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+===== News From Lyn Baber. =====
-NEWS FROM LYN BABER.
-"India is much colder than I thought it would be. Actually we are here in the winter, but I still thought it would be hot. Darjeeling was cold, really oold winter weather, and mist nearly all the time. The Indian people as a whole aren't as. friendly as the Burmese or Thais, but we have met a lot of nice ones. India is as flat as a board, just seems to be paddy fields stretching in every direction. The shops all Look awfully dirty and the majority of the people are vary poor. We have only just been able to buy some fresh vegetables and fruit, and have we been making the most of it in the last few days? We eat a lot of rice and cook vegetables or open a tin to go with it. I quite enjoy it too. In one town in Burma, 'when vegetables were quite a novelty to us, we bought some potatoes, eggs and cabbage, and that night could even find some dry wood for a fire. We really had a feast and christened it "Australia Day". We are still awaitinp for this Ganges ferry. Actually /4ight now I am sitting on the banks of the great river finishing this . letter. The ferry does not go for another hour. Tonight it is New Year's Eve. I'd just love to be somewhere exciting to see the New Year in, but I don't expect we will be - never know though. We are now on this ferry 'waiting for it to go. It is only a half hour crossing, 3 miles across the Ganges, Which seems to just spread in every direction, a muddy grey scene. We are surrounded by bales of jute and spitting Indians, and some even ask you for buckshees.
+"India is much colder than I thought it would be. Actually we are here in the winter, but I still thought it would be hot. Darjeeling was cold, really cold winter weather, and mist nearly all the time. The Indian people as a whole aren't as friendly as the Burmese or Thais, but we have met a lot of nice ones. India is as flat as a board, just seems to be paddy fields stretching in every direction. The shops all look awfully dirty and the majority of the people are very poor. We have only just been able to buy some fresh vegetables and fruit, and have we been making the most of it in the last few days? We eat a lot of rice and cook vegetables or open a tin to go with it. I quite enjoy it too. In one town in Burma, when vegetables were quite a novelty to us, we bought some potatoes, eggs and cabbage, and that night could even find some dry wood for a fire. We really had a feast and christened it "Australia Day". We are still awaiting for this Ganges ferry. Actually right now I am sitting on the banks of the great river finishing this letter. The ferry does not go for another hour. Tonight it is New Year's Eve. I'd just love to be somewhere exciting to see the New Year in, but I don't expect we will be - never know though. We are now on this ferry waiting for it to go. It is only a half hour crossing, 3 miles across the Ganges, which seems to just spread in every direction, a muddy grey scene. We are surrounded by bales of jute and spitting Indians, and some even ask you for buckshees.
 Birla Temple, New Delhi, 11th January.
-Our home in New Delhi. It's unbelievable. We are staying in a huge temple, the Birla Temple. Actually it is a Hindu Temple but there is a section for travellers. We have a small marble-floored room - a bit cramped, but it doesn't matter because we are hardly ever in it. Tomorrow we leave - we arrived last Tuesday and tomorrow, Monday - and we have had a wonderful time hare, made some terrific friends. First of all there is Eric's friends from last time. Next Bruce saw an Architect's sign plate in town and on the spur of the moment went in with some story and landed us an
-invitation first of all to an evening at this man's home, and met his family and
+Our home in New Delhi. It's unbelievable. We are staying in a huge temple, the Birla Temple. Actually it is a Hindu Temple but there is a section for travellers. We have a small marble-floored room - a bit cramped, but it doesn't matter because we are hardly ever in it. Tomorrow we leave - we arrived last Tuesday and tomorrow, Monday - and we have had a wonderful time here, made some terrific friends. First of all there is Eric's friends from last time. Next Bruce saw an Architect's sign plate in town and on the spur of the moment went in with some story and landed us an invitation first of all to an evening at this man's home, and met his family and friends, etc. Next day he took some of us on a trip aroard town to see some of the historical buildings and to some of the newly constructed ones, purely architectural, but very good. That night the six of us all went to his Uncle and Aunt's home and were entertained in a very Indian fashion, and later showed our slides, etc. and then last night Bruce and I had dinner at his house - a real roast chicken, all "hotted up" Indian style, bought specially for us as he is a Hindu and consequently a vegetarian. Our number three friends, and the best fun, are two Sikh men (the ones with the turbans and beards). They have been great pals. Tonight we had tea at the home of one of them, and the night before last at the other - served on a carpet on the floor. We have been to all sorts of odd places with them, to the Market at Old Delhi, to Ghandi's Tomb, to real Indian Restaurants, and today, Sunday, in the middle of tha day, to a most exclusive restaurant in town, dancing. We didn't even know we were going, and no make-up at all - but did I care? I was wearing scruffy old slacks, rubber sandals and my hair was in a pigtail. They always look immaculate with their beautiful black beards and turbans to harmonise with their smart clothes. Indian men always remark upon the fact that they could not speak with Indian girls as they speak to us. Even now the parents always arrange all the marriages, so that they very rarely know their brides at all. We will be sorry to leave. Angela leaves us here and Bruce is another one who would like to stay. Mr. Bathia has offered him a job in his firm and also Norman has offered him a job in his furniture business, designing furniture. He might even come back again.
-friends, etc. Next day he took some of us on a trip aroard town to see some of the historical buildings and to some of the newly constructed ones, purely architectural,
-but very good. That night the six of us all went to his Uncle and Aunt's home and were entertained in a very Indian fashion, and later showed our slides, etc. and then
+Our New Year's Eve was very odd indeed. We spent most of New Year's Eve day waiting for a ferry to cross the Ganges and that night we spent in a Dak bungalow on the other side - a very very old Indian town, not very big - actually a Moslem town, Rajmahal. We just felt that we should do something. Angela, Bruce and I wandered through the black little streets, bought some peanuts and ate them beside a big Moslem Temple on the banks of the Ganges, with a huge red moon coming up over what looked like the sea, but really was just the river stretching as far as the eye could see. Then for midnight we rushed back to our house, dragged the others out, and sang "Aud Lang Syne" out on the lawn in a circle. Since we have been in Delhi we have hardly bought ourselves any food at all, always managing an invitation somewhere. We had been warned a long time ago that our tummies would probably be upset in India and before we reached Delhi we all seemed to be taking pills. Lou's explanation of pills is either "stop" or "go". Nobody had any lasting effects. New Delhi is beautiful, terrific public buildings and parks and lovely homes and trees. Really a masterpiece, but Old Delhi is just the usual Indian jumble of people and shops and cows and motor cars and beggars. Have been to see the Taj Mahal - very beautiful, but main complaint was too many tourists. From 5 a.m. here at the temple we have the priests wailing and chanting over loudspeakers, very eerie.
-last night Bruce and I had dinner at his house - a real roast chicken, all "hotted
-up" Indian style, bought specially for us as he is a Hindu and consequently a vegetarian. Our number three friends, and the best fun, are two Sikh men (the ones with
-the turbans and beards). They have been great pals. Tonight we had tea at the home
-of one of them, and the night before last at the other - served an a carpet on the
-floor. We have been to all sorts of odd places with them, to the Market at Old Delhi, to Ghandi's Tomb, to real Indian Restaurants, and today, Sunday, in the middle of tha day, to a most exclusive restaurant in town, dancing. We didn't even know we were going, and no make-up at all - but did I care? I was wearing scruffy old slacks, rubber sandals and my hair was in a pigtail. They always look immaculate with their beautiful black beards and turbans to harmonise with their smart clothes. Indian men always remark upon the fact that they could not speak with Indian girls as they speak to us. Even naw the parents always arrange all the marriages, so that they very rarely know their brides at all. We will be sorry to leave. Angela leaves us here and Bruce is another one who would like to stay. Mr. Bathia has offered him a jcb in his firm and also Norman has offered him a job in his furniture business, designing furniture. He might even come back again.
-Our New Year Eve was very odd indeed. We spent mast of New Year's Eve daywiting for a ferry to crass the Ganges and that night we spent in a Dak: bungalow
-.
-on the other side - a very very old Indian town, not very big - actually a Moslem town, Rajmahal. We just felt that we should do something; 'Angela, Bruce and I wandered through the black little streets, bought some peanuts and ate them beside a big Moslem Temple on the banks of the Ganges, with a huge red moon coming up over what looked like the sea, but really was just the river stretching as far as the eye could see. Then for midnight we rushed back to our heuse, dragged the others out,
- and sang "Aud Lang Syne" out on the lawn in a circle. Since we have been in Delhi we have hardly bought ourselves any food at all, always managing an invitation somewhere We had been warned a long time ago that our tummies would nrobably be upset in India and before we reached Delhi we all seemed to be taking pills. Lou's explanation of pills is either "stop" or "go". Nobody had any lasting effects. New Delhi is beautiful, terrific public buildings and narks and lovely homes and trees. ,Really a masterpiece, but Old Delhi is just the usual Indian jumble-of people nnd shops and cows and meter cars and beggars. Have been to see the Taj Mahal - very beautiful, but main complaint was too many tourists. From 5 a m. here at the temple we have the priests wailing and chanting over loudspeakers, very eerie.
 Kabul, Afghanistan, 21st January.
-Here we are once mare in a capital city, but this one sure is strange. It is only qiite small really. We arrived at 10.30 p m. the night before last, snow on the ground, not a soul anywhere, great big wide streets, and pulled up outside the royal palace. Unfortunately the guard did not invite us in so we had to go looking for somewhere else to sleep. Eventually stayed at the Hotel de Kabul (the only one in town) and that cost us 10/- per head. Really hurt, as you can imagine, but last night and tonight we are much better. off. Lou and I are staying with a couple (he looks after the Embassy Office) and the boys stayed with the British Military Attache. If our visas come through we leave temorrow for Kandahar. We have -t(- collect Iran and Iraqi visas, have been promised them, could not get them at all in Delhi. Afghanistan is just so different from anything else we have seen. It is either jagged snow-capped mountains or flat desolate wastes. Kabul itself is in a valley completely surrounded by mountains. There is no green anywhere. All the trees are bare and brown and there is snow lying about everywhere. All the h-uses are inside high mud-walled compounds so that no houses are on view. Some of the people are very white and some look Tibetar. All the women cover their faces. They wear long capes which go around them and all that you can see are their ankles. The Afghan boy who works for Valerie Neil (who we are staying with) asked her to keep all his wages for three months. When she asked why he replied "So that I can buy a new wife. The one I've got now is no good. When I go home on Friday I will beat her". Here, I must add, that PS well as this bad wife he has five children.
-'Men we were in India we were all given some of their famous Betel nut to chew, but Bruce broke a tooth on it and an abscess had formed, and he has had this out today So many people in the East chew Betel nut and it looks horrible. They have bright red mouths and lips from it and some even bave their teeth caked in it. They spit this horrible red juice all over the place. It was funny to see us all trying it. John gulped it down, Angela nibbles a little bit, Eric had tried it before so he flatly refused, Bruce broke his tooth and Lou and I escaped r,und the other side of the Landrover and spat ours out on the garden.
+Here we are once more in a capital city, but this one sure is strange. It is only quite small really. We arrived at 10.30 p.m. the night before last, snow on the ground, not a soul anywhere, great big wide streets, and pulled up outside the royal palace. Unfortunately the guard did not invite us in so we had to go looking for somewhere else to sleep. Eventually stayed at the Hotel de Kabul (the only one in town) and that cost us 10/- per head. Really hurt, as you can imagine, but last night and tonight we are much better off. Lou and I are staying with a couple (he looks after the Embassy Office) and the boys stayed with the British Military Attache. If our visas come through we leave temorrow for Kandahar. We have to collect Iran and Iraqi visas, have been promised them, could not get them at all in Delhi. Afghanistan is just so different from anything else we have seen. It is either jagged snow-capped mountains or flat desolate wastes. Kabul itself is in a valley completely surrounded by mountains. There is no green anywhere. All the trees are bare and brown and there is snow lying about everywhere. All the houses are inside high mud-walled compounds so that no houses are on view. Some of the people are very white and some look Tibetar. All the women cover their faces. They wear long capes which go around them and all that you can see are their ankles. The Afghan boy who works for Valerie Neil (who we are staying with) asked her to keep all his wages for three months. When she asked why he replied "So that I can buy a new wife. The one I've got now is no good. When I go home on Friday I will beat her". Here, I must add, that as well as this bad wife he has five children.
-India is jUst so steeped in religion - mainly Moslems, Hindus and Sikhs. Everywhere there are Temples and Shrines, even out in the rice fields. There seems to be
-a lot of bad feeling between the different grrupe too, especially over the partitioning of Pakistan. We visited.Benares, which is the religious centre of India, but did net visit any of the Temples' there. We stayed overkaght in the Circuit house and it was absolute luxury. There were huge lounge and dihing room with great high ceilings and
+When we were in India we were all given some of their famous Betel nut to chew, but Bruce broke a tooth on it and an abscess had formed, and he has had this out today. So many people in the East chew Betel nut and it looks horrible. They have bright red mouths and lips from it and some even have their teeth caked in it. They spit this horrible red juice all over the place. It was funny to see us all trying it. John gulped it down, Angela nibbles a little bit, Eric had tried it before so he flatly refused, Bruce broke his tooth and Lou and I escaped round the other side of the Landrover and spat ours out on the garden.
-,
-beautiful old furniture, beautiful gardens outside, lots of servants, and it all only c'st us 3 rupees altngether, about 6/-. Of course next =riling when we left all the servants were it asktng for buckshees. What a racket that is in India. While in Benares, which is a very big city, ire visited a place where they hand-weave magnificent pure silk sarees, using real gold and silver thread. We asked the prices, but that was all - nothing cheaper than the equivalent of C8.
+India is jUst so steeped in religion - mainly Moslems, Hindus and Sikhs. Everywhere there are Temples and Shrines, even out in the rice fields. There seems to be a lot of bad feeling between the different groups too, especially over the partitioning of Pakistan. We visited Benares, which is the religious centre of India, but did not visit any of the Temples there. We stayed overkaght in the Circuit house and it was absolute luxury. There were huge lounge and dining rooms with great high ceilings and beautiful old furniture, beautiful gardens outside, lots of servants, and it all only cost us 3 rupees altngether, about 6/-. Of course next morning when we left all the servants were out asktng for buckshees. What a racket that is in India. While in Benares, which is a very big city, we visited a place where they hand-weave magnificent pure silk sarees, using real gold and silver thread. We asked the prices, but that was all - nothing cheaper than the equivalent of £8.
 Continued on 23rd January.
-I didn't have a chance to finish earlier but y-u should jus-b see where we are ww. Lou, Bruce and I are sitting in the back, John in the front. Lou and Bruce are making horrible noises with flutes that we bought in Amritsar (India) and John is singing to himself. We are parked on the side of the read in the snow waiting for Eric to return from Kabul, -which is 30 miles away with a new bit frr the Landr-,ver. It is 2i h-urs since he went now and probably will be awhile yet. When Tess was serviced in Kabul they said that the bushes in the dynamo needed re7lacing but they had no spares and they should get us to Kandahar, 318 miles away, but one has broken now so they'll just have to give us something.. We're in a valley completely c-vered in snow, surrounded by snow-clad mountains. The altitude is around the 8,000' mark
-and it's mighty chilly. The road is just solid ice and when you step off it you're likely to sink a foot deep in snow.. When we tried to boil water it took ages and ages - probably because we had to melt the snow first. But actually we are quite cosy. There are a couple of houses that look like fortresses nearby but we expect no invitations from them. The Afghans are a strange race. Anyway, back to our travels. After Delhi we visited Chundi Garh, which is in the Punjab. It's a completely new town, designed by a world famous Swiss Architect called Le Corbusier. I've seen photographs of lots of his buildings in Art magazines and it was terrific to actually see them in real life. From there we went on to Amritsar, whih is the home and birth place of the Sikhs. While there we visited the Golden Temple. To even be allowed in the grounds we had to wear hats, take off our shoes and wash our feet in a pool We saw no other tourists there - all Indians on a religi-us pilgrimage. The Temple itself is all golden, not very big, and in the middle of a big square lake. All the Sikhs come and bathe and drink the waters of this lake and purify themselves. We
+I didn't have a chance to finish earlier but you should just see where we are now. Lou, Bruce and I are sitting in the back, John in the front. Lou and Bruce are making horrible noises with flutes that we bought in Amritsar (India) and John is singing to himself. We are parked on the side of the road in the snow waiting for Eric to return from Kabul, which is 30 miles away with a new bit for the Landrover. It is 2 1/2 hours since he went now and probably will be awhile yet. When Tess was serviced in Kabul they said that the bushes in the dynamo needed replacing but they had no spares and they should get us to Kandahar, 318 miles away, but one has broken now so they'll just have to give us something. We're in a valley completely covered in snow, surrounded by snow-clad mountains. The altitude is around the 8,000' mark and it's mighty chilly. The road is just solid ice and when you step off it you're likely to sink a foot deep in snow. When we tried to boil water it took ages and ages - probably because we had to melt the snow first. But actually we are quite cosy. There are a couple of houses that look like fortresses nearby but we expect no invitations from them. The Afghans are a strange race. Anyway, back to our travels. After Delhi we visited Chundi Garh, which is in the Punjab. It's a completely new town, designed by a world famous Swiss Architect called Le Corbusier. I've seen photographs of lots of his buildings in Art magazines and it was terrific to actually see them in real life. From there we went on to Amritsar, which is the home and birth place of the Sikhs. While there we visited the Golden Temple. To even be allowed in the grounds we had to wear hats, take off our shoes and wash our feet in a pool. We saw no other tourists there - all Indians on a religious pilgrimage. The Temple itself is all golden, not very big, and in the middle of a big square lake. All the Sikhs come and bathe and drink the waters of this lake and purify themselves. We went right into the temple by a bridge with hoards of people (had to leave our cameras outside). It was just a continuous stream of people all taking food into the temple and throwing money at the holy men's feet. All this time there were other men chanting, playing drums, and several reading their holy book aloud, which is a continuous process. The whole place was beautifully decorated with very fine paintings all over the walls and roofs.
-went right into the temple by a bridge with hoards of people (had to leave our cameras
-outside). It was just a continu-us stream of people all taking food into the temple
+Just after Amritsar we crossed the border into Pakistan - more forms to fill in, more officials, and more stamps in our passports. It's amazing how people, customs and countryside seem to change on the border. When we entered Pakistan we noticed much drier and hillier country - a terrific lot of soil erosion. Apparently a deal of the trouble between Pakistan and India is over water. The Moslem people have different features and very few have beards, and the tea is wonderful. Honestly, we have become real connoisseurs of tea. From Singapore onwards we have been buying tea in glasses. Through Malaya, Thailand and Burma it is always served with condensed milk and sugar, and we quite liked it too, after a while. It was always too complicated when we tried to explain "no milk, no sugar", "milk, no sugar" etc. so we just accepted what we were given, and then in India we were actually served tea in cups, with real milk (buffalo milk and boiled too) sometimes flavoured with cinnamon - delicious. In the other countries there was no milk at all. In Pakistan they are very fussy indeed - fine china cups, no less, still boiled buffalo milk, but absolutely terrific tea, the best anywhere. Here in Afghanistan they use no milk at all and half the time it is green tea, always served in tiny cups and as many small teapots as cups, so that we can have 5 or 6 cups each.
-and throwing m-ney at the holy men's feet. All this time there were other men chanting, playing drums; and several reading their holy book aloud, which is a continuous
-process. The -whole place was beautifully decorated with very fine paintings all over the walls and roofs.
+----
-Just after Amritsar we crossed the border into Pakistan - more forms to fill in, more officials, and more stamps in our passports. It's amazing how people,customs
-and c-untryside seem to change on the border, When we entered Pakistan we noticed much drier and hillier ceuntry - a terrific lot of soil erosion. Apparently a deal of the trouble between Pakistan and India is over water. The Moslem peeple have
-different features and very few have beards, and the tea is wonderful. Honestly, we have become real connoisseurs of tea. From Singapore onwards we have been buying toa in glasses. Through Malaya, Thailand and Burma it is always served with condensed
-milk and sugar, and we quite liked it too, after a while. It was always too complic-
-ated when we tried to explain "no milk, no sugar", "milk, no sugar" etc. so we just accepted what we were given, and then in India we were actually served tea in cups,
-with real milk (buffalo milk and bliled ton) sometimes flavoured with cinnamon - delicious. In the other countries there was no milk at all In Pakistan they are
-very fussy indeed - fine china cups, no less, still boiled buffalo milk, but absol-
-utely terrific tea, the best anywhere. Here in Afghanistan they use no milk at all
-and half the time it is green tea, always served in tiny cups and as many small teapots as cups, so that we can have 5 or 6 cups each.
-.
 ILLINBAH ROUND TRIP.
 Edna Garrad.