Mcleod Ganj

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After mountain biking for hours on end in the swealtering heat in Leh Hemal departed and I got on a jeep with a very friendly Swiss and Indian couple to the Nubra Valley and passed 18,600 feet by road, the highest motorable pass on the planet.

But as we came down and entered the Nubra valley, a whole new landscape evolved. Not only was there snow but also desert sanddunes, rivers, and camels all rolled into one.

My camel was called Kaka, I picked him because he was the fattest and hairrist. Hopefully I will have pictures to show you soon.

Then the next day woke up early saw a few buddist temples, drank butter tea with the locals and back to Leh and a bus ride back to the magical Manali via a night in Keylong. 30 hours later I got on another night bus to Dharamshala that took 11 hours.

Except it did not drop us off at Dharamsala but 12km away in the middle of the Monsoon. Luckely their was a few of us foreigners going that way and we found a taxi that could take us there. Unluckely an Indian Man and his wife joined us in the very tightly packed car, even more unluckely with their 5 year old child, one of their friends and his friend's girlfriend. So it was very nice and cosy. Even worse some fella who looked to me to have just hit 12 was driving the car and it seemed to me that it probably was his first time aswell. He drove over a fallen lampost and got it stuck under the car and dragged it most of the way to the bus station of Dharamsala.

It was 3am in the morning, nothing was open, and we were told that a bus to Mcleod Ganj, home of the 14th Dalai Lama left at 6am. So we attepted to get some rest. We woke up accompanied by naked street children, their family and friends all sleeping rough, barking dogs and a 4 foot midget with no arms and a slanted walk.

6am, no bus came, 7am, no bus came, 8am no bus came, finally after 5 hours in the pouring ran, we board a bus to Mcleod Ganj for 5 pence. Talking to a lady who lives their who tells us we could ahave a got a jepp up their 3 hours ago for the sameprice, why didn't anyone tell us that, we must have asked about a hundred people about getting there. The bus had the meanist conducter alive, nearly through us off cause we brought our bags inside the bus as it took up too much room, but there was a sweet old lady, probably a century old cause she had a close resemblance to raison and had as many wrinkles on her face as their are letters on this page.

Anyhow, we get their just in time for the Dalai Lama's speech about his Philosophy and how people can use his teaching to lead a more happier and prosperous life, but it was all in Tibetain, luckely a nice young Tibetain couple gave us their radio to listen to so we could hear the translation, great stuff.

Anyway its been a long day so I'm gonna get some whisky!

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