Jagatram Niwas Dharamsala

... massive Golden Buddha. Didn't go any further into the temple as I didn't want to intrude and disturb people. On the other side of the temple there were prayer wheels so naturally had to turn them (did remember to do it clockwise!) and receive the merit!
So that's Sikhism, Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity........so must have covered most bases over the last few days! So find me a Mosque and a Synagogue and I think I'm totally covered!!

... water falls which sooths one's eyes.

St. John’sChurch

8km from Dharamsala, between Forsythganj and Mcleodganj is the charming dressed-stone church of St. John in the Wilderness. Under the shade of deodar branches, a memorial has been erected over the body of the British Viceroy, Lord Elgin who died at Dharamshala in 1863. There is a well tended old graveyard on these grassy sloped.

DalLake

The lake lies amidst hills and ...

... passed out.

Next morning, Ben, Hoop and I ate a lazy breakfast before deciding to trek the 8 miles to a local lookout for Himalayan views. Thanks to the portable speakers and a little Jamiroqui, we soon became famous with a small group of English trekkers. We educated them on the finer points of Flight of the Concords and business time. Back in town, we picked up anther bottle, finished it, and promptly ...

... the top, he stopped at the lookout chai stop and bought a walking stick, not really knowing that it was a tool that would save his life. He went hard and strong and made it to Triund and the summit just after noon and I'm sure felt the amazing feeling of accomplishment that we all felt after the difficult trek. The beauty and wonder that is seen from Triund is almost indescribable and the pictures we took are only memories of what it was like up there ...

... patterned shirt, a leather jacket, and a cowboy hat. He has gone into huge debt trying to organize artistic and cultural events to bring Tibetans together to celebrate and be social, rather than just getting together for angry protests. He not only plans the Miss Tibet pageant, he also plans Tibetan film and art shows, and last year he planned a Tibetan Olympics to counter the Olympics in Beijing and his event received world wide ...

... It really hard to communicate with the kids because the language barrier. It gets really frustrating at times. So Im going to change my placement and try out the women's group. Im really excited for that. Anyway. I love you guys and miss you all sooo much! I think of you guys everyday. I upload pictures to my Flickr so you can see them there. (dad can you give out the web address to everyone so they can see my photos) .  I love you guys!!!! Lots of hugs and kisses from India!  -Albany

We have spent the last few days in Dharamsala, home to the exciled governement of Tibet and the Dali Lama. Monsoon season is in full effect here and it has rained a good part of each day, however we have still managed to have some interesting experiences. We meet up with a friendly Canadian couple (on a 3 month trip) and it has been nice to have some company in exploring Dharamsala and waiting out the monsoons ...

... headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile and residence of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. It is the home to many Tibetan refugees so there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer and help the newcomers. There are also a lot of western volunteers here, there are probably more westerners here than we have met in the whole of Indian on our travelers. So believe it or not we have become English Teachers to a bunch of Tibetan nuns, monks and other ...

... Dharamakot to see Madu. Surely older than her zesty good looks give off, she's beautiful but wise, incredibly gentle but firm. Under her hands I both disappeared and was so present with her touch and my body. If you ever need a massage come to India and find her. I might even go back one more time tomorrow before I leave. Cost is 700rs for around 2 hrs. That's less than $20!!!! And oh yeah! The amazing Chocolate Balls at the street baker's!

... down a set of steps. It turned out that they were semi-open (they were letting people stay, but the restaurant was closed and they wanted to look like they were closed), so he showed us one of the rooms. The room was OK, but the price was as steep as the spectacular mountains surrounding the town. However as I was feeling a little run-down from the 7-hour bus journey we decided to stay there and look for something else the next morning. One marvellous thing about Green ...