Little Tibet…
Travel Location: Dharamsala,India
Dharamsala-I’m writing this at Kovalam beach in Kerala, so excuse me if it seems a bit off. I remember having to read the “Brothers Karamozov” over spring break one year; the book seemed awkward in such a setting. Dharamsala and Kerala are at such opposite ends of the Indian experience, I don’t quite feel right writing this here. Maybe I’ll make a few adjustments in the Alps.
Dharamsala is also known as “Little Tibet.” It’s the home to the Dalai Lama, and also the Tibetan government in exile. We’ve all seen the “Free Tibet” shirts in the States that were made in San Francisco, and then sold for profit, with nothing going to the Tibetans or their cause. I though, bought the coolest Tibetan hat made with real Yak hair that did go to a Tibetans pocket!
The journey to the Himalayas is not easy, who’da thunk it huh? I left Agra at six in the morning, and proceeded to Delhi. I took a flight to Amritsar, and booked a car for the passage up the mountains. The drive took over six hours, and my driver had obviously never been up to that neck of the woods, as he kept asking for directions. I finally made it into my cabin at about ten p.m. The place was cool though, it was a little cabin hanging off the edge of the Himalayan foothills, 7,000 feet up. The contrast to Rajasthan was great. To go from dry, dusty, hot, sea level desert, to giant, cold, and green mountains was really neat. In the morning, I headed up the half hour walk to McKleondgi, the main part of town. The hike was great, but I was unaccustomed to the altitudes. It took about ten minutes longer than it otherwise would have, but the views were awesome. As I’m walking up, the mists clear for a moment, and out of the sky peers a giant mountain. I hurried up the rest of the walk, but when I got to McKleondgi, the sky had filled in. No more Himalayas for the day. The town was shrouded in mountains mist, so instead of picture taking, I went to the Dalai Lamas residence. There are always teachings and public audiences at the Tibetans main temple. Unfortunately, his holiness wasn’t in town. It doesn’t matter though, as I still had a great time touring the temples and being in this totally different setting.
Dharamsala is over 80 percent Tibetan, so it feels as though you’re actually in a different country. Laid back doesn’t quite describe the peoples attitudes there. They are the most sanguine, and polite people I’ve ever met. Here these people are living through their own modern day Diaspora, and yet they have the most upbeat attitudes. It took a lot of work and time to come here, but I’m very happy that I did.
The next day I awoke earlier than I normally do. This was so I could take a longer hike than normal, and so I could shoot the Himalayas before the clouds rolled in. I wasn’t disappointed. I got some great shots off, and had a great hike. I’m accustomed to the altitudes, and am actually exercising with the lower oxygen. I went to Dal Lake, and the village at the top of the hill. How should I describe the village? It’s a small place with only a few houses and stalls with terraced gardens hanging off the side of the mountains. The Himalayan peaks rise high over the green hills, making for a wonderful view. I sat there shooting pictures, and simply enjoying the sights, when I saw a telescope. An enterprising man had bought a telescope, and perched it on the side of the road. It costs 10 rupees for a view, which works out to about 20 cents. I wish I could have taken pictures of what he showed me: A little speck on one of the mountains turned out to be a Buddhist Temple, I saw terraced farms from across the valleys with little houses perched on the hilltops, and a giant eagles nests.
I then went in to McKleondgi and chilled out for the rest of the day, for later that night I had a bus to catch…a sleeper bus to Delhi. A 12-hour sleeper bus to Delhi. It was none too pleasant. The bus to costs about 10 bucks. I was hoping against hope, that the bus wouldn’t be too full. In India, everything’s full, or they don’t take off. Packed to capacity, and in the last row corner seat to top it off. Luckily after a few hours, I fell asleep. My right knee is still hurting from being slammed into by the seat in front of me. The guy just reclined his chair back as fast and as low as he could. Turns out the chairs go pretty low. I’m very happy to be off the bus.
