication is a bit of a nightmare up here as neither of our phones work and internet cafes are pricy. At the moment we are in the process of trying to have our train tickets changed so that we can leave for Amritsar tommorrow so we are keeping our fingers crossed. Up here there isn't that much for us to do without paying more money to go up into the mountains and we can't walk around on our own. There are lots of army officers dotted around and i feel safe.

Honestly we haven't had the best few days but we're trying to stay positive and things will pick up when we get to Amritsar. The culture shock is hitting us a bit and it is hard to make people understand you, they often try to push you into picnics, or hikes which, of course, involve shedding more money. So we keep saying no to everything which doesn't make them very happy.

Anyway, i better stop compaining because it's all part of the experiance. I guess you can't have a good time all the time!

Hope you are all well and i am missing home more than ever at the moment. I will call as soon as i get some signal (i will definately get some in Delhi, but that could either be tommorrow or the 9th, or sometime in between) Lots of love. xxxxxxxxxxxxx