Blogs from Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia

Dalhousie - Dharamshala / Mcleodganj - Amritsar Dharamshala Day-3: Travel to Dharamshala. And McLeodganj: Started from Dalhousie after breakfast and travelled to Dharamshala. About 5½ hrs journey. On day-1 it was almost the same time between Jammu and Dalhousie. However, 3 hrs were on Jammu-Pathankot highway, rest in the hills, so less tiring. Today it was almost entirely in Himalayan foot-hills. Since the roads are narrow and have sharp bends, only medium sized buses ply. They do not (cannot - as we were told) use air-suspension - only leaf springs. So the journey was more bumpy and taxing. Reached Dharamshala for late lunch. Like Dalhousie, there is very little to see specifically in Dharamshala. Beautiful views all around. A special attraction is the world’s highest cricket ground. Visit to the stadium was not possible as it ... read more

Warning: long blog ahead. Make your tea now. I started to write this before I got sick and never sent it. Now it feels unfinished to send without being updated first. So here goes: March: This past year has been filled predominantly with joy, watching my baby become a boy. Considering I left the decision of my motherhood up to fate, I never counted on having a son. So I’m beyond grateful everyday that he came to me. But once the sadness of the situation surrounding his arrival subsided, I was still left with wonder and questions, many questions and worry of our future. Much of this was surrounded by finances of course. But with no clear path for me and the unusually large amount of hours of sleep I’ve needed since Taylor’s birth, I often ... read more

A long day’s drive with chai stop to a place I have always wanted to visit because of the Dalai Lama. The actual town is juse an ordinary town and you drive on to McCleod Ganj which although only 15km takes over an hour. We were unlucky with our hotel which was so damp nothing dried including the floor and one morning my hair was damp! But great German Bakery nearby for brekkie. The highlight of this trip was to see the temple complex and the Dalai Lama’s house. He was not there and the temple was small with a line of wonderful prayer wheels. However the Tibet Museum reduced us to tears telling the horrific story of the Chinese invasion with photographic exhibits. Very subdued after that especially when the realisation that it is still ... read more

Ahhhh India. India. India. India. I lived in the mountains in Himachal Pradesh, one of the states in India famous for the Himalayan Mountains. During my two month life in a very limited town--I was the only international foreigner inhabitant--I had to survive without the basic necessities required of most American blonde girls. One of such necessity: hot water shower. That's right. No bathroom in my apartment. And no hot water shower. The only shower system available was found across the street at my neighbors joint family accomadation, and even then the shower was COLD WATER only. Now did I mention I was living near the Himalayas? In winter? Not exactly the weather I would be tempted even slightly to participate in a cold water shower on a daily basis first thing every morning. Water in ... read more

October Part 2 During my entire time in India I’ve had some amazing musical experiences. I knew that I’d be coming to India to use music in the school by setting up the music classroom, but I never realised the other opportunities that I’d have given to me to create and explore music. My housemate Alex captured three of my musical highlights that happened in October and I’d like to share why they are so special to me. Firstly, at the beginning of October Alex and I met a wonderful man called Karam Chand who is a music guru in Palampur. He invited us to his small but perfectly sized teaching room one evening and we had such a great time listening to him play, talking and having a jam altogether. He is an incredibly spiritual ... read more