Duckworth Farm – it's hard to describe in words, how much I love Duckworth Farm and what a huge  impact it's had on my life.  It really is a very special place.

Duckworth is part of the Wwoofing (Worldwide Working on Organic Farms) network, who have a website connecting farmers with budding volunteers from across the globe.   It's a unique exchange programme where farmer hosts, offer free food and accommodation to Wwoofers –  volunteers willing to work a certain number of hours per day on the farm doing a variety of farm related tasks. It's truly an excellent way to learn new skills, explore different cultures, get close to nature and live with little money.

The scope of Wwoofing is amazing as there are literally farms all over the globe, the types of farms you can stay on are vast and thus so is the type of work you will do.  Your accommodation situation will be different wherever you go, as will be the number of other Wwoofers you will be working with.  These are all factors to take into consideration if you are contemplating Wwoofing yourself.

It's an experience I just had to try, knowing that those participating in this type of venture would be great people, given the hosts are welcoming complete strangers to live and work on their land, using the principle of exchange rather than money. I was also really attracted to it as I wanted to learn more about agriculture and growing my own food. I've been really intent in recent months on adapting my lifestyle into one that involves more working outside, using my body and being close to nature so Wwoofing was the perfect chance to experience this.

When I discovered Duckworth Blueberry Farm on the Wwoofing website, I immediately knew it was the farm for me.  Firstly, few farms have all five star ratings from the previous Wwoofers and so many overwhelmingly positive reviews.  I was travelling to California alone, with my travel fund quickly diminishing.  Yet I had a wish to learn and a hankering for adventure, so I knew that Wwoofing was a great idea, especially on a farm that accepted at least a few other volunteers so that I could meet new people.  Luckily my intuition was right and I spent a full two months living at the farm.  Several people who left the farm ended up coming back later which, again, speaks volumes.

What also massively attracted me to the farm was the enthusiasm of Lorrie and Oscar, the dynamic and wonderful duo behind the farm.  They're really keen for young people to experience and learn about farm life, very much wishing to share their skills and knowledge, accepting those who have little or no farm experience so that we can learn as much as possible about things we otherwise wouldn't have the chance to in our own lives.  For me farm life in itself was pretty knew, so even just working with animals and picking was a learning experience.  But on top of that we had great opportunities to learn about cooking, mechanics, spinning and weaving.

Duckworth farm is located close to the town of Sebastapol, in Sonoma County, California.  The whole area just blew me away as there is just so much stunning scenery within just half an hour radius of the farm, all of which is very diverse: from the coast, to the forest, to the meadows to the farmland - it's very unique coming from England.  In our free time we were able to do a lot of exploring by car and by bicycle which was great, especially as in true Californian style, it was indeed always sunny, something I find myself longing for more than I'd like to in good old England.

The Duckworth's have just over 80 acres of farm land, they accept Wwoofers from April until the end of August and on average there were about twelve Wwoofers at a time during my stay.  The main products sold from the farm are it's delicious organic blueberries and hay.  The bulk of our work was blueberry related - picking in the fields, sorting and packaging the blueberries, ensuring the fields were weeded, the nets are fixed to protect the berries from birds.

Some might find blueberry picking rather monotonous.  I honestly started seeing juicy bushes of blueberries when I closed my eyes, it's true! However I really enjoyed this peaceful imagery, it made a welcome change from the thoughts that have run through my head in previous lines of work, at least this was relaxing.

The other things I loved about picking was that we would have great conversations with each other in the field on all manner of subjects, it was the best place to get to know people intimately and to learn from them.  Not only that, when I did want to be alone, I enjoyed the silence of picking by myself, or I would end up doing a lot of singing which I thoroughly loved doing to entertain myself.  Not to mention the final bonuses - being able to eat away as you worked and being outside in the morning before the sun got too intense.

There are also lots of animals at the farm - chickens which provide plenty of eggs, horses, sheep for milking and for wool, and lots of cats and dogs.  It really brought home to me how much richness having animals adds to your life.  They are indeed additional mouths to feed and a big responsibility to take care of, but they are also always very entertaining and bring a lot of life and love to the farm.

On top of the four to five hours of blueberry work, we also had morning and evening chores, which although we called them chores, I really enjoyed too.  It was initially a shock to the system having to wake up at 5.40am to be ready to start these at 6am, but once I got in the routine, I really grew to appreciate starting the day as the sun is coming up and getting all our work done first thing so that we could enjoy our free time in the afternoon.

We would do the same chore for a whole week with one or two other people.  This would be either cooking breakfast for the group, milking six of the sheep or feeding, mucking out and letting the horses into the field.  I actually really enjoyed all of the work that we did, I found it very rewarding to be outside, work with my hands and build relationships with the animals.

My favourite chore turned out to be sheep milking – quite a surprise to me!  I ended up really loving the sheep, recognising each of the ones we'd milk and getting to know their personalities.  Sheep are notoriously scared of humans and see almost any other living creature as a predator.  Thus they generally run away from you if you approach, well unless you are carrying food!  But there were a few sheep on the farm that were actually really trusting (hey Mimi and George!) and they would approach you, even if you were foodless and not in their pen for some sheep cuddles.  So I had a lot of fun hanging out with the sheep.I like the animals as they put a different perspective on life, just doing their thing.

The bonus was of course that we were then able to use the sheep milk to make cheese, yoghurt and butter and there's nothing quite like eating something that comes from your land or animals.  For this reason I also really enjoyed taking care of the many chickens who would provide us with 15 or so organic, free range eggs per day.  They also were great, waddling towards you and I was like an excitable, small child when I learnt you could stroke them and that they have super soft feathers.  They in turn ate most of the compost waste from our kitchen so nothing goes to waste.

5.40am: Wake up in my tent

6.00am: Start morning chores (breakfast/sheep milking/horses)

7.15am: Communal breakfast

8.00am: Start work - mostly blueberry related in the field

1.00pm: Lunch (which we took turns to cook for the group)

2.00pm: Free time!

6.00pm: Evening chores (sheep milking/ horses/garden watering)

7.30pm: Communal Dinner

The benefit of Duckworth Farm is also that you get a good chunk of time in the afternoon to spend as you please, and you can never get bored on the farm!  I loved spending my afternoons learning how to make cheese, yoghurt, butter, jam, pies.  It was so nice to spend time with the other Wwoofers, I leave with a lot of new friends and happy memories.  The farm is always full of laughter, song, dancing in the kitchen, playing games, swimming in the pond.  We learnt alot on the farm because of the Duckworths, but what was also amazing is that we could learn so much from each other.

That's not to say it was without it's challenges.  Waking up at 5.40am was quite an adjustment and living in a community setting is a really interesting experience.  All of the Wwoofers came from different backgrounds (some from Europe, some from the States, Canada etc) and were a range of ages and had different life experiences. There were some great people there and we had so much fun, yet there were of course also differences in the way we liked to do things and it was a constant process of adjustment and negotiation.  The group dynamics would change really fast as new Wwoofers would come and go, people had different levels of contributing and it was just such a good learning experience in patience, adapting quickly to new circumstances and working with others who may have different ways of doing thing to you.

I could honestly talk all day about Duckworth farm - so I will leave it with a huge thanks to everyone that made it such a wonderful experience, especially to the Duckworth's who make it all possible.  For a virtual tour of the farm (and some dodgy commentary from me) there are some videos here on You Tube.  I can’t wait for the next time……….

I've now left India but the love affair with this country continues and has me longing for more.  As always, I wasn't yet ready to leave - despite having spent four months there!  The more time that passed, the better it got – the more possibilities that opened up and the more I was learning.

I was fortunate to spend my last 3 weeks at Dharmalaya - a centre for compassionate and sustainable living.  Dharmalaya is set in the Himalayas a few kilometres outside of Bir, a town housing a Tibetan colony, several monasteries and a famous site in India for paragliding. It's not on the radar of many travellers who would look puzzled when I told them where I was going.

It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever lived and I kept having to pinch myself that it was where I was staying.  As I opened my tent door each morning I'd be welcomed into the day by a view looking down the valley of forests and hills.  Not only that, on a clear day, you could see the tips of some snow peaked mountains and watch the sunset create shapely silhouettes of the foothills.

The centre's main work is in running courses in eco building (in the local Himanchali style using mud bricks and mud plaster), in permaculture design and sustainable living.  They also host meditation retreats and have open volunteer periods, which is what I participated in.  During these periods you can do the hands on work – building the infrastructure, gardening, as well as be immersed in local culture and learn about sustainable living practices that they have implemented.

Dharmalaya is still massively a project in the making.  They already have a main house containing the communal areas such as the dining room, kitchen, meditation room, bathrooms and some bedrooms.  They've begun the process of growing their own vegetables but currently still have to buy most food from outside as the garden is not yet well enough established (and there is a monkey food stealing issue - damn those monkeys again causing trouble!)  A few other cottages are in the process of being built and there will be some meditation huts on the way too.  The showers are run by solar power and they have a few types of toilets including compost.

You can already see the huge potential and the one thing that is already well established is the wonderful sense of community.  One of the best things about Dharmalaya is that they employ about ten people from the local village above the site that you get to work alongside.  They are so hugely friendly and welcoming which I really appreciated.  Their English is limited, so I was grateful for my little Hindi to try and enable better communication.  Each day they would always greet me with 'Morning ji' - 'ji' being a term of respect that you don't have to use for a stranger. With this cultural understanding it felt like being welcomed into a family.

Before I left one of the longer term volunteers who co-ordinated the work told me the staff had really enjoyed working with me too –  I think they could see I was really doing my best to learn and be respectful and appreciated that.  Not only that - apparently they also really enjoyed the singing - yes of course I couldn't stay in a group of 12 volunteers without some kind of communal singing happening.  I taught a few sessions to the volunteers and in the morning circle we performed a rendition of a simple rounds called 'Bella Mama .  It got stuck in everyone's heads - it had people from the village asking 'what is this Bella Mama?' - which we always translate as beautiful mother/earth but in the local language apparently translates as 'ox uncle' which we all found hilarious.

I really enjoyed spending time with the other volunteers on the project, most of whom were around my age and from different parts of India.  It was brilliant for my Hindi as I could pick up bits of what they were saying in Hindi, but equally they also spoke to one another a lot in English so I could understand a lot and ask questions when I wasn't sure what was going on.  It was really nice to not just be with other Western volunteers as it enabled me to really understand more about young people in India today.  They were all really kind and a pleasure to get to know.

Staying at Dharmalaya was extremely physically challenging, especially for someone not used to so much manual labour AND the heat.  Luckily I was in fairly good shape from all of the hiking and living in the mountains and we were also given good rest time.  We had a three hour work session in the morning, and one in the afternoon with plenty of time for tea breaks and delicious lunch.  We worked hard, but there was also a relaxed attitude to it and it was one of those experiences where you get as much out as you put in.   I felt very inquisitive and so wanted to try all of the different activities and ask lots of questions.

I learnt lots of practical skills that I never could have imagined I would, or never knew I was so interested in (but am!).  This included …….

1. Pugging – essentially stamping around in a pile of  mud, water, pine needles and rice husk with your bare feet until the mixture becomes even and can be used to make bricks

2. Making mud bricks – using moulds, allow them to dry in the sun for 3 days

3. Masonry – building the house with the mud bricks (trying to keep the wall level and straight!)

4. Making Plaster – main ingredient is cow dung which has to be fetched from the nearest village 10 minutes up the mountain

6. Moving heavy things –  forming ‘human chains’ was the most efficient way

7. Gardening – including composting and planting seeds

I gained so much inspiration from my time at Dharmalaya and the realisation that all over the world there are people and organisations doing great work for our planet, who invite others to spend time in their community and learn about what they do. Now I'm on a mission to learn more about sustainable living – how we can grow our own food and generate our energy using what's readily available to us.

I was reminded just how powerful living so close to nature is to me - my Hawaiian jungle experience gave me an insight, but it was this experience that reminded me of the peace of mind and energy I get from being in such a setting which has really empowered me to make sure this is something I make part of my future living situation - not just as a holiday.

I was also surprised with how much I love being hands on and getting my hands dirty.  Having always used my mind a lot it was such a simple joy to be outside and be creating something you can physically see that is going to be of use to people.  I'd never realised how strong my body can be when I give it the chance and it feels like finally I'm using this body I was given for it's true purpose.  I don't want to sit down all day - I want to be active and then enjoy rest.  It feels right to be using my body now whilst it's still fit and able to do theses things and the more I do this, the healthier I'll stay - it just all makes so much sense!

I'm still excited and inspired by this experience, it feels like a shift in how I want to live and what I want to spend my time doing.  Let's see what happens…..

After visiting beautiful Palampur, my travel buddy Eric returned to Canada so I was back on the road solo and ready to explore some places I'd never been before.

For many going somewhere new can be a nerve wracking experience - particularly if you are alone in a county where the culture is so different and you don't speak the language.  A few months ago it seemed like a daunting prospect (even though I did it on a previous India trip over five years ago), but this experience reminded me again that every time I do it I get so much out of it. How quick we are to remember negative experiences and slow to remember the positive.

I see how much fear we can create for ourselves, worrying about all sorts of if, buts and maybes.  The great thing about continuing to travel is after a few new places you start to lose these worries and get a deeper faith that somehow it will all work out well. You gain a sort of flow, or momentum and then when it does all work out it is just so satisfying!

The kindness of strangers makes my travels possible and it's these interactions with everyday people that restore my faith in the world.  People taking me to the right carriage, getting on the bus with me to take me to my stop, buying me chai for playing them a song, allowing me to stay in their home without asking for anything in return, assisting me with printing, booking transport, finding a good mobile deal etc. The list goes on.   It's so nice.

My week in Manali was a time of immersing myself in the nature of the mountains and as a result I had a flurry of musical inspiration.  I really fell in love with the mountains of Himanchal Pradesh this trip - the snow peaks, the animals, the sweet local people, the clean air and the calm feel.

Old Manali is the place to stay (as opposed to New Manal), as it still has a lot of the character of a traditional Himanchali village despite it becoming ever more busy with guesthouses, bars, restaurants and cafes for the growing steam of tourists that come for trekking, skiing and rock climbing.

At the top of the town are buildings in the local style made of wood and stone, with space for the animals underneath the house.  The women here still weave the local clothing of thick blankets using traditional weaving apparatus.  Despite the tourists they are still connected with their roots and wear this traditional cloak style blanket with a tie around the waist and a scarf tied around the head. I couldn't resist buying a hand knitted wooly hat that I didn't really need.  I just had such a nice chat with the women in my growing Hindi that I wanted to support their work.

In the end it came in handy as Manali was very chilly at night time, sometime reaching 0 degrees so I would wear all of my layers in bed.  But during the day, as soon as the sun was out,  we could bask in the glorious weather, perfect for exploring the gorgeous forests and mountain peaks in every direction.

I found myself wondering around a lot for walks with my guitar and writing some songs, my favourite being 'In the Mountains' (original title I know) which came following a conversation with a friend about the mountains being the last place on earth to live as climate change gets worse.  The recording quality is terrible (as there is the noise of a river and someone building in the background!) but here it is on you tube on a better one should appear at some point…..!

All of the playing culminated in some kind of new musical surge, finding it easier than ever to sing and play guitar together at once (finally) which before was a true brain ache and now is becoming natural and easy.  This is immensely satisfying as I remember being on my previous India trip five years ago and practising uber basics of strumming (up, down, up, up, down, up), so boring, yet now I play and even write songs.  I'm so glad I had the insight to realise what I could gain if I put in five years of practise.

I was reminded so much of the Renee that wanted to play and sing but couldn't yet when I began giving free guitar lessons to some Nepalese guys running a German Bakery.  Their tea, friendliness and good wifi initially drew me in, but it became a bit of a daily routine to sit in the bakery and teach some guitar.

It was their turn to overcome the repetitive practice of 'up, down, up, up, down, up' monotomus strumming.  But because I have been there, I have ultimate patience to sit with someone working through this important, but very boring, initial stage.  I now have real experience of what is possible with practice and I know how much the support of others can help you on this journey so it was really nice to support them.

Ii was a real momentous victory when a Nepalese bar owner promised me a free dinner if I played at set in his bar.  I was terrified, but knew the pay off would be so great if I could learn to enjoy playing in front of others without being self conscious.  It could be a true useful, practical skill for travelling to provide me with the basics I need like food for free - a huge gift when living on a shoe string budget.

So I overcame my stage and mic fright and sang about 8 songs, half of which I had written myself and the other half blue grassy/folk songs I love.  It was far from perfect but it was fun and it went down well.  Seeing the guy after me play reminded me that you don't always have to be super/ gifted talented musician for people to enjoy your music as so much of the music is what you bring to it - if you are enjoying it, or really feeling it, others are also more likely to.

So yes I got free dinner and some cups of tea!  The basics I usually have to pay for with hard earned money, were given to me for free for doing something I love that gives me energy and makes me feel good.  Wow!  In Manali I reached a tipping point –  my musical experience and playing of songs will just keeping getting richer and richer.  My bank balance is getting low but, but my wealth is increasing.  You can't put a price of music and nature.  I feel so lucky that this is what I get to do at this time in my life.

I was growing tired of the backpacker hub of Bhagsu - the familiarity and lack of what I call 'real' Indian culture (if it’s too easy, it’s not ‘real’ India!).

Bhagsu and the nearby town of Dharamkot, are famously part of the 'hummus trail', a route taken by Israeli travellers.  They often spend months travelling in India, following their compulsory military service for 2 or 3 years (depending on whether they're female or male).  They come to India to chill out and forget about life for a while, yet it's created these strange pockets of cafes and guesthouses with mainly just Israeli travellers, with all the menus and signs written in Hebrew.  They tend to hang out in big groups and party hard. Although I’ve met only lovely Israelis, I wanted to move away from this culture, after all when I want to experience Israeli culture, I will go to Israel not to India.

I hadn't realised it consciously, but I needed to get out of my comfort zone again to be opened up to the beauty of India and out of the Bhagsu bubble.

Enough of the same menu for Westerners that somehow ranges from Indian, Israel and Italian main meals to Tibetan, Japanese food thrown in with some English or American breakfast - none of which is quite like what you'd eat in that country.  Enough of speaking in English all day to other backpackers.  Enough of my nice guesthouse.  I was scared of being lonely, having had company the most of my trip - in Varanasi from my Indian family and then my mum coming to visit and then lots of interactions with backpackers.  But it was time to rock the boat, which is the best move I could have made…..

When I'm travelling, I find it near impossible to plan any sort of route in advance.  Reading information in books or online, I just get overwhelmed by possibilities and options and find it difficult to really get a feel for the atmosphere of a place which, for me, is the most important.  So I tend to go on recommendations by other travellers I meet along the way, who always give you the golden nuggets of information.  Even then, you can't take what they say as a given as everyone has different views on why they like a place, but from past experience I've found this method to work very well on big trips where timing is not an issue.  And so I'd collected some golden nuggets and had some chance encounters with other travellers that shaped up nicely.

In McLeod Ganj I sat down in a café for a nice coffee (the best way to get free wi fi), joining a table with a young guy sitting there already.  Eventually we started chatting as he wanted some local information on yoga and trekking. Just ten minutes later we were best buddies who had decided we needed to go off the beaten track together to do some hiking for his last few days in India.

It's so funny how fast that can happen when travelling. With Eric, I just knew in just that short amount of time, that we really clicked on a deeper level.  He was super friendly, funny, so enthusiastic to learn, reminding me of me on my first trip in India.  I could tell he'd also really immersed himself in the culture and had lived away from backpackers for substantial amounts of time so had some really interesting, crazy stories.  Lastly he didn't feel too intense to be with alone, which is super important travelling with just one other person.  I say this because I've met many types of people in India, some who are seeking something, some who are very lost and for me it just sucks my energy.  But with Eric it was easy to just chat or have our own space when needed and if anything we inspired each other.  Needless to say I'm so glad I met exactly the right person to leave the bubble with.

We headed by local bus, just three hours away, to a town called Palampur, which turned out to be just what the doctor ordered.  It's really not on most traveller's radars - in fact every time I mentioned I was going there, the response was 'Why are you going there?' or 'What's there?!'.  Yet it turns out that just outside the main town, it's a really quiet, countryside place, with a village like feel to it, super friendly locals, charming tea plantations and stunning mountain views.  Even the main town is what I call 'India light', as it's the least hectic town I've been to in India, the Himanchali mountain people really are very chilled out and kind.

We were fortunate to meet an American guy who was really knowledgeable on the local area as he lived in Palampur managing a company that takes groups on mountain training courses at high altitude.   He arranged for a local villager to take us on a two day trek for just 750R each (about 7.50 in pounds), promising it wouldn't be like the hikes his groups do that last ten days and climbing high mountain passes!

We went shopping with the guide to buy food supplies to take with us up the mountain as there would be no shops and then caught a dodgy looking Indian van, with an open back for carrying goods, to the trail head.  Of course to add to the excitement we had to sit in the back of the truck which then turned into standing as we got more daring.  I also very wisely (?!) decided it would be a great idea to bring my guitar as Eric had said he'd really enjoy hearing the songs I'd written and I thought the top of a mountain would be a pretty beautiful place to play.  So I did the ridiculous thing, not for the first time, and took my guitar for a hike.  Was it worth the pain?  Of course…

It was exciting hiking on paths that we’d never have been able to find ourselves.  We admired the beautiful, bright red rhododendron flowers that start to appear when you reach a certain altitude in the Himalayas.  We learnt you can eat them straight from the tree, they taste quite sour and bitter - an acquired taste, but once I was hungry they suddenly did wonders as a snack to keep me going.  You can also make tea and a chutney out of them, both of which I was keen to taste, but as yet have not yet come across as it's something not available to buy, only made by locals.

After a day of hiking we arrived at our destination - a deserted Sherpa village in which we were the only ones staying.  A bit eerie, but also incredible to encounter, especially as on all sides of us were mountains. During monsoon season a whole village move up the mountain to this spot to graze their animals on the grass and shelter from the bad weather in their traditional stone cottages.

The cottage design ensures there's space to sleep at the top of the house and space for the animals to shelter at the bottom.  The sleeping space also contains an indoor fire.  This was great to keep it warm, as it was freezing, but it got so ridiculously smokey that we had to keep the door open.  It doesn't surprise me that smoke inhalation is still the biggest cause of death in India when this is still common place in villages to have fires indoors.

Dinner was of course the standard dish - rice and daal.  We had an epic (outdoor) fire and went to bed pretty early knackered from the hike (and also as Eric's stomach was playing up - not ideal at the top of a mountain!).  That's when the bad weather started - howling winds, cold temperatures, rain.  In the morning neither of us could bear to move from our cozy sleeping bag until the guide came to tell us we had to get up and go before it got worse otherwise it could be dangerous. So we had to hike down through the epic rain, lucky that we'd been given some waterproof ponchos.  Brave Eric kept on trooping despite his stomach getting worse.  But it was such a great trek - so off the beaten track and such good company.

During the rest of our time in Palampur we were fortunate to explore some gorgeous villages.  I'm probably idealising village life greatly but I just loved seeing the children running around playing, giggling so much, free to explore as it is such a safe place and because Indian parents tend to have a more laissez faire approach whilst children are young, allowing them to play without supervision.  Ironically the children seem to have less freedom as they become adults having to report in to their parents regularly about every aspect of life if they aren’t at living at home.  Or so I have been told by several young Indians I have met.  I’ve had to be in a few selfies with Indians to proove what they are up to, to their parents!

The kids were enjoying us giving them piggy backs up the hill.  There's still a traditional style of building, made from clay and wood, which is beautiful, and many of the houses still have their own vegetable patch and animals.  There were only about 50 houses in the village and most of them had TV dishes on the side of the house, and apparently good electricity supply.  It's such a mix of tradition and modernity.  The villagers were so friendly and we were invited into one for delicious pakora (deep fried veg) and chai tea (spiced tea with lots of milk and sugar).  I really have been appreciating my basic Hindi in these situations and I just can never get over how hospitable people all over India are.  It makes you feel at home wherever you are, restores my faith in humanity and is the best way to get a taste of local culture.

My other favourite memory of Palampur is writing a song for Eric's brother – David who has had a tough year fighting sickness.  Having brainstormed what would be a good gift to bring home for him, we decided instead to write him a song as what could be more original?  It was so much fun to write – first Eric told me as much as possible about his brother to give me writing inspiration and then I wrote the tune and lyrics according to what he wanted to say to his brother.  It turned out super cheesy and is called the best gift.  I've given up fighting against the cheesiness now as at least it made someone smile!

Even more fun was shooting a short video to go with it.  Of course we had to have a super, luscious, gorgeous looking back drop - so we sat on some rocks in a stream with green fields and snow peaked mountains in the background, as you do!  It’s not great quality but you get the idea.

I've been really inspired by the way I've seen people live in the state of Himanchal Pradesh, more traditional ways of life, coming back to basics such as growing your own food and building your own house with local materials.  Sometimes I forget how many ways there are to live other than the culture I have been raised in.

I was fortunate to be invited to visit an Indian friend's land, also in Palampur, which they hope one day to turn into their own sustainable and eco friendly farm that will host volunteers.  Already they have their own tea plants, several types of vegetable and many herbs and spices and they plan to build eco cottages out of local materials.

It's just such a peaceful space, you instantly feel calmer being among the sound of birds and crickets.  I was also welcomed most warmly, as is so uplifting in India, with lots of tea and delicious home made Indian food.  I'm really excited to see how the project will pan ou'- they are currently trying to build the funds required to kick start the project and will soon launch a crowd funding campaign.  If you want to help support them, get in touch with me!

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I've greatly appreciated spending the last month exploring the Himalayas in the state of Himanchal Pradesh, now one of my favourite places in India.  There's something so special about living in the mountains.  The views are truly magnificent, the Himanchali people are so nice and I've encountered a greater sense of village life which appeals to the side of me that just wants to live simply and close to nature.

It is especially a relief to be in the mountains after my time living in the hectic, heavily polluted city of Varanasi.  To breathe clean, mountain air is such a blessing and the nature is beautiful – snow peaked mountains, cheerful birds chirping away, butterflies flying onto flowers, mountain animals like goats and donkeys wandering.  Not only that, but India is experiencing a really unusual amount of heat for this time of year.  Millions are suffering temperatures over 40 degrees and there are major concerns over people’s health, in particular those who are most vulnerable who can’t manage these extreme temperatures.  I realise I’m so lucky that escaping to the mountains is an option available to me that many don’t have.

My first stop in Himanchal was to the area of Dharamsala where I spent a month on my previous trip five years ago.  This time was very different - firstly as I was there exploring with my mum for ten days whereas last time I'd been alone, and secondly as previously it was off season in monsoon and thus very quiet -at that time I felt like I had the mountains to myself and could sing into the wind!  Yet this time tourist season was just kicking in.

Once my mum left to go back to England, I returned to the town of Bhagsu.  Bhagsu is a lively backpacker hub, walking distance away from the town of McLeod Ganj, home to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile.  It's nice to be close to this area as the Tibetan town has a completely different feel to Bhagsu and also has lots going on.  The monks are always very chilled out and the Tibetan parts of India always feel calmer than the Indian parts of India!

It was surreal, yet easy, to return to familiar Bhagsu, with it's nice cafes and views – the hours just fall away as you watch life pass by and chat to other travellers.  I even ended up in the same guesthouse as last time as I had such a good view and liked the location, high up the hill, away from the main street.  Yet I felt restless especially as more and more people arrived as the season kicked in.  Amazing musicians come here and there was potential to play music with them but I wasn't content to just sit around among the stoned backpackers drinking tea.  I felt I wanted to be as active as possible or to be experiencing more of 'real India' not this bubble.

I was really thankful that I came across an organisation that I could volunteer with called 'Waste Warriors' whose work I felt really passionate about.  They are doing their best to clean up the town of Bhagsu as well as the surrounding local trails.  In particular they clean up the hike to the popular mountain top destination of Triund (2900m 9 km hike) and the path to the Bhagsu Watefall, a popular spot for Indian tourists. Waste Warriors also go into local schools to run workshops and they work with local businesses to ensure that they can recycle and responsibly dispose of their rubbish.  Volunteers can come and help with the weekly clean ups or can come to support the NGO in other ways via internships, running workshops, or helping with design, social media or other office based activities.

Despite the beauty of the mountains, trash is still a significant problem as there is a big difference in people's attitudes towards rubbish in India, it really is hugely dividing.  Either people will really find it a terrible issue and do their best to stop it or people just don't care at all, it isn't even a consideration - especially for those used to living in cities where the streets are full of litter and anywhere is a dumping site.  Even I am basically used to the rubbish in the cities, as everything is so polluted and dirty - but when you see the rubbish in the natural setting it really stands out as something that shouldn't be there.

When I did the Triund hike the first time with my mum, I just couldn't keep my mind off the rubbish that I kept seeing everywhere along the trail.  It reminded me of a familiar feeling I'd had in Nepal when I had also been hiking.  There were plastic bottles, glass bottles, clothes, shoes, sweet wrappers, cartons, crisp packets, cigarette butts, plates, plastic bags - the list just goes on.  It was distracting me from taking in the scenery as I just felt so disgusted by it.  I vowed to take some trash down on the way back down the next day.  My heart sank as I confronted some Indian guys who happily threw their plastic bottle from the mountain.  They just didn't understand what I was saying, or simply didn't care.  The top of the mountain was the worst - we'd come during a popular holiday and the camping site looked atrocious covered in bottles left by tourists.  I was also surprised none of the chai stands had made any effort to clean up at least their patch.

But I was fortunate enough to join Waste Warriors on a few of their clean up operations.  I came across them when I was on the way down from Triund on their weekly clean up of the route.  Inspired and raring to go, I joined them a week later to do the same hike but this time I was equipped with big waste bags, gloves and tongs ready to face the rubbish.  Luckily, having done the hike before, I knew what I was letting myself in for and that I was fit enough. The Indian couple who had also joined us had not anticipated how hard the hike would be - it's one thing to do a hike when you aren't used to it, but another to also be bending down picking up waste and they really struggled.

Yet I enjoyed the challenge. We spent the whole day collecting rubbish, arriving at the top only as it was beginning to get dark and we stayed overnight to rest and return the next morning.  I found myself getting quite perfectionist in my litter picking - not being able to leave anything.  As I grew more confident I became a bit more daring with where I would go to collect the waste.  Some pieces were quite hard to reach, stuck in trees or bushes or having rolled off into the valley, but I figured if we didn't collect it, who would?  So we were very thorough in our clean up and I also improved my acrobatic and balancing skills as a result!  In return for volunteering the local chai stands would give us free drinks and we got to stay in a small hut in Triund for free, sheltered from the biting cold.

I still can't believe how much people's attitudes vary towards this issue.  From speaking to locals there is a great deal of tension and resentment towards the tourists who are the ones creating and throwing the rubbish.  However in particular, they blame the Punjabi tourists who are increasingly using this as a weekend holiday destination.  They are developing a reputation for 'having it large' and will come, party, do lots of drinking, shouting and then go home oblivious to the mark they have left.  It's difficult for me to write this, as I don't want to single out a particular group, as we are all responsible for this issue, however there is certainly evidence showing that the numbers of these tourists are increasing and I too observed this party culture and have been shocked this trip by how much alcohol and binge drinking really is becoming part of main stream Indian society.

I'd really recommend anyone that goes to Bhagsu to spend some time working with this organisation - they are doing a really great job and it's oddly very satisfying to collect the rubbish.  Of course there is still much work to be done in preventing this from happening in the first place.  There needs to be a huge change in attitude and public opinion and I just hope that India's new prime minister succeeds in his mission to try and clean up the country.  The mountains are a wonderful place and it's a tragedy to see them being polluted and the wildlife to be destroyed.  Once it's done it's too late - I hope people start to wake up soon. For more info on Waste Warriors visit their website here.

I've been so happy to start volunteering at the Lotus Foundation School, a small NGO based in Samne Ghat with around fifteen students.  As always in India, things never go as you want and so I couldn’t start on the planned date as there was no water at the school as there was building work going on. Yet it was a huge relief when I finally could start as I'd felt quite isolated being in my Indian home away from it all and wanted to dedicate my energy to something.  I've really enjoyed working with the kids, they are so full of life and it feels good to be contributing to something other than just my own travels and musical development.

The school is a primary school for children that live in a small slum next to the Ganges beneath a large unfinished bridge that crosses the river.  It's really great they get an opportunity to have an education and to learn basic things that we take for granted such as how to take care of ourselves.  At school they can wash, clean their hair and brush their teeth.  Such simple acts that otherwise aren't part of their routine.

Sadly hitting and shouting are part of their every day routine and school is also a place for them to learn that this just isn't an acceptable way to treat people or get what you want. It's difficult when this is what they learn at home.  Many parents aren't supportive of the children attending school, so there are always different students each day.  Sometimes the children might want to come but have to work or sometimes they might just not feel like it and no one is forcing them to go.  However every day we go to the slum to collect them to try and encourage them.

I have a huge amount of respect for Jill, an American lady, who runs the project. Firstly she's learnt pretty good Hindi which her allow her to teach the children to speak, read and write.  Everyday there are new challenges at the school – there's no cook, there's noise from builders, the gas has run out, there's a scooter in the classroom etc, but Jill keeps her calm and each day just does what she can given the difficult circumstances.

She is co-ordinating a move to a new school building next month across the river so that more children can attend.  She will create a hostel so that the current 15 or so children that come each day can live there and be fed so that they can keep coming.  If that wasn’t enough in itself she is also in the process of starting a guesthouse in the tourist area – the profits of which will be used to fund the school in the long run and offer job training to the children in the future. Jill very much takes everything in her stride, she manages so many things, it's amazing.

She has also been great to work with.  I've found it challenging in the past volunteering on projects where there is little support and induction but she was very welcoming.  I work with an Indian man called Vikash, who usually teaches but has been translating for me and handles a lot of the discipline which makes it so much easier.  I also really appreciate his help so much – in the past it's been hard to teach with my limited Hindi and not knowing the school's way of maintaining discipline.

Jill is also passionate about ensuring the children are involved in the arts and can learn to express themselves.  Which is where I come in! I've been teaching the children music and songs to develop their English and starting to develop their rhythm.  It's been fun taking my guitar to school each day to teach new songs.  We've also made out own instruments and done lots of drawing. We are now preparing for a performance before I leave which is really exciting for them and gives them a good reason to come to school.  I feel like in this short space of time I now know each child - their personality and ability.  It's a shame I have to leave, I've enjoyed working with the kids and having the school routine.

As well as the teaching I love the start of school, the name game they do so that they can learn names (another things we take for granted - they live together yet don't know one another's names), doing yoga, some meditation (aka trying to sit still for two whole minutes) and reading the day's message. It's also great they get given a healthy snack of fruit as well as lunch of rice and daal.  The one time of day there is a sustained amount of silence as they gobble up their food.  I'm also fortunate to get picked up every day on a scooter which is just so much fun, whizzing through the hustle and bustle of Varanasi.

Thanks so much Jill - if you want to get in contact with her for any volunteering let me know!

You truly know you're in India when you have to alter your daily routine as a result of monkeys causing you trouble.  I was lured into a false sense of adorement for these creatures, the little ones look so cute and they're entertaining to watch but I quickly discovered they are not to be messed with.  In fact now I'm super wary of them.

The monkeys are very aggressive, territorial and protective of their babies.  They're on heat at this time of year and just become crazy.  My first encounter was with Anita Ji, trying to get to her mum's house - there was a group of them crossing the street and she wouldn't dare go past them until a man came with a large stick and shooed them away.  I remember thinking she was quite overly worried and that it was a bit extreme, surely we could just quickly scoot past?

Soon I got a phone call from my Kolkata friend explaining she'd just arrived in Varanasi the previous night and had been bitten by a monkey this morning!  She was meditating on the roof when she felt a baby monkey jump innocently onto her.  She thought it was sweet until the mother monkey lept towards her, chasing her down the stairs with other monkeys following.  Mother monkey then bit her on the leg with her sharp teeth.  My friend had to go to the hospital to get several rabies injections which made her pretty sick each time she had them.  What a welcome to the city……

I knew then the monkey problem really was serious and the next day I had my first adrenaline pumping encounter.  In the mornings, if there's time I like to go to the roof top to play my guitar.  It's the only place I can get some privacy as every door in my Indian house is always open (even the one to my bedroom get's  re opened whenever I close it as they use the room for puja and to have class!).  If I played outside the house I'd just attract so much attention.  So before and after the heat of the sun blasts out, the roof is my one 'safe space' - although obviously there is also someone who lives up there are does their washing and cleaning as I play…ha.

Anyway, I was innocently playing my guitar and watching the group of monkeys across the street on top of another building, far away, scavenging for food leftover from a wedding party.  Before I knew it a small head popped up from over the wall, looked me straight in the eyes, flashed it's sharp teeth and immediately I knew it was in attack mode. Uh oh,

I knew that if I just ran, it would chase me and just bite me like it did with my friend because they are so fast.  Luckily I'd just heard from someone that if you look as though you are going to attack them they back off and so you shouldn't lurch backward but run forwards.  Yes, it seems a bit counter intuitive but I lifted my guitar in the air and shouted 'AGHHHHHHHHH' in a really low voice for a really long time lurching my body forwards. It looked surprised, so then I ran for it!

I heard it chase me as I ran down the stairs so I turned again and went 'AGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH'.  Ran again - I was still being chased so turned around AGAIN with my aggressive 'AGHHH' until I was on the level of my house.  Of course another monkey was also coming up the stairwell having heard the shriek from it's friend so I backed into my gateway slamming the gate shut and could see that there were now about six monkeys hanging around the house, the balcony of which is protected by a cage.  Now I know why there is a cage.

Anita said she'd heard my shout but had though it was a man because it was so low.  They monkey troop hung around for a good hour waiting for me to come out.  It shook me up but I know I had a lucky escape.   From that day on if there's the slightest sign of any monkeys on the roof I return home.  And I always carry a huge, big stick up there with me.  On the streets I avoid going near them and know never to make eye contact….monkey business.

Little things I'm grateful for - hot water for washing.  I hadn't realised there was hot water at our house as the warm and cold tap are the wrong way round.  Each morning I'd been cringing as I washed, thinking that 'warm' water, must mean not freezing cold.  Only accidently did I discover there is warm water.  Halleluiah, it's changed my world, just a small, simple thing but so much nicer to have.

I also never realised the importance of mirrors.   I like to think I'm not so vain and when I lived in the jungle I barely used a mirror, but it's not like I had to look presentable for anything (or wear much!) but now I've been working in a school and wanting to get ready and there is only one mirror in the house in the dining room that everyone uses.  I feel really weird about standing there and getting ready.  Privacy in the house has definitely been an issue!

It's wedding season and so it was only a matter of time before I would be invited to an Indian Wedding.  I went to a small sections, which is good as they go on for days with people not even sleeping so I was satisfied with just a glimpse.  I attended with the whole family and although we didn't see the actual ceremony, as that didn't start until 1am, I got a good feel for what it's like. It was a grand affair with the venue lavishly decorated with sparkly and shiny things that they so much love here.  There were delicious food stalls dotted around the site and so I was in food heaven.  I borrowed a beautiful silk sari and felt very glamorous.  There was also a lot of sitting around not knowing what was going on which is just my usual India experience a lot of the time.  So I played with Anjali, the 11 year old child of the family, who was delighted to have someone to play rock, paper, scissors with.

I was also very privileged to perform in a small concert a couple of weeks ago – a complete surprise.  A group of Argentian tourists came to the home to see my Indian parents do a concert and they invited me to sing with them.  I sang an Indian song (Bolo Bolo) by myself which was terrifying as I had to follow their incredible performance!  And nerves make singing an already complex song even harder.  But I appreciate their sentiment, they were giving me this opportunity to practice which is wonderful.

Then I got to sing a song with my guitar which I really enjoyed, this was much more in my comfort zone but of course once again, expect the unexpected.  We hadn't rehearsed and as I started playing the song Indian drumming from the tabla accompanied me, a super fast rhythm started, far faster than I wanted - it just did not suit the song and the drumming had to slowly fade out again.  It threw me a bit, but I managed to see the funny side.  This is India….