Sunday, August 6 Dharamsala shopping spree, bus and train back to Delhi

I woke up early and Alix and I walked around. At 10 she wanted to take a cooking class, so I opted for wasting my money instead. I planned on buying close to nothing. That was before I proceeded to withdraw $100 and spend $80 on souvenirs. I figured I was only going to be here once, and this is the real heart of Tibet. So I bought some silk embroidery, a Chinese shirt, some wall hangings, incense, a chanting CD, prayer beads, postcards, Russian rabbit-skin hats, and prayer banners. I had so much stuff that I had to buy more bags. Luckily, they sold fake North Face backpacks, so I bought a big backpacking bag and then three normal bags for $7 each. What a steal! Definitely fake Chinese stuff, but oh well. The funny thing is, there was a sign saying “If you want to help the Tibetan cause: 1) don’t buy Chinese goods…” Ok, I’m very sympathetic to the Tibetan cause, but I stopped reading after the first bullet point. Who, even if you’re Bill Gates, can say they’re capable of completely boycotting Chinese goods? That’s like having free healthcare for all Americans, having a black president, Bush doing something right…please, it would be nice, but it just ain’t gonna happen. We ran to lunch at the same restaurant and I got more momos and Thanthuk, a bland stew with ravioli-type square noodles. Then we ran through the downpour that is monsoon, to go check out and have one last slice of orgasmic apple pie. Then we ran to catch the bus down to Dharamsala, which was wet and uncomfortable. We thought we wouldn’t make our 6:30 train to Delhi, so we asked a cab to take us. However, he charged 1200 Rs, which was out of the question. So we took our chances on the public bus. Alix was yelling and complaining to everyone, and I was embarrassed, until the conductor guy did us a huge favor. He yelled at the driver to go extremely fast, when people wanted to stop for a break or to buy vegetables he wouldn’t let them, we passed a lot of people who wanted to board the bus, and we only filled up a quarter tank of petrol. All so we could make our train. The ride was not bad; it only took 2½ hours, and it was sunny but nice out. I had the window seat, which was awesome until some kid had to sit in front of me while she vomited out the window, some probably spilling on me. The landscape was the same; rural countryside with winding rivers and green lush hills. There were some small towns. I even saw a big Asian elephant, used to carry grass. We went through Himachal and then ended up in Punjab. The Punjab seemed a lot more cultivated, populated, and wealthy. It had better infrastructure, more farms, cows, businesses, and permanent brick houses. The bus specifically let us off near the train station. I hauled my huge backpack and side bag through the dirty streets of Pathankot. We boarded our overnight sleeper class train, in the upper berth again. I read my book and then slept. Alix was talking to some people from Haryana forever, and was getting sick of it because she couldn't sleep.