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Published: November 12th 2008
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Last week started off with a lecture from a Tibetan Lama on Monday. He explained the main philosophy of Buddhism and the ideas that the Dalai Lama teaches. He was extremely well spoken and had us captivated the entire time. I felt very lucky to be part of the audience and learned a lot in the short time that we had with him.
On Tuesday afternoon we visited the Kangra Fort, which was about a 20-minute drive away. The late afternoon sun accentuated all the detailed stonewall carvings and made for some beautiful sights. The ruins of certain areas of the fort also made for some good photos. It was a really nice excursion.
I managed to make it almost three weeks without getting sick. I think that is really something to say in India. However, the “Delhi belly” finally caught up with me. Although it kept me up all night, I was oddly excited to experience a trip to the doctor’s office in India. Turns out, it was the easiest doctor’s trip I have ever had. After giving my first name and age, I waited for a maximum of two minutes to be called into the examination room.
I listed the symptoms, got my blood pressure measured, and was then sent across the hall to the “pharmacy”. The drugs didn’t seem to have any sort of organization on the shelves but the pharmacist knew exactly where to look after reading my prescription. 150 rupees later (about $3), I was on my way home again. The whole thing didn’t take longer than 10 minutes. I do realize that this isn’t typical for everyone, since this was a private doctor. But I was still amazed at how smoothly and quickly the process was. I didn’t even have to show any sort of identification.
Thursday afternoon I headed up to Bhagsu, which is a small town up the street from McLeod. Bhagsu is known for it’s waterfall and also has a few very good stores. We started talking to this man sitting on the side of the path and found out that he told fortunes by reading your palm. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity and sat down next to him. He started out by telling me that I am very independent, a loyal friend, compassionate, and courageous. Since I already knew all of this (haha ☺), I started asking
more specific questions. According to my lines, I will marry at age 27 and have one child. However, there is a good chance that I will face some sort of separation. He also said that I will be rich, and get a second source of income after the age of 60. Although the whole thing is quite silly, I was quite happy when he told me that I would be a doctor. I am also going to live past the age of 80, but have some joint related health issues around the age of 75 (I think I am already experiencing that). The last thing he said was that I should inherit much money and land, so I want to thank you now for that mom and dad ☺. He was a very nice guy and it will certainly be interesting to see if any of this actually happens.
I spent most of the weekend in McLeod. It is such an remarkable place. I have been up and down the streets several times now but with every visit, I discover so much more. It is fun to watch the different faces and characters of McLeod, especially in the main
square, which we have come to name as Times Square. We went to a small café for supper that is owned by Tibetans. Upstairs from this café are cushions set up on the floor to sit on. Every night at 6:30, they hang a sheet up on the wall, set up a projector, and play a movie. We ate dinner and watched a documentary about a mountain patrol group in Tibet who were tracking antelope hunters. Watching the movie in such an interesting place added a lot to the experience.
It seems impossible to think that I had another perfect day. Everyday is beautiful and extraordinary. It really makes me sad that I am leaving Thursday. I have grown very attached to this place and it’s people. On Friday, Dad will be flying into Delhi and we will start our travels around India. I am very happy that I have a few more weeks here, as I am definitely not ready to say goodbye to this amazing country.
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