Train trip from Pathankot

Good bye momo's........and hello paneer palak and poori chhole-off to Punjab!


Punjabi bound!

The trip down the mountain was a lot better than the way up. Firstly, we didn’t have to get out and bus our out of any road construction. On the way up, we got stuck in a rut that was being dug to lay a new pipe in the road. We all got out and had to push the van out. It was classic. 5 of us shared a jeep down (about 3 hours) to the train station in Pathankot. We stopped at a tea plantation and I gained a whole new respect for the teas that comprise my tea bag. The fields were vast, workers work endless hours gathering leaves and carrying them in huge baskets on their heads.

Before leaving Mcleod Ganj we were told that trains from Panthankot to Amritsar run every half hour or so and booking them should be no problem. Yes, they were right; booking was no problem, 20 rupees (less than 50 cents) for a 3 hour train ride sounded great! We were probably the only fools to buy a ticket. It was a local train with people hanging out the doors and windows and some stragglers on the roof. We were there early enough to probably line up for a seat, but didn’t realize how packed it would be. We should have known better when our train ticket had no seat assignment. Nonetheless, we sat at the back of the carriage on our bags, right by the door. More and more people piled on at each stop and by the end I was babysitting the cutest little baby while other kids were climbing all over me as I fed them some nasty crackers I bought before boarding. Like everything in India, it was a great adventure.

Oh yeah, Solveig is Danish.....and we all know how angry some people in the world are towards the Danish, so she has taken on a British identity!