Dev Cottages McLeod Ganj

... is no line. Everyone pushs and elbows each other to get to the front and then wave the money in front of the booth operators face and yell the destination. After some jostling and boxing out a few folks, I finally got my chance, took my 500 rupees and stuffed in the conductors face and said "Two for Dharmasalla". He issues my ticket...I let Sara wait in the corner so she would not be subjected to this mess...So the hard part is over right, thank god.

But wait this is India ...

... and sculptures that take months to complete - for example for the sacre fabric work each thread is silk handwrapped in horse hair.

What now for the Tibetans of Mcloud-Ganj? Independence (or even autonomy) from China and a return home seems unlikely? A culture that exists to bring tourists to North India?

On to lighter things - Mcloud-Ganj is a beautiful place, and quite peaceful (rare for India).

... Delhi, but she's promised to show me the real Dehli (nightclubs!!) rather than the backpacker scene next time I'm there.

Last night we went to Chonor House, which is a swanky hotel & restaurant where Richard Gere stays when he's in town. We met some really interesting people and had some fantastic food and wine- it was a really nice way to celebrate my birthday!

My computer class have their last lesson today so I am trying to upload ...

... br>
I've also been to the Dalai Lama's teachings this week, he only does them about 5 times a year so i struck it lucky with the timings. This week he's been teaching on the 4 Noble truths, and it was in English (normally you have to listen to a translation on a radio, I did it one day and it was really bad reception & hard work!) It's been truly inspirational & the atmosphere has been amazing.

Due to the Teachings, the town has been very busy since I ...

... the instruments whilst I was in the chair. She seemed very good though. Scale and polish worked out to be a fiver, which is madness considering how much we pay in Europe/Oz. As her first customer, I feel like its my responsibility to spread the word for her. So if you're ever visiting the Dalai Lama in McLeod Ganj, please use Perfect 32 (I think its 32) for any dental treatment. She has steady hands and new equipment...

I think I could stay here forever.

Hi Everybody, Hi Everybody, So since I last posted a blog, we've been up in northern India in the beautiful town of McLeodGanj. This small hillside town is part of Dharamsala and also the residence of His Holiness The XIV Dalai Lama as well as the Tibetan Government in Exile. McLeodGanj is a small tourist town, with people from all over the world, here to study Buddhism, Spirituality, Reiki, Cooking, and many other subjects. There are also many adventure seekers who are here ...

... air up high is so thin, so clear, the colors are just amazingly bright! The camera agrees that there is a LOT of light - and so does my bottom lip which keeps trying to fall off from sun/windburn. Does anyone know of a chapstick IV? Then down, down, down. Lest one think this is a joy-ride, let me describe the road types in this 475km stretch of this one and lonely road across the Himalaya: 5% is absolutely horrible. This is usually where "improvements" are in progress ...

... on the cliff edge, his little shrine. He stops everyone who goes by and gives them a 'tikka' (a red mark devout HIndus wear on their forehead) and 'prasad' (temple-blessed food offering). He was so friendly and smily, and told me in his broken English that he visited Niagara Falls in 1975. The village of Sangla is made up of traditional slate-roofed houses which are seemingly stacked on top of each other. This is the first place we encounter the Kinnauri mix of Hinduism and Buddhism ...

... waiting, we resigned ourselves to getting wet. We were able to get across one channel of the stream unscathed, but wouldn't be able to get across the second. We made the decision to cross wearing boots to be safe (for better footing). Again I was annoyed. I had made it 8 1/2 days without getting my boots wet (Gore-Tex rocks). Now this. In the end, the stream crossing wasn't a big deal. It was knee deep with ...

... arguing with the guy that led us there and we took off to find a place on our own. So after a little pow-wow at the local Barista café we found a nice little place, close to the mall that was just about what we wanted to pay. After being up since 4 AM we were finally able to relax. Yesterday after some much needed sleep in, we ventured to a little travel place that we read about so that Dave, Dev and Jesse could book the rest of their way. We are splitting ...