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Published: February 6th 2007
Lexa blog:
We enjoyed a luxury Jeep transfer from Manali to the old English hill station of McCleod Ganj thanks to Andrew and Joseph letting us tag a long in their taxi.
We arrived expecting to stay just a couple of days but ended up staying for 10 after enroling on an 8 day Tibetan massage course. A great release for mind and body but in hindsight we didn't consider the cold factor when we made the booking! It was freezing and the electricity would intermittantly cut-out, removing the little warmth provided by small heaters that barely took the edge of the cold when they were on! So with freezing hands and a small plug fire adding a little excitement to the course we did our best to learn hundreds of complicated and sometimes painful techniques. But, I assure you it was fun and we're sure it will come in handy after long cramped bus journeys! Speaking of which as we travel around this country squashed into spaces not design for 6'2'' people for 10 mins let alone 10 hours, it suddenly makes sense why yoga and massage are so popular....
Dharamsala is a km or two further
down the ridge on which McCleod sits and is famous for being the home of the exiled Dalai Lama, so the place is crawling with monks and Tibetans and a loyal following of Westerners giving them huge wads of cash. It is a strange place and although we both feel Buddhism has some great principles, we find it difficult to think here is the place to find it in it's pure form. With monks on mobile phones everywhere, drinking coffee and with stories of multiple sponsors from around the world it just doesn't seem right. We seem to be among a minority, with other travellers bewitched by the places' spiritual significance...
Whilst in McCleod we walked up to Hazel's house in Upper Dharamcot, a couple of hours walk straight up from McCleod through a forest filled with prayer flags. I was expecting more of a simple tin roofed 2 roomed house as there are no roads and its right up on the ridge, but it was like Hazels home in Wales - spaceous and airey with amazing views, not of the valleys though, but of the snow capped himalayas and down across the plains. It felt a very calm
and peaceful place although as Geoff reminded me, Hazel spent some nights up there in the middle of storms when the thunder and lightening would just roll around the ridge continously.
As with everywhere else in India the cows wander aimlessly through streets and traffic, chewing on whatever they come across and as we ate breakfast one morning, we watched one wander pass, casually peeling off and eating all the newest posters from the board opposite!
As I've said the peace of Dharamcot was quite removed though from hectic McClead, with the clash of Westener travellers, Kashmiri's, Tibetans, Beggers and Locals and to be honest it was a relief to leave it all behind. On a positive note though, they have perfected the art of porridge - a nice change from Aloo Parantha, flat bread fried with potato and of course normally spicey!
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