Sleeper Train Journey Through Himachal Pradesh

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From Delhi To Pathankot To Dharmsala To Palampur To Being Zapped To Sherab Ling

Himachal Pradesh

The Sleeper Train

The sleeper train to Pathankot was another first for me, even in Europe I had not taken an overnight train so I was really excited. The beds on the train and the train itself were everything I expected and actually probably a bit nicer.

While at Old Delhi train station we had our entourage of very heavy luggage filled with wines, whiskies, too many clothes, and just the usual belongings. We didn’t hire a Sikh to help us to the carriage but we should’ve because one of our bags was almost 100 pounds. I was wondering how one of those lil’ Sikhs will carry our bag on top of their head, it’s amazing how they can manage to carry anything on their heads.

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Days In Delhi

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Before we left for India we had to make travel arrangements in Bangkok: sorting out visas, buying wines, whiskeys, and foods for Ben’s friends that lived in Dharamsala. Ben, my travel-mate, had lived in India a few years ago he moved there when he was 23 from San Francisco on a whim. He was a waiter then and had heard about India and the Dharma from friends he met in the US. He said he was so inspired to live a different life internationally that he said he picked up the phone and literally called Tibetan refugee camps in northern India and days later he was on a plane. His story is actually very inspirational and one that really impresses many people. He speaks many different languages and that is only the beginning.

I was really fortunate to travel with Ben since he lived in India for a couple years and had everything under control, knowing how to deal with customs, what to bring, where to go, when to go, the language, the whole thing… I was really lucky.

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Phnom Pehn. The Real Cambodia.

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Phnom Pehn. The Real Cambodia.

One of the reasons why we ended up in Phnom Penh was probably because how many travelers do, Bangkok Airways is just too damn expensive. For about a fifth of the price to fly to Siem Reap on Bangkok Airways ($450 USD/ return), we easily opted for Air Asia to Phnom Penh from Bangkok ($75 USD/ return).

Phnom Penh is a bit rough and definitely shows the aftermath of the 1970’s. For those that don’t know (because I didn’t), when America bombed the shit out of Vietnam they also bombed the shit out of Cambodia where the Khmer Rouge (communist influence) fled. The Khmer Rouge headed south where they enslaved, brainwashed, and killed hundreds of thousands of their own people. This was an indirect result of the Vietnam War and is very disturbing to understand. I don’t know if I’ll ever completely understand this chapter of history, but after seeing the movie “The Killing Fields” I got the basics.

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