Macleod Ganj, Tibetan India!

20/05
The night has been horribly long, like everytime we take a night bus. Fab manages to get a bit of sleep but I cannot. The road has been very bendy and uncomfortable. We are going up in the Himalayas so the road keeps turning, I feel frustrated that we cannot see anything, there might be mountains, ridges around but it is total darkness...We arrive around 5.30am in Dharamsala. The temperature has dropped compared to the mornings in Rishikesh, it's only around 20 degrees! We take a small taxi the four of us and start driving up the small half dirt half concrete small roads to reach Macleod Ganj, a few kilometres away. We get there for 6am, everything is shut, no shop to have tea, no guesthouse has the doors open.
We take the village road and start walking down with our bags. The village sits on the top of a high hill and all the roads either go down or up, steep ascent again. The village is very quiet at this time. We start knocking at a few guesthouse doors, but the few we check are rather expensive or dirty. A guy then shows up and offers to show us some 'good and cheap rooms'. We follow him with our heavy back packs down some (leg breaking) stairs to find ugly rooms, with a view not on the mountain but...on the stinky sewer that run at the foot of the guesthouse! We make him understand that his rooms are not what we are looking for. We climb up the stairs back to the road, where we decide that the girls would be exploring and scouting to find more suitable rooms, and the boys waiting with the bags. The guys sit a the terrace of a cafe that has just opened and we carry on our exploration through the hilly village. On our return, the guys go and check out the rooms and we finally opt for a nice but not too cheap guesthouse with a marvellous view on a very high peak, the Dhauladhar snow clad moutain, and a nice roof terrace. We have breakfast then go for a well-deserved rest.
The day goes by fairly simply as we both feel tired. We walk shortly around the village, meet up with our friends and talk about our first impressions of the place. We're in India but the vast majority of the people here are Tibetans! In 1959, after China took over Tibet in order to 'free' the country, the Dalai Lama looked for a place to settle his government in exile. Macleod Ganj was 'given' to the Tibetans as a place where all the refugees could gather and live protected from the constant assaults of the Chinese police. 50 years later we are here amongst those people who fled their home country to avoid persecution. The village boasts many organisations, associations, charities, hospitals and doctors to take care of the new migrants and refugees. Not so many Indians here and it really feels like we have changed country!!!!!
Later we have dinner and go to bed.

21/05
We wake up this morning with the sun in our eyes! Our room has a splendid view to the East and the sun emerges from behind the high peak!! We feel peaceful and Fab gets up to find some cookies for our breakfast.
We then start our day slowly exploring the village a bit more and start our quest to find yoga courses, reiki courses and so on. We see some good places, some bad, some nice teachers and some horribly arrogant ones... Loads of westerners come here to participate in some Tibetan activities too, to take yoga and reiki courses, there are some hippie travellers and some more mature ones. Something hard to point out is being felt here. The place is touristic and feels a little fake but intense too...It might be due to the fact that the town is full of refugees trying to make their way out of the precarious situation. There are many tibetan craft shops, few cafes and restaurant mainly oriented for the Westerners but it has a really nice feel. Few indian tourists around also. It is a weird beautiful place, the air is filled with energy and spirituality too, as we walked past old Tibetans swirling their prayer wheels, many monks, people from everywhere. It feels it is a very important place for Buddhism, but also a very cosmopolitan hub at the same time. We come back to the room and do some very awaited translation for the blog! We go and enjoy a nice tea cup in a wifi cafe we've picked up earlier on with cakes! Later on we meet up with Kevin and enjoy a pizza and a beer we've all been craving for for a while!!!! With our bellies full we walk slowly back down the village and go to bed.

22/05
Today Fab feels a bit ill, our bellies have been struggling for few day now...on and off!!! I go with Lisette to Bhagsu , visit the small town, walk to the waterfalls, neither big nor spectacular, its water flows down in a thin stream, monks, nuns, people doing their washing, we watch nuns washing their maroon robes, some coloured wollen blankets spread out on large stones. Sad to see all that detergent in the river! We visit the small Shiva temple, we then walk to Dharamkot the next hilly village, green, rural, with pine woods, and a quiet deep forest. A favourite haunt for young backpackers, many israelis here too, we walk up little paths and steps, then walk back by the Tushita meditation centre, many come here to do some meditation retreats, it is a nice walk, prayer flags everywhere in the wood pines. I meet Fab, we get some lunch at a Tibetan cafe, walk to buy some books, Fab gets his shoes repaired, I treat myself with a threading! Then I go with Lisette to the astrological institute, a steep walk up and down. It is closed but we see all the government in exile buildings. In the evening, we go to a small charity doing work with political refugees, they organised a documentary night about the situation in Tibet. We eat Tibetan pizza, chat to political refugees, watch a documentary about a guy who goes back to Tibet as a journalist undercover after emigrating to Britain. It is horrific to see the Chinese dictatorship in action, enforced sterilisation on women, no freedom at all, monbks and lay people in prison...we also watch a small documentary about the bad treatments in Chinese jails and a diary of last year protests led by the Buddhist monks, many people dead or languishing in jails now. Very compelling and we feel quite shocked. We learn how Tibet has been destroyed, how monks are destitute, how the Chinese demographic invasion is going on, how the lack of civil liberties is so difficult to bear and why the Daila Lama often stresses the importance of learning about Buddhism to monks and Tibetans here, to preserve tibetan culture. I know understand the importance of all those institutions in exile: to ensure cultural continuity, to support the people. We both feel a strong connection even if we have nothing in common with those Tibetan who brave rough terrain and snow looking for freedom in an alien land.

23/05
Breakie, internet. We look through the window at the pre dawn mist, the crisp clean air is nice even the drain seems less smelly with that sky and sun in the morning! We watch the Dhauladhars mountains range, we go to a yoga class, eat at the Corean restaurant (MacLeod Ganj is very cosmpolitan so there are many restaurants from everyhwere, a nice break from Indian food!!)We walk around, observe the people, the town...We think of the movies and documentaries about Tibet a lot and it is a humbling experience. The refugees in Dharamsala have nothing, they have no land, no home, many have lost family members, yet there is resilience here. We see strong confident Tibetan business women, dealing with customers,
here the shops are laden with Tibetan arts and posters urging us to 'Save Tibet' everywhere, music stalls selling CDs of monastic chantings and so many charities. Every day after 3 or 4pm, the sky gets darker, the storm arrives, it is weird the sun is high in the sky then the dark clouds fall and it is a fury of rain! It usually rains steadily after that for few hours! Time to read or eat cake! Then we go to a yoga class again. We meet up with our friends for dinner, go to a party in a nearby hotel, dance with the drums, then Fab stays longer as I need to rest, I feel a bit sick again.

24/05
We start the day with a yoga class with Amit who will also be Val's Reiki teacher. It is great to keep doing yoga, we both enjoy it and want it to be part of our routine. We then have breakfast together then I start my reiki class, it is my first session today. We learn about energy, abourt chakras, how to channel the energy and heal yourself and others. The class is formed of 4 people, Lisette, me , a french guy, Romain, and an italian, Matteo, a nice group. Amit is a great teacher, compassionnate and witty, he is open minded and tries to communicate some Indian wisdom to us, all very interesting. We finish around 3pm, go for lunch, I then meet up wtih Fab who has been busy, walking around, checking charities and bookshops, photographing monks, people walking around. Dinner then bed early.

25/05
We struggle to wake up this morning, we feel tired but we attend our daily yoga session. We go for breakfast with the team, Lisette, Matteo, Amit and Fab, we have a very healthy muesly, curd, honey and fruits salad. I then go to my second Reiki session today. It'll be about learning how to heal other people. Fab goes back to the room to chill out and to do his own things. After the end of the lesson, Fab goes to a Reiki treatment with our teacher, while I go for lunch with Lisette, Matteo and Romain. Fab joins us at the end to pick up the keys. He needs to rest as he found the treatment quite intense and feels a little tired. We then decide to go to Gu-Chu-Sum association, an organisation that helps Tibetan political refugees, by giving them English lessons, a room, food, IT courses etc. We spend some tim there doing conversations, teaching English, face to face with a refugee, a nun or a monk, and we get them to practise their English. I end up talking to a nun then a monk, Fab starts talking with a refugee and then a nun. It is quite involving as Fab's companion spent 6 years in prison for making a 'Free Tibet' flag and showing it during a protest in Lhassa! We then go for a walk around the Namgyal Monastery where the residence of His Holiness the Dalai Lama is. It is a very nice walk, quite busy with women tibetans in traditional outfit and men praying, chanting mantras. We think of all the object of faith and arts that have been destroyed but then funny enough, the faith hasn't been destroyed, a new sacred place has been created here as we can ee walking the small path with countless prayers flags and mani stones with the beloved Tibetan mantra: Om mani padme hum. A really great walk, many Tibetans walking carrying prayers wheels and recitating the mantra, many turning their rosary, bead by bead with every sacred whisper from the breath. I think of the Daila Lama, he was the dispossesed ruler of a secluded mountain country when he arrived here in 1959, and he found a refuge but also a place to manifest and promote the ancient Buddhist truth. I am amazed at such an extraordinary adaptability, despite violence he still stands firmly by a peaceful freedom struggle. How amazing! Maybe we can attribute the devotion of the Tibetans to the Daila Lama as cultural conditioning or blind faith but even me, here I can feel the power and strength this person exudes, something connective and universal, the possibility of a different way of being. We feel strongly the holiness of the place and its importance for the Tibetan people and the world. Ceremony flags are hung all over between trees, rocks painted white, carved stoned laid on the rocks, we look at the window ledges of the small praying huts and small temples af it feels peaceful. We finish the walk and make our way back to the guesthouse, to rest for a bit more. As we're both tired and Fab ridden with a headache, we decide to eat next door at the Japanese restaurant, Lung-Ta, a non-profit organisation which works in partnership with the Gu-Chu-Sum association. We then go to bed early, it's only 9pm, but both need some good rest.

26/05
After a good night sleep, we start our routine with our Yoga session. We both feel so stiff today, compared to yesterday, it's quite painful. We have breakfast in the same place again, eating our healthy muesli, curd and fruits salad. I then go to my Reiki session, the last one, it is intense, practice more learning and some fun too as we get our 'diploma'. Now we have to practice for a month before being able to give reiki and let the energy flow. Fab chills out in the room. He meets us for lunch, I then feel tired and struggle with a migraine, I go to rest all afternoon!!! We meet up again for dinner then go back to our teacher's flat to watch a movie about Buddha Boy. Ram Bahadur Bamjon became famous when tens of thousands of people flocked to watch him sitting cross-legged under a tree for almost ten months, in Nepal. His followers - who say he is the reincarnation of Buddha - claimed that during this time he neither ate nor drank. It is puzzling, this young man not eating or sleeping, the video films him and we all chat about the yogic belief that prana (the energy) can feed some yogi from the air or the sun. Amit our teacher is convinced it is possible, we Westerners have more trouble believing it!!! An average human being who stops drinking will die of dehydration in three to four days. Whether he eats or not, it is impressive to see him, in a perfectly still stature even during an evening climate that seemed unbearably cold to the much more fully clothed journalist!!

27/05
Fab is sick this morning, stomach problems again. I go to the yoga session alone. Have a light breakie then go and check on Fab, he is feeling a bit better and wants to go out. We walk to the Dal lake, which is supposed to be picturesque and surrounded by nice trees. Not really....quite dirty and not pretty.... We then walk to the Tibetan Children village, a charity with schools for the Tibetan kids, we walk through schools and uphill to go to the Tushita centre. After this gentle stroll, we walk down under thunder and rain, it is now pouring down!!! We have a late lunch at the Japanese. Then go shopping for some Tibetan crafts. We buy some Thongka painting, some Mandalas. There are important paintings in Tibet as they form many decorative sets in the monasteries. I like to think of this town as a mandala, a map of the world of spiritual journeying, a circle here. There are different worlds: the buddhists, the wanderers, the refugees, of course it is not an ideal place: it is also a hill town with acute water shortages and inefficient sewerage, greedy builders endangering the moutain, and it is also full of materialism, but this fragile town has something more, the opportunity for mindful living, and the presence of the Daila Lama is like a beacon, travellers and refugees follow.
We then go to the movies, to watch Kundun, the Martin Scorcese movie on the childhood of the Daila Lama, interesting and beautiful.

28/05
Yoga for Fab, I chill out this morning and do some washing. We all meet up for breakie, then we walk again around, do more shopping. I have an ayurvedic session, I am meeting with a doctor to find out about my profile. Interesting session learning about ayurvedic medicine and nutrition! Apparently I shouldn't eat too much brown rice, shame as I eat that all the time in London!!!!We wander a bit more than meet up with our friends for dinner at Lung-Ta the japanese restaurant which has become our cantine. I then go for an ayurvedic massage. Fab goes to the Tibetan cafe to have chai with our friends. We all met up again after the session and have a short chat about the next stages of our respective trips. We also try to plan a trek to Triund on Saturday, weather permitted. Bed quite late.

29/05
It is our last yoga session with Amit today as he is leaving tonight to go South to teach some retreats, we have breakfast, go to the post office to send back our summer clothes as we are heading up north in the Himalayas where it will be much colder! We buy some gifts, meet up with Amit and few people for cakes to say goodbye, we chat, exchange emails. Then dinner time, we go to our little charity to watch some documentaries about Tibet and eat Tibetan pizzas, we chat in the kitchen with Lauren the Australian girl who helped set up the association with political refugees. We chat to a nice young man, the one who cooks amazing carrot cakes and learn that he spent 6 years in Chinese prison, being tortured and mistreated for holding up a Tibetan flag for 6 minutes. His friends only got 5 years as they held the flag for 5 minutes. Horrific. I hope to be able to help them fundraise and give them my email. Back to our hotel and bed time as we are all going to Triund tomorrow trekking!

30/05
We start the day by having a breakfast in Bhagsu before heading up to the mountain, it is a steep ascent, with fields and rocks averywhere. On the way, we pick up a team of 7-8 dogs, very friendly, they will follow us up to the top. I am getting cured from my fear of dogs here, they are a gentle nice company, supporting us as we climb slowly but steadily. I often feel breathless but it is beautfiful, the ridge, the view of the valley and of the Dhauladhar mountain, very tiring though! We stop at a chai shop, only half way and still so much to climb!! After the last steep ascent, we reach Triund, a lovely meadow surrounded by mountains but we are unlucky today as it is overcast, we cannot see the beautiful snow cast peak, hidden in the clouds!! Still it is great to be high up, many climbers, the military around, some dogs and some Indian kids camping!!! We decide to keep going after our improvided picnic and meeting with two nice Indian guys from Rajasthan who are here to escape the heat and visit the region. We share mangoes and they decide we are now the Mango connection team. A fun walk but rough and steep in the rocks to the snowline, it is raining and full of mist. The trek is enjoyable but challenging! We make it under the rain, until we reach the snowline cafe and refuge, a big plastic tent, we get some chai, all gather, chat to a Canadian couple who is staying here for the night. Fab and few others decide to stay for the night to see the glacier tomorrow and camp here tonight. Lisette and I decide to climb down, a challenge as it is already 5pm... but we want our beds!!! A long long walk, difficult going down sometimes in the rocks and we are running against time as we want to reach the village before darkness....We walk along nice trees, nice fields but we keep going, keep going....We finally reach the place where we start seeing the lights and have to finish the last hour in the dark, with one torch, on the steep descent, small rocky paths....We reach Bhagsu and treat ouselves to an Indian meal as we are exhausted, it tooks us three hours to arrive here, our feets, knees and ankles are kiling us!! We walk back to our hotel slowly, like two old women with no more knees or ankles at 10pm!!! I enjoy taking a hot shower and watching silly movies tonight...I go out watch the little light coming from far way in the moutain and I imagine Fab sleeping in the big tent under a big blanket, the small fire in the tent and the cooking pots on it, many people, the Himachali family and the climbers....He will told me tomorrow that it was great, eating dhal rice, vegetables, chatting with the family and the other guests in the tent, waking up around midnight to watch the sky and then, early morning looking at the glacier, the snow peaks, the flowers, the grassy fields, enjoying the panoramic views over rocky ridges.

31/05
I have breakfast in towm, meet Fab on the way to the bus station, he was so quick to come down, less than two hours!! Our other friends will take all day and nearly miss their bus tonight!! We chat, Lisette is leaving today at 5pm for Manali, the two others too but still not back yet from trekking. We have lunch in a Tibetan cafe, shop around, walk around, go to the bus to wave goodbyes to our friends, the local bus is full and scary....we are taking it tomorrow morning and it will be a hellish journey for sure... 11 hours to Manali....but for the moment we decide to go back to the Namgyal tremple and do the walk around the monastery, it is nice, we chat, meet one of the American girls from the retreat, we observe the Tibetan walking, praying, reflecting on the fact that they really have to preserve ther culture here. 6000 monasteries were burnt down in Tibet, every Tibetan knows that much of their cultural heritage was destroyed by the Chinese, so many institutions have been recreated here on a small scale, it feels right. We meet more people from the retreat here, then go for dinner in the Corean restaurant. Fab is tired, unsettled and doesn't want to lave tomorrow, he feels he needs another day to rest before heading up north. We agree to take it easy tomorrow and leave Tuesday morning. I am a bit anxious as sadly we are now reaching our last month, time flies and I really want to keep going and move on but it is only another day....Compromise, we will leave Tuesday, reconnect as we have spent so much time wth people recently and rest tomorrow.

01/06
Lazy morning, packing, late breakfast, Fab feels more rested, we talk abut where to go next, after Manali, Leh and the Ladakh region, we are tempted to go through Kashmir but there has been some tensions recently so we will avoid this region and come down through another route. We have lunch here too, we read, I write the blog, Fab rests and we go for another walk around the temple, there is a massive ceremony with many monks, nuns, we watch them chant, pray and sit quietly with them, how beautiful. Spirituality in everything, it really feels like we are not in India anymore...tomorrow will feel different leaving this Tibetan enclave! We then go for some cakes, and ginger tea and relax for our last night here.