Chatting in Chandigarh!!!

Hello all!

Another day, another city!
Actually, I arrived here yesterday evening at about 6:45, ahead of schedule as my bus did leave early! I got a cycle rickshaw straight to my hotel, where a huge smile appeared when I saw my room. Double bed, a/c, fan, own western toilet and a shower that I can have as hot or cold as I like!

I flopped on the bed for a while and then decided I'd better go find dinner (in the affiliated restaurant downstairs) before having a nice chilled night. I had a fantastic thali (bit of everything) dinner, and then found an ACTUAL SUPERMARKET (!) and treated myself to a granny smith apple. It wasn't great, but considering it was my first apple in 4 months, it could have had worms in for all I cared! I also got a 13rupee pack of biscuits to munch on while I relaxed and watched the news IN ENGLISH, ON A TV after a gorgeously warm shower FROM A SHOWERHEAD.

You may gather from all the caps that it was all quite exciting. But yesterday evening was just what I needed to make myself feel happier about this whole travel lark. And my day in Chandigarh was pretty great too. I had a lie-in of sorts, although technically my body clock still woke me up at 6, then ordered a cup of tea and cornflakes from room service for breakfast. I never thought I'd use room service, but as my hotel doesn't actually have a restaurant and I didn't fancy getting dressed that early....

I ditched the original plan of using the tourist open top bus to get around, and instead spent the day on various cycle rickshaws, most of whom didn't seem to cheat me much! In just 7 hours, I found an unnamed not special but fabulous park, went to an art gallery, a museum about how the city was created, a museum about the high court, the ROCK GARDEN which I love and wish I could live in - there are even swings in big rock arches, and a big man made lake where I visited the mermaid restaurant suggested by lonely planet for a late lunch. I think that was just about it. But it was a good day.

I'm feeling happier about the whole lone-traveller thing now. Although obviously it'd be better with someone else, I feel like I can cope now. Chandigarh is so much nicer than Amritsar - cleaner, greener, easier to navigate (it's built on a grid system not dissimilar to MK), cooler just about and just generally a nicer place to be. Tomorrow I have to get a bus to Delhi - I went to book today and apparently they run every 5 minutes, despite the journey taking 5 hours! - and then I have an overnight train from Delhi to Jaipur where I will be meeting up with the Cayzers - HURRAY!

That's about all I have to say, but I just thought of a couple more observations:

1 - in trying to blend in by wearing my Indian clothes (partly because I threw away the jeans and 4 t shirts I brought with me) I seem to have actually made myself more conspicuous - all the people who have come to talk to me have mentioned my clothes and wondered whether there is a particular reason for it. At least it's a good way in to explaining I was teaching - I seem to get more respect when they know that.

2 - I keep looking through photos I've taken and suddenly get as far back as the DUF shots, and immediately I feel very emotional. I'm trying not to think about it too much at the moment - it's too hard when I feel like I don't want to be travelling sometimes.

3 - Factor 60 (!) suncream is a miracle. Except when you miss part of your back and your top has a large neckline that slips backwards....

Love you all, looking forward to seeing you again,

TTFN x