Mind, Spirit and Body
Trip Start
Jan 21, 2007
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41
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Trip End
Nov 02, 2007
Dharamsala/McLeod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh, India
Monday, June 25, 2007
Like - Spiritual opportunities there, the Tibetan Library offers meditation classes which were really great.
Dislike - that some of the classes/centers are just in it for the money, so they often provide substandard classes or inept teachers.
Do Differently - gone on a retreat, or take a course, but they are about 100USD, so they can add up quickly, or take a silver smith class.
Stayed - View Café - nice cheap, if you have someone to share with you can get a lot for your money if you look around a bit, above the Budda Hall there were some nice hotels.
Transportation - from Kasol, I got on a bus to Buntar and took the night bus to McLeod Ganj.
SHops
Well the night bus reminded me of the Night Bus out of Harry Potter! It was horrible and you get to McG, and no one is around its about 5AM. Finally, some cabs and rickshaws came and took us up to Bagsu. If you get dropped in Dharamsala there did not seem to be anything either. Luckily one of the girls I too the rickshaw had been there before, and she showed me a place to stay (the Silver House), but it was full! Not to mention no one was up yet, so you had to sit around a bit and wait, I didn't sleep very well on the bus so I just kept looking and found the View Café on the very last ally and the very last house really. The next day I walked around Bagsu and McG, tons of shops! Imagine, and tons of classes, so it was a bit overwhelming on trying to see which ones were legit and which ones were out for a buck. Then the next couple of days, I got sick I had to go to the Tibetan Hospital in Dharamsalaa, which did a bunch of test and gave me medication for super cheap and I felt like they did a nice job.
On the mend again I decided to do a lot of different classes instead of one long class/retreat, so that my money would go further and I could try out different things, not to mention I didn't have as much time as I had intended anymore. I ended up taking 2 cooking classes with Rita, they were great, she lets you chose your menu, which will impress people back at home
bat
. I also took some yoga classes, which were a lot of fun, I had to unblock my lower back, thanks to a big backpack. I also went to the Tibetan library for some meditation and talks which gave you lots to think about for the day. Hila and Mara showed up they took a silver jewelry making class, and Hila got her cards read, and Mara went for Ayumedical help for her migraines. There is tons to do here, music, painting, meditation, healing, readings, and yoga but it can get expensive quickly. One night we headed to the Tibetan music awards! It was quiet interesting hearing different types of music and instruments. There was a girl from America in there, and an old hippy band which I thought was kind of funny. The American girl was quiet good though she had learned to play the Tibetan Guitar (I don't know what it is called). Another night we sat and listened to a group jamming out in the Giraffe bar, which was a lot of fun, but people were really packed in there, I felt like I was in college again listening to our local bands. Saturday we headed to Darmkot for Shabot again. This time it was much more formal. The food though was tasty, lots more people at this one though. Speaking of food you have to try the Bagsu cake, it's a specialty there and the original is sold at one of the convenient stores towards the top, its cookie, caramel and chocolate. I had a nice time in McG and Bagsu but I was still not feeling up to par looked forward to a bit of beach time in Malaysia
batsu
. India can be a rough place to travel, though looking back I saw some pretty amazing stuff and learned a great deal. As a traveler you will stick out a mile and its hard to break into the locals, unless your in a really tourist town. You have to be on your toes not to be scammed, but you don't want to shut out other people or opportunities. Single woman traveling is a bit harder as well, traveling in a group was really great and made things much simpler, or even in an area where there are other tourist around. Now when I talk to others about India its like trading war stories (a bit exaggeration), or talking about the odd situations you tend to find yourself in. The bobble head is a constant topic of amusement, the theories I have heard, is the shorter the bobble it means yes, longer no, but who can say, it will drive you nuts when your lost and asking for directions 
