part 7 DARAMASALA
Daramasala, India
Tuesday, May 06, 2008

As we left the guest house in Amritsar I slipped on some water...backpack and all ... ouch!! it hurt and really shook me up....a great start to our next leg of the journey especially as we were going on a rickety bus for 8 or so hours to Daramasala, i couldn't get up as i was so weighted down by my rucksack and day pack, I had to get call Mick back to pull me up!! did feel a prat!!

Anyway off we went to the bus station got the bus with little fuss amazingly.... and felt more like we were on board ship. My God it was swaying from side to side and then up and down, bang bang bang, we met some nice Europeans, one couple the lady of whom was born in the same hospital as me in London...It certainly is a small world eh!!

Anyway after a puncture, hair pin bends with nice big drops beside us...ahh., a few near miss collisions ... we arrived at Daramasala, stunning scenery en route above the hills the snow capped Himalayas.... and the air cooled so it was more pleasant plus of course it was getting near evening.... and then we had to either get a bus or taxi to McLeod Ganj so we decided to club together with a few other Europeans, 2 English, One Polish guy (same one from previous hotel two Germans and Mr Bean!! ... wasn't sure where he was from .. but he did remind me of Mr Bean!! so for 200 rupees between the 8 of us off we went in this jeep thing, what a crazy 10 km drive, almost worse than the bus!! BUT AT Last McLeod Ganj!! Home of his Holiness the Dalai Lama.

PS they did have some funny taxi/bus/ rickshaws on the way in Panthankot our stop off, as we looked out, never seen anything like it...
chilly .

Brilliant Chilly and looking forward to the pictures

Me too

That taxi looks like they've got a couple and stitched them together! reminds me of the Peugeot advert where the little indian chap bashes his car up until it looks like a Peugeot!

The scenery is stunning - you almost can't believe that there are such beautiful places in the world, imagine living alongside that.

Mr Bean, now you have me intrigued - did he look like him, or act like him (if the later it must have been rather funny!)

yes they are mad!!! saw some really weird ones all over India!! all different but all looking like they had been shunted together!! ... anyway glad its of some interest! heres the next installment!!! sorry a bit long winded!!

Mcleod Ganj..Home of his Holiness the Dalai Lama
Mcleod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh, India
Part 8 Wednesday, May 07, 2008

WOW so here we are at last ..Mcloud Ganj.....Somewhere I have always wanted to be and from the minute I got here I just loved it, the karma feels really good, the Tibetans, who are the main people here living in exile from Tibet, because as most of you will be aware, the spirtiual leader of Tibet (Dalai lama) lives in exile here due to the taking over of Tibet by China many years ago... of course there has been a lot of press about this lately due to the olympic games being held in China, and I do hope ....on a personal and humanitarian level, that anyone who feels as we do about the atrocities that happened in march and the need to FREE TIBET and give it back to its people, will sign the petition that can be found online re the olympic torch and games ....

They are just such beautiful, polite and friendly people, so gentle and always have a ready smile....of course a lot come to Goa in the season to sell their wares mostly silver.......so we have had dealings with them before and always found the same...

We arrived as i think i said in my last blog by 'jeep' taxi!! and it was dark by now, so we were pretty anxious to find somewhere to stay... we checked out one of the places we had in mind from the Lonely Planet, but they only had one room left which was dank and dreary with only an 'internal' window onto the hallway and it smelt damp...of course Mike started urging immediately we walked in it ...so embarrasing...LOL so we quickly legged it off up the road to our next choice, ....well I did!! haha... infact I must have been going so fast (despite the weight of the rucksack and day pack) i lost Mike!! when I got to the hotel and looked round he was nowhere to be seen, and as they only had 2 rooms left I was reluctant to let go of the boy with the keys who was going to show us round!! I asked him to wait and kept looking back up the road which was after all only straight!! but there was still no sign of him after quite a few mins..it felt like hours..... i was getting a bit panicky!! the streets were pretty empty by this time or at least dark as there are no street lights, help!! so I called him on the mobile, just as my battery was about to die!! but luckily got him and he had forgotten the name of the hotel but was trudging along he said not far behind me ... thankfully!! I have always been a fast walker...but especially when I am on a mission...!!... just did not fancy a night on the street thanks!!

Anyway they showed us the 2 rooms... one at 250 (I think!) one at 400 rps of course i liked the 400 rp one!! surprise surprise!! but it is really nice..and I did ask 'maybe a little discount??' yes even though it was cheap..you just have to don't you and after all he can always say 'NO' but he obliged and we got it 350 rupees, ( approx 4.38pence stirling!!) ..of course its basic.. what can one expect at that price, but its en-suite and we have a large coffee table a rather antiquated dressing table, a wardrobe of sorts, a large coffee table, a SOFA hmmm getting pretty deluxe here... if u don't look too closely anyway.....its a little the worse for wear!!a bedside stool AND a large bed and the real plus, two balconys..one looking out over the fantastic valley views, villages and mountains and the other onto the narrow busy street below with little shops, more guest houses, full of action all day, great just to people watch and believe me there are some 'different' sorts of peole to watch!! the colours, the smells the constant sounds coming from every direction,..... no TV but who needs that here I ask! durr and we have Hot water...even if it did take us a day to discover how to get hot water to come from the basin tap!! when I turned it the whole tap just swizzled round so it was pointing to the floor...and nothing came out?? but we later discovered you have to bend down and turn this other tap underneath the sink?? (could it be a stop cock??!!) I dont know much about these plunbing things but hey it works, we have a geyser and the water is always hot... if a little sparse flowing from the shower maybe...again!! seems to be an Indian thing!! LOL they also have restaurant (the only non somoking one they say in Mcleod Ganj) which does the MOST AWESOME carrot cake I have ever eaten and you get the most massive slice for less than 50p...

and it has internet cafe (hopeless as ever...but better than many) Jigmmy the guy who runs it is a great so cheerful, always smiling, never loses his rag and will do anything to oblige anyone who needs help ... which of course as you can imagine is constant, then every 5 mins he is running about trying to sort out somebody or others connection as it just keeps going down.and always at a crucial moment such as when you are just about to press 'save' or 'send' ... so infuriating....but very cheap at 30rps an hour and they deduct some if it is down for long, which it inevitably is of course!! We just love it anyway!! (the hotel) even if it can be a bit noisy at night with the dogs barking (understatement actually it is extreemly noisy!! and annoying) but unlike Goa they appear to be very 'upmarket' dogs to look at, some good breeds...!!!! and do not chase you at night...well yet at least!!!

Mcleod ganj is a made up of a rabbit warren of masses of narrow hilly streets, with roads going off in every direction,and everywhere narrow steps heading upwards and downwards here there and everywhere leading to small alleys only big enough for one person where you can find more restaurants, guest houses and shops, yes of course little shops everywhere and stalls on the side of the road ...everywhere... but they dont hassle you or pester you to buy, most give a fiendly 'hello' and smile...of course they are amazed that we know a little (very very little) Hindi but this i think always makes them more friemdly...perhaps because we have made an effort or maybe because they find it so unusual amd hilarious for a Europeam to come out with something other than English...whatever they just love it!!! and wobble their heads all over the place... of course due to living in Goa we have mastered this head wobbling very well and it seems to be a bit like a secret club!!! haha Mick says everytime he does it here to one of the Buddhist monks in passing, which of course there are hundreds of everywhere, they smile heartily at him.....and wobble theirs back!!

So our first evening despite it being rather late we headed off to try and find somewhere to eat as all we had eaten all day was a couple of bananas and a samosa on the bus from hell....we ended up at Hotel India Restaurant, good and reasonable cheap food..total 405 rps for the 2 of us... half tandoori, chips (!!) roti, beer, water sweet and sour veg pretty good really less than a fiver although there are places cheaper of course, this place is a little more 'upmarket' ...well compared to many others but good quick service etc and we were joined by i think it was 4 trainee Dr's and one qualified, all of whom wanted photos again...so despite the fact they were desperate to close the restaurant by this time we had to ask the waiter to wait whilst we had another photo shoot!!!!!!!!!! pretty shattered by this time and just wanted to sleep really!!

Day two we felt really rested after a fairly decent nights sleep, bed was comfy but i had an awful nightmare in the early hours and had to phone home later to see everything was ok!!! it was!!

We had a wander round, its really crowded but not in an oppressive way like Amritsar, lots of jeep taxis and rickshaws and people but the roads are so narrow it seems worse than it is.... but a good atmosphere we took a look at the Tibetan museum and the prayer wheels that dominate the road leading off the square they are huge, there are Buddhist monks everywhere and it feels a very spiritual place I have to say.

We sat out in the sun at MoonPeak express coffee shop, which incidentally did great toasted sanswiches with unusual fillings, different herbs, cheeses and combinations, and an unusual and diverse selection of juices and teas......, and watched the world go by, a young sad faced kid came along was playing his 'fiddle' or some such instrument and we gace him a few rupees..as you do.... at different points during the day bumped into 3 different couples we had met before in various other places whilst travelling.

Our neighbours are two lads, one from Alaska (who went to school in Musoorie, India!) and the other French who speaks perfect Queens English, we also met lots of new people from every country imaginable, all with a story, an adventure of their own to tell, we have sat for ages at many meals just talking to total strangers as if we have known them for ages, this is one of the things I think i like best about travelling in India (or anywhere maybe) you meet so many interesting people, who unlike being back home (anywhere) in the 'ratrace' have time to talk to you and pass the time of day, with no constraints on time, this rarely happens of course when one has to get to work or cook the dinner or whatever it is one has to do to earn a crust or maintain a lifestyle I suppose! yes I feel very lucky to be able to do this and enjoy the sense of freedom it brings...not that its all a bed of roses of course!!! ...................

What do I hate about India!!
1) Constantly having filthy dirty feet, .... I despair, they just dont come clean and if they do its a very temporary !! Infact i was so desperate the other day I stood in the bucket whilst taking the shower in the hope i might soak the dirt off... and as I was drying off, still in the bucket, Mick took a crafty picture, having checked I am decent in it (yes, the towel hides all the 'right' places!!) but just looking pretty stupid, I have posted it on here so you can all have a good laugh at my expense!!!!!
2) Constantly having dirty fingernails, and hands, no matter how many times you clean or wash them they just look awful!!
3) Having no personal space...such a thing just doesnt exist here in India there are just too many people most of the time its ok , but just sometimes you could scream!!
4) victims of leprosy or other diseases or birth defects begging by the side of the road.... don't get me wrong, not that I blame them... of course not, they need to eat and there is no such thing as benefits here...but it is just so sad, just near where I am now is a poor old lady, with the most antiquated thick rimmed glasses on and stumps for hands and feet, no fingers or toes, she smiles sweetly,(well she is a little worn but still looks sweet) and we sometimes see her rummaging through her collecting tin screwing up her eyes to examibe a particular coins in there. Its pitiful and although we have our 'giving away money' each day it doesnt go far when you see so very mnay of these poor people just left to fend for themselves..some just kids with twisted and useless legs which means they have to drag themselves about on a skate board type thing or worse still their hands and flip flops on their knees....we make it a rule not to give to women dragging small babies around with them begging, but feel we must try at least to give some small amount to these unfortunates who through no fault of their own are cast out and cannot work...just a few rupees here and there, its nothing to us after all when you weigh it up... maybe the price of a cuppa.... I know u see this all over but it doesn't make it any easier at least not for me.....

Hey, we had a visitor yesterday....we were in our room and looked up to see a big monkey on our balcony railings, he was quite fierce when I went out to take a photo and lunged at me but stayed for ages hopping here and there...they are everywhere and visit us regularly not always alone either!! we have to be careful as they are inclined to whip your things in a jiff especially if you leave the window open!!!! I love it though, the guy next door to us was just reading his book and looked up and there was the monkey again staring down at him just a foot away!! see the pics, i am glad i captured him!!

thats it for now x

Chilli this is just brill I can just see me there now your photos are fab I cant wait to get back to goa again ....

Ahh bless thank you IC.. cant wait to catch up with you all properly next season!!
Chilly x

I wish I was brave enough to travel round India like you have, the photos are amazing once again and I cant wait for more. Love the bucket shot

that was the tops!!!! just really gave the whole atmosphere and reality of it all!!!!!!!!!!! dirty dirty feet!!!!!!!!! and desperation!!!!!! but so free!

Really brilliant reading about your trip Chilly, about Mike trying to find the hotel and the monkey etc, all great reading and your photos are great. Now I hope youre not going to come to a meet in November with your feet in a bucket and dressed only in a towel

I hate having dirty feet, I have solved the problem, by having a shower and washing clothes at the same time, I just put what ever we have been wearing that day in a bucket with some detergent and stamp up and down on them. Hubby says it is worse than being in the UK, because, every time I see a discarded item of clothing around the house it goes straight into the washing machine, no matter whether it has been worn or not.

The clothes come out lovely and clean, so do my feet, that is until, I step out side on the dusty roads again. I even wash clothes last thing at night, when we come home, because I hate getting into bed with red feet.

Well Gemma at least you've all seen me at my worst!! what a scream it was looking back!! xant wait to all meet again...yes i did some washin like that too Tomitma but mine always seems as dirty after as before !
chilly

well i've just read this and i've looked at all of the photos

and chilly it was excellent loved the story and the pics

thanks wickedchris. ..a lot more to come yet!!
chillyx

part 10 Tea with the Dalai Lama.. ...wow
Mcleod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh, India
May 9th 2008

Well today has to be my very good fortune as it turns out the Dalai Lama is giving 3 days of teachings, this is rare apparently and it seems these 3 days are particularly auspicious...and very special, what good fortune for us... the last time i saw the Dalai Lama was some years ago now when Janet Andy and I flew up to Scotland to see him...............what an experience that was!!...

anyway, we had to go and get registered first as security is bound to be tight and we had to take 2 photos each and our passports ... we then had to go and buy an FM radio as the teaching would be translated on this for us.......... so off we went to the Temple ... amazing, full of Buddhist Monks and others like us........a great sense of calm and anticipation, it was getting really crowded but as we got there early thankfully we had managed to get ourselves a nice little spot...even if we did forget our cushions!! ......amongst the monks, and RIGHT THERE in front of Dalai Lama..;..well not exactly at his feet!! but within perfect vision of him, we just had the most perfect view throughout .....as he walked in there was great excitement and everybody stood... it was a very moving experience, with all the monks twiddling their beads and chanting, and as usuual i got all emotional!! much to Micks amusement ... as i am now, even writing about it!! a very spritual experience ........... it lasted for quite a few hours and he has such a sense of humour, he spoke of many things which i wont go into here and now... but we were so happy that we got here to Mcleoud Ganj at such perfect timing, ........ the only pain was some American guy whose wife had (just b4 it started) come and sat near us (squeezed in) which was ok, then he turned up and squeezed in...which was also ok..bearing in mind we had been waiting for hours!!! ..until gradually throughout the teaching he gradually spread himself out further and further until ultimately Mike and I were being squeezed into an even smaller space! and this guy was virtually sprawled out in a most comfy position... anyway I did poke my elbow at him and give an irritated grunt as he tried to pinch even more space and I think he got the message a little........ afterall here we were in front of the dalai Lama ands hardly wanted to have a scrap under such auspicious circumstances!! lol seriously though it was a remarkable experience and about half way through the Dalai Lama told us all to get comfy to enjoy a nice cup of tea... and all the monks came round with great kettles of tea and poured us all a cup.......there must have been hundreds and hundreds of people there and I cant think how they managed to make so much tea for so many!! but we enjoyed it and felt peretty priviledged... so yes, we took tea with the Dalai Lama ... even if it was with hundreds of others present!! lol The Temple was magnificent....atmosphere unreal ... what a day... surely nothing can top this....

We spent the rest of the day just chilling, shopping ...there are some fantastic book shops here and full of all 'my type' of books, many on spirtiual stuff and Buddhism of course and many by Dalai Lama some of which i have already, others i have never seen before... and the books are so cheap i shall probably end up sending loads home..no..not to Goa..but to the UK, it is very cheap I am told maybe a hundred rupees for x amount of kilos... or maybe i might just become a Buddhist monk haha

We ate in Xcite in the evening, food was pretty good and reasonably cheap but not the best place we have eaten....

I have got a stinking cold, and sniffles, must be all this going from hot to cold (AC in trains) and vice versa!! and Mike has a bit of tummy trouble.....other than that we feel so comfortable and at home here and just love this place, ............... its spirituaL, welcoming and despite the poverty AND lack of lavish material things, and the basic way of living the people here are rich..... or so it seems to me... it does make one think about our life and expectations in general.......and perhaps question it all somewhat, it certainly has this effect on me, on many i think!!... as I suppose India always does...but its not a bad thing to occassionally look at your life....re-evaluate a little... I have been getting back into my yoga, as has Mike and trying to find some spiritual peace and calm and clean out some of the accumulated emotional stuff from our minds and bodies also..........ahh all very profound for 7am in the morning . but as i have always felt Buddhism has a great deal to offer. IMO

Hey we had rain tonight!!!! just a shower!! its also been rather overcast at times over the last couple of days and cool (read freezing) at times, especially at night, at least to us..... everyone else seems to think it the perfect temperature??? well maybe not everyone but many!!

thanks for comments, yes the bucket picture!!! i JUST knew would draw some attention and give u a good laugh!! haha even i have been laughing here in the internet out loud at the comments i received...
so for now xx
Chilly
photos to follow:

what a story - tea with Dalai Lama That's something you will never forget.

no it was just amazing Fiona ... not sure if anyone is still reading this thread? should i post any more of it? (which is why i havent posted the next part!!) don't want to be boring!!!
chilly

I am reading and enjoying

x lassi

ahh thanks Lassigirl... and i know Fiona is... and Gemma I think and hopefully some others? I just didnt want to bore everyone!
chillyx