Day 147 - Dharamsala/McLeod Ganj - Tibet in India
Our last and very bumpy night bus for our five month trip took us from Manali to Dharamsala, the home of all the Tibetans that cannot live in China. Including the most famous Tibetan of them all, the Dalai Lama. We quickly figured out why they picked Dharamsala to move to. It is a beautiful little town in the mountains with magnificent views over the valley below and snow capped mountain above.
The second that we reached the north of India we felt like we had left India. Reaching our new destination it felt like we were even further away from the big and bustling sub-continent. Many of the people living in the very north of India are Tibetans speaking both Hindi and their native languages. The Tibetan spirit was seen everywhere in town. Even the Indians seemed calmer and more laid back. It was quite fun to see the two cultures clash when Indians on vacation interacted with the Tibetans. The residential town of the Dalai Lama of course works as a magnet for tourists, most notably the "hippie backpacker" type that travel to Dharamsala for spiritual enlightenment, to play tabla (an Indian drum), to do Yoga, and to endulge in yet more of the northern hash. The hills around the town are filled with Yoga centers, cafés playing Bob Marley, hairdressers making corn rows, stores selling anything with the cannabis leaf on it, and guest houses named "Chilled Out" and "Ohm Guest House".
We found a beautiful hidden little guest house where only Indians seemed to stay and checked in. It had big windows through which we saw the valley and the snow capped mountains, an amazing view that we enjoyed as we recovered after our night bus ride.
When we woke up, we went to the Tibetan Buddhist complex, which is also the current residence of the Dalai Lama. After the big and very "bling-bling" temples and palaces that we have seen so far this trip, we expected something extravagant and gold covered, but the what revealed itself to us looked more like a run down old school. It was also extremely loud as the monks were doing some kind of ritual where they fake slapped each other. Even though we did not catch a glimpse of the Dalai Lama it was a very interesting place to visit especially as it is soon the his birthday. This year will be his 75th birthday, and the complex had a small exhibit where there were pictures of him with Bush, Mao, and Prince Edward among others.
Dharamsala is supposed to be a very rainy place, and we got to experience that on our second day. The very heavy rain forced us to stay inside and watch TV all day. I got quite excited to see the old Beverly Hills 90210 episodes that I used to watch as a kid. The skies did clear in the evening and left some dramatic scenery as the mountains where covered in snow and as the sun set, the sky let off many different colours.
Our last day in the Himalayas was a beautiful one. A clear blue sky greeted us as we went out to explore the area around this special place. We understood why the Tibetans chose to take refuge in this area as the valley appeared to us, a very beautiful one. As we were heading back into town we bumped into a very friendly British couple who we had met on the bus going to Kratie in Cambodia. Reminiscing and catching up with them made us reflect on how great the trip has been and how many wonderful things we have experienced. It also made us realize that there are only a few days left and that we have to savor every last experience that we have.
We have really loved the northern parts of India, but now it is time to head south again to the heat. Next stop, the mecca of the Sikhs, Amritsar.
The second that we reached the north of India we felt like we had left India. Reaching our new destination it felt like we were even further away from the big and bustling sub-continent. Many of the people living in the very north of India are Tibetans speaking both Hindi and their native languages. The Tibetan spirit was seen everywhere in town. Even the Indians seemed calmer and more laid back. It was quite fun to see the two cultures clash when Indians on vacation interacted with the Tibetans. The residential town of the Dalai Lama of course works as a magnet for tourists, most notably the "hippie backpacker" type that travel to Dharamsala for spiritual enlightenment, to play tabla (an Indian drum), to do Yoga, and to endulge in yet more of the northern hash. The hills around the town are filled with Yoga centers, cafés playing Bob Marley, hairdressers making corn rows, stores selling anything with the cannabis leaf on it, and guest houses named "Chilled Out" and "Ohm Guest House".
We found a beautiful hidden little guest house where only Indians seemed to stay and checked in. It had big windows through which we saw the valley and the snow capped mountains, an amazing view that we enjoyed as we recovered after our night bus ride.
When we woke up, we went to the Tibetan Buddhist complex, which is also the current residence of the Dalai Lama. After the big and very "bling-bling" temples and palaces that we have seen so far this trip, we expected something extravagant and gold covered, but the what revealed itself to us looked more like a run down old school. It was also extremely loud as the monks were doing some kind of ritual where they fake slapped each other. Even though we did not catch a glimpse of the Dalai Lama it was a very interesting place to visit especially as it is soon the his birthday. This year will be his 75th birthday, and the complex had a small exhibit where there were pictures of him with Bush, Mao, and Prince Edward among others.
Dharamsala is supposed to be a very rainy place, and we got to experience that on our second day. The very heavy rain forced us to stay inside and watch TV all day. I got quite excited to see the old Beverly Hills 90210 episodes that I used to watch as a kid. The skies did clear in the evening and left some dramatic scenery as the mountains where covered in snow and as the sun set, the sky let off many different colours.
Our last day in the Himalayas was a beautiful one. A clear blue sky greeted us as we went out to explore the area around this special place. We understood why the Tibetans chose to take refuge in this area as the valley appeared to us, a very beautiful one. As we were heading back into town we bumped into a very friendly British couple who we had met on the bus going to Kratie in Cambodia. Reminiscing and catching up with them made us reflect on how great the trip has been and how many wonderful things we have experienced. It also made us realize that there are only a few days left and that we have to savor every last experience that we have.
We have really loved the northern parts of India, but now it is time to head south again to the heat. Next stop, the mecca of the Sikhs, Amritsar.
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