Mcleod Ganji,
India
Sunday, May 14, 2006
First took the 6 hr long local bus (120 rupees =1.50!) from Amritsar to Dharam Sala, then a 20 minute bus ride through the mountain passes to Mcleod Ganji, which is a place full of small restaurants and guest houses, as well as a large Tibetan population. Many families or single people are living in exile here, since it was adopted by the Dalai Lama and became acknowledged as a refuge for the official Tibetan government. They are such nice people. I spent half of this afternoon talking to a Tibetan lad, in his twenties, who wanted nothing more than the chance to practice his English, and as he explained, with real English speakers, not Indian (fake) English. Ok, some of you are saying to yourselves, "why did he pick a Scots git like you then?", but I thought I would get that in before someone else does!
The Dalai Lama is not in residence today, I understand he returns from a trip to the US tomorrow.
The real plus for me though, is that I have managed to escape the dreadful heat in Punjab.
