Agra: Taj Mahal and....

And here it is, the Taj in all its majestic glory. What the brochures fail to mention though is that the rest of Agra, its hometown, is a total hole. There's nothing else to speak of and you don't want to go out on streets because of all the shit everywhere; cow, dog and most unpleasant of all, human. The sensible amongst us decided the best thing to do would be to get the Taj out of the way, have an afternoon kip and head off to sample the nightlife. Only problem was there isn't any of that either. We did eventually find a bar open beyond 10pm but we strongly suspect it was a "men only" club. Here's Dan with me at the Taj, then with Sam and some strangers at the "bar", then asleep in the parcel shelf of a rikshaw. Good times! Thanks Dan and Martin for the pictures.

Delhi

Not the most pleasant city in the world, especially if you're trying to manouver an 18 ton truck around in the unbelievably chaotic traffic. People constantly crash into each other and carry on as if nothing had happened. For Lu and I there was a lot of work to be done in Delhi so no touristy photos of temples I'm afraid. My gearbox deveoped a fault on the way from Daramsala, and there was plenty of other maintanence work to do after the punishing time the truck had had in Pakistan. No European trucks in India at all so for spare parts, you need to be resourceful!

Road to Delhi

And time for some beautiful yet dieabolical roads again. Delhi is only 600km from McLeod, yet it took us 3 whole days of driving to get there! The main road turned out to be a single track rutted stretch of very hilly thoroughfare. I had my work cut out watching out for low hanging branches with one eye and Kamikazi bus drivers with the other. The scenary was gorgeous however, lush green fields with glimpses of the white topped Himalaya.

Daramsala and McLeod Gange

Current dwelling of the Dali Lama and many other Tibetans in exile, McLeod and the Himachal Pradesh region is our first taste of Himalayan culture. It's also a long established backpacker destination so the first chance for a while to meet with some fellow travellers and exchange tales over a cold beer.

Off Road!

Leaving Amritsar and heading towards Daramsala we encountered a bridge over a river

with overhead beams that our 4 metre high truck couldn't fit under. Instead we had to find an alternative route! Fortunately our powerful 4x4 Scania with its high ground clearance (and skillful driver!) made easy work of fording the stream.

Lahore to INDIA!!!!

Finally we got out of Pakistan and into India, where people are allowed to have FUN! This the Wagah - Attari border where the famous closing of the brder ceremony takes place. Guards from either side take it in turn to out-glare, out-stamp and out-ministry-of-silly -walks each other. The India side was heaving with spectators all cheering, booing and waving flags. The Pakistan side had a few onlookers politely clapping; a perfect reflection on the differences between the two countries. Heres Pete and Joost joining in the patriotic cheering.

Police HQ

For our safety we were requested to spend nights in police headquarters, which was great fun. This one, with sam and his new freinds posing, was in Multan, and the HQ was enormous, even incorporating a cricket pitch and accomadation for the police force and their families. We were made to feel extremely welcome!