Blogs from Mcleod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia

Namaste, I've spent the last few weeks in a much quieter environment than the 3 previous months and have a lot of time to reflect on the events of this trip....it left me with lots to share! But I think rather than bore you with details of where I've been these past few weeks, I'll summarize for you what India means to me...the positive and negative experiences and emotions I've had in this crazy place. For the most part (as I'm sure you can ascertain from my previous blogs) I am in love with this country. but that doesn't mean my trip hasn't also come with frustration, anger and even sadness. I don't want to leave anything out. So...my India is... -chai shops; they are on every corner, there are more of them than there are ... read more

Voltunk a Tibeti Gyermekfalu iskolajaban arra tanitani a gyerekeket, hogyan lehet eldobott tejes vagy uditos dobozbol penztarcat kesziteni. Nagyon spirosportos az eletrendunk, reggelente meditacio a Tushita-ban, aztan Zoli, aki 47 eves de hajlekonysag tekinteteben 40-et letagadhatna, ma jogat tartott az erdoben, lovak es majmok tarsasagaban nyujtogattuk az izuleteinket, es minden napra jut egy kb. 10-15 km seta mely javareszt hegynek fel illetve le tortenik. Annyira belejottem, hogy megmasztam a 3000 m magas Triundot, ahonnan mar csak karnyujtasnyira tunt az 5500 m-es havas csucs, de oda legalabb egy jo bakancs megegy jegcsakany kellett volna. Meg meg vagy 6 ora. Midegy, majd legkozelebb. Az ut a Triund-ra gyonyoru volt, vegig a hegy oldalaban. Fent pedig a felho alja a hajamat borzolta, a sasok hatat felulrol lattam es mellem szegodott egy nagy kutya is utitarsul. Atkoltoztunk Dharamkot... read more

Bucsut vettunk baratainktol, az angol Paul-tol es a brazil Marcella-tol, es a haridwar-i vonatallomas fele indultunk autoriksaval Rishikesh-bol, de Hanuman szuletesnapjat ( Isten eltesse :) valami helyi sajatossagkent, tobbek kozott irdatlan forgalmi dugoval unnepeltek a helybeliek, igy a vonatot mar csak tavoztaban sikerult meg egy bucsupillantasra elkapnunk. Haridwar-ban toltottunk egy ejszakat es mivel vonatjegyet csak jo elore lehet szerezni, egyetlen opciokent bevallaltunk egy 12 oras ejszakai buszutat egy helyi jaraton egy Kangra nevu helyre ahol dekkoltunk hajnalban vagy masfel orat es innen mar csak meg 1.5 ora buszozas volt Dharamsala, ahonnan mar csak ujabb felora Mcleod Ganj ( most itt vertunk tanyat egy nehany napra ). Az utak helyenkent aknarobbantasi ovezetre emlekeztettek, a hegyi szakaszt pedig meg lehet, hogy jobb is , hogy nem lattuk. Mindegy, azt hittem, hogy rosszabb ... read more

I arrived in McLeod Ganj at twighlight this morning. Made it in under 12 hours (and seemed less). Pulling into Dharamsala at night with the lights and the moon was fantastic. I arrived at the bus terminal up the road in McLeod Ganj, the largely Tibetan settlement of Dharamsala and was just mobbed by would-be "friends" and wanna-be porters. "My friend, my friend." Yeah, I'm your "friend" if I give you my rupees. Not. I'm glad I made it as there was a little bit of a fiasco concerningmy bus ticket yesterday. After checking out of my room, I queried about my ticket. The Tibetan morning hostes showed my I was ticketed for yesterday the 13th. I was in a dilema. I'd already checked out of my room, and the hotel was full (my room spoken ... read more

Well as the title may suggest, we haven't done much this passed week or so. Which has been bliss! McLeod is up in the Mountains and Jesus it was cold when we got here. As we've been used to roasting in every other place we've been it was a shock to the system. Luckily I over packed and brought thermals and longjohns! Came in handy. The first full day we had was taken up by a long lay-in, lunch, Ciarans first massage (which was hilarious. I could hear him in the next room explaining to the man that was about to get him to get his kit off that this was in fact his first time. I was almost surprised he didn't ask him to be gentle too...) For the next few days we ate, I ... read more

As I sit on my balcony, overlooking a steep alpine valley stretching into the distant haze of the Indian valley below, four huge eagles ride spiralling thermals up from the valley floor, over my head to the peaks behind my privileged position at Om Hotel in Mcleod Ganj, Dharamasala, India. I arrived via a brutal sixteen hour one stop flight from London to Delhi, twenty-four hours in the bustling chaos of India’s capital, and a twelve hour bone jangling sleep deprived bus ride up through the hills, to the place his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama calls home. Although the bus ride was the most uncomfortable in my travel career to date; it was the first time I have hit my head on a bus roof due to the size of the bumps and the speed ... read more

Rolling into McLeod Ganj just as night fell we gathered our bags an set out in search of accommodation, eventually finding a place above Jimmy's restaurant. After checking in it was time to eat then off to bed for a much needed rest. The next 4 days were really chilled out and our time was spent lazing around drinking chai and listening to guitar playing backpackers jam away on the roof tops. After all this rest we agreed it was time to leave this cool alpine retreat and head back down to the baking hot plains for our next destination - the mighty Taj Mahal.... read more