Surya Resort Dharamsala

... of locals boys who kept us thoroughly entertained the whole way. Each other asking questions about who they were, where they lived etc etc. Even covered football and cricket. I found one Indian who doesn't like cricket....is that allowed???
I had bought biscuits so fed the entire group. Was something like the feeding of the 5 thousand but this time with 3 packets of biscuits!
The 2 ladies had booked a car from Pathankot ot Dharamsala and kindly ...

... The falls were cool and refreshing. There were small cafes along the way. As I was coming back down the trail, I saw an Indian Sadhu, or Holy Man approaching. As he came near, I asked if he was going to the waterfall. He indicated that he was going much higher, and pointed towards the mountains beyond. I indicated that I would like to take a photo. He generously agreed. I took the photo. As I took my eye off my camera controls and looked up ...

... and made myself filthy from head to toe. We managed to jump on to the very last bus into McLeod Ganj for the evening and arrived there some 30 minutes later. We began our search for a place to sleep. Eyal wanted to go to Baghsu...which is an Israeli-hippie party town...but we did not. Finally, after looking at a few places...annina and I sat down at the Green Hotel Restaurant while Sara and Eyal went off to look for a place. All the ...

... everyone was just holding their leaves so I continued to hold mine as well. I walked through the temple's three levels and found no where to give my offering. The goo kind of looked like food but I figured it would be a bad idea to eat it because that could probably be really offensive so just held it until it become apparent what I should do otherwise. It came time to leave the temple and I walked out still holding my leaf of goo ...

... dust in the valley below making the sky into two seperate entities. the very dark lower half and the lighter top half. each half had it's own stars the town in the bottom and the stars in the top. Breath taking! The next day a walk up to the summit and a roll around looking at the next level of mountains behind, soo nice and then another wonderful night watching a powercut in the villages below which ...

... the rhythms of this town. I must seem more relaxed and myself now because, as I had hoped, I'm starting to meet people and have some great conversations. It's a wonderful thing to get to know people who were complete strangers just a few moments before. Language is not an issue, most people speak English very well. For those of you who don't know, McLeod Ganj is the home His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in exile. After the Dalai Lama ...

... was a large waiting room especially for our carriage class (A1 - air conditioned) so we set up camp for the next 4 hours!!! Soon after David and I started playing cards, we began getting some observers. The Indians love cards and card tricks so david showed this father and son a card trick. Then another one. Then another one. These were met with rapturous laughter and merriment. Then the other 4 members of the family were brought over to witness magic Dave. Then another family ...

... delicious and I knew that I shouldn't have tried it but, in a moment of weakness, I took a bit and am hooked. Dangerous stuff. Our teacher, Rita, is a sweet Indian lady who loved Jeremy's chopping abilities and pronouncing his name, which is hard for many to say. She loves oil and butter and isn't afraid to use it! I asked her if we could bake the samosa's (instead of frying) and she thought I was crazy. She says without the oil they would be no ...

... old pilgrim with a wrinkled, red face, wearing a Tibetan skirt, raps my shoulder and offers me a digestive. I believe that the lay people are more faithful than the monks, who chat and gossip and fool around while the laypeople around me in the outer perimeter of the temple murmur prayers reverently. I find it disrespectful that the monks are fooling around with the laypeople watching them. Many of the Tibetans are frail and hunched over ...

... such) said we should go to the police, but my little sister piped up and said "no! that would take years." So, where did we go? To a Lama, of course. My two aunties and I trecked up to a small appartment above a hotel, and followed this lama out to the patio, where, under an extroardinary, star lit sky he told us that he would pray and dream that evening. We were to come back the next morning for an answer ...