Photgraphy Course, Dharamsala

In Dharamsala we both decided to do a photography class with the Travel Writer/ Photographer who did Nick's Travel Writing class and the local AP Photographer. With our experienced photographers we looked at the basics of photography and cameras, had practical shooting sessions, critiqued our photos and learned how to edit them in Photoshop in less than a week. We took lots of photos but here are some of our favorites:

Jo's shots:

Nick's photos:

While we were staying in Dharamsala, we got invited to a wedding in Kashmir! So next post we head up North for some traditional Kashmiri nuptials. 

Travel Writing Course, Dharamsala

During our stay in Dharamsala, Nick decided to take a travel writing course he saw advertised around town. The course was put on by a published travel writer from Australia at a local coffee shop called the Moonpeak Cafe. The course was fascinating and covered a wide range of topics like genres, techniques, and publishing. It lasted five nights and included a delicious dinner at Moonpeak Thali restaurant. If you ever make it up to McLoed Ganj, we highly recommend you check out the cafe, the restaurant, and the writing course.

Throughout the course, each participant had to write an article to be discussed and critiqued. Nick wrote an article about our experience with the driver we eventually fired in Rajasthan. The guys who run the course liked Nick's article enough that they decided to publish it in their bi-monthly newsletter! Here's the article. Full text below:

Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh

From Amritsar we headed back into the Himalayas towards Dharamsala, home of the Tibetan Government in Exile and His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. The flat fertile lands of Punjab gradually gave way to the mountains of Himachal Pradesh where houses and fields perched on the mountain side. We planned to stay for two days, but as soon as we arrived and got to wander the small town we decided to stay a little longer. In the end, we ended up staying ten days in order to take a few courses and see His Holiness in person.

India - Pakistan Border Closing Ceremony, Wagah, Punjab

Wagah lies just 30 km from Amritsar and is the only overland border crossing point between Pakistan and India. During the last few weeks in India, we have been near to the Pakistani border and decided it was time to get a closer look.

Amritsar, Punjab

After Agra, we hopped on an overnight train to Amritsar in the Punjab Region. Amritsar is home to the famed "Golden Temple," the most important site in the world for the Sikh religion. Supposedly, the shrine attracts more visitors than the Taj Mahal - over 100,000 on a weekday alone!

Agra, Uttar Pradesh

From Udaipur we took an overnight train to Agra, home of what is widely considered one of the most beautiful buildings in the world - the Taj Mahal.  

Cooking Class, Udaipur

We decided to try our hand at Indian cooking. We had loved the food so much during our trip that we wanted to be able to bring a little home with us. We found a wonderful cooking class that a woman named Shashi runs out of her home kitchen. We showed up at 5:30 pm and started learning the basics of Indian cooking. Over five hours later, we had a huge meal ready and a thick book full of recipes to try at home. Here are a few of the highlights!

Udaipur, Rajasthan (The White City)

The drive between Ranakpur and Udaipur was a complete change from what we had experienced so far – gone was the flat, dry, desert-like landscape of northern Rajasthan. Suddenly, we were in sub-tropical surroundings with steep hills all around. Udaipur is called Rajasthan's most romantic city and we would certainly agree. The city is surrounded by hills and its central feature is Lake Pichola with its two island palaces. Our hotel was perfectly located by the lakeside, close to the Royal Palace, and it had a spectacular rooftop terrace where we could watch sunset with a few cold beers.