Blogs from Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia - page 111

okay, so we're no longer dying. went out for a bit of an excursion today and walked down to the main temple. walked around, listened to some monks chant, and then watched them have debate/arguments in the courtyard. they pair up, one standing and the other sitting, and yell and laugh and as they make important points in the argument, they slap their hands together in a very dramatic clapping style while their buddhist rosary beads fly everywhere and clack alongside them. amusing to watch, would be better if we could actually understand what they're saying. the monks are an interesting lot. i'd like to talk to some of them. dharamsala is so different from amritsar. in amritsar we stood out like whoa because there were very few foreigners. here, like 1/3 of the people seem ... read more

Kheer ganga In order to get to Kheer ganga we first had to make our way to Manikaran which was a 5 hour bus journey from Manali. This town was a sight for sore eyes. One night was enough time spent before heading to Barshani to start the trek to aprox. 3000 m. We began with a huge thali breakfast (Indian dish that comes in a variety of combinations) before setting off. We got lost 2 or 3 times in the first hour as locals kept pointing us in the wrong direction. We finally found our way after a great deal of hassle and soon caught up with a Mexican couple, Alma & Sergio who trekked with us. It took us 6-7 hrs to reach Kheer ganga. During that time we got chased by dogs, saw ... read more

we're safely here, 6000 ft up in the himalayas. Our place is clean and bright and has views down the valley back towards Dehradun where we came from, and spectacular views they are too. My video camera just isn't going to do them justice. School starts tomorrow - the first of 120, 50 minute lessons during which we'll desperately try to finish the entire course ( which is actually 240 lessons long, and should last 12 weeks). Tanuja is already getting competitive, by threatening to get up early this morning to revise. Another competitive edge has slipped into our 8 month trip - a hardcore 'pass the pigs' tournament which has taken up some of our evenings so far. I predict we will play something in the region of 2000 games before we return for good ... read more

i know it has been a month and a half since i have been in mcleod ganj- but here are a couple pictures :)... read more

Well I have nearly been in Mcleodganj for a whole week and I am still not ready to leave, it is a beautiful place and very relaxing, you certainly get pulled into the laid back way of life people tend to have here. Saying that, I fly out of Delhi on Friday night so I am thinking about jumping on a bus tomorrow morning and heading to Amritsar in Punjab, the Golden Temple there is meant to be well worth seeing, although after the Taj Mahal I can't believe anything will come anywhere near as close.... So this may well be my last evening in Mcleodganj, depending on how I feel when I wake up and if my underwear has managed to dry in the cold damp air! empty mind or just empty headed.... The past ... read more