hjselde posted a photo:

rustic tea house on the Dhaulagiri trek at about 3600m.

hjselde posted a photo:

sunset on the Himalayas.

hjselde posted a photo:

Everybody wants to go home for the festival, right?

Diwali is Nepal's 2nd biggest festival as well. mixed blessings as there are many extra buses going to Kathmandu to compensate for the booked up trains. too bad the seats are Nepali sized read leg room for school children.

hjselde posted a photo:

forgot to make a train reservation and ended up in 2nd class general as opposed to reserved. big difference. train was packed already, heading back to Delhi to meet my friend Bob, no alternative. saved by a Sihk. kind English speaking turbaned individual took it upon himself to arrange a seat on the upper sleeping level where there were already 3 people and some bags. cozy.

amazingly more and more people kept comming on - 2 appeared for every 1 that left. did I mention no AC? ah, but to savor the smells of India's most populous countryside.

speant most of the time figuring out innovative pseudo yoga positions to min discomfort. lovely. cooperation was a given. at lunch time peole were passing bills, sandwiches, water, etc back and forth threw the barred windows all over the place. a coordinated effort wouldnt have been half as effective.

Delhi Main stn was an eyeopener. people kept telling me to get down and get ready to push my way out. say what? these kindhearted gentle people? perplexed I awaited the stop perched above. the hoards waiting outside had another idea. mano a mano was the name of the game. such a rush to fetch the few available seats that passengers wishing to disembark were completely ignored and pushed backwards as stalwart youth barged in. one nimble individual winked at me and then climbed over the crowds and surfed his way out. dude appears beside the emergency window and motions me towards him "come here its your only chance!". took a sec to figure how the bars came down and then I was out. my saviour was nowhere to be seen, people pushing everywhere. at least I was off the train!