Free Tibet (Mcleod Ganj blog n pics)

---

NB: My myspace music site, with mine and Richard's music is now up and running visit: www.myspace.com/willsroommusic

Anyway - lets get on with the blog!

What can I say about Mcleod Ganj. It has had a real effect on me. We both fell in love with the place.

Before I go into our time there, I'm going to start where I left off and that was in Manali...

So we caught a cab to Mcleaod Ganj at 5am. It was still dark as we left the guest house and clambered down steep, muddy stairs to the waiting car. The sky was cloudless and the stars were bright in the sky. One was so bright that it looked like it had to be a light on a high tower, but it wasn't. It was the biggest, brightest star I've ever seen. So beautiful. It looked like the star that we have on Chrismas cards at home. If anyone's got any ideas what it was please let me know. Anyway, we jumped into the taxi and had probably one of the most dodgy taxi rides of our lives. By this stage on our Indian travels, I was getting used to taxi drivers and tuk tuk drivers overtaking on corners, but this taxi ride was about to change that. Not only did our taxi driver wield the car like a maniac - like someone who couldn't bear to have ANYTHING in front of him on the road - but he also seemed to suffer with some sort of nervous twitch and would periodiclly mutter to himself. Jamila and I couldn't believe it, but we just had to go with it. Thankfully we arrived in Mcleod Ganj in one piece. This was after a 7 hour hair raising drive over mountains and one pit stop where we drank tea that tasted like cheese...mmm...

Mcleod Ganj
As we rumbled up the hill, past Dharamsala on our way to Mcleaod Ganj we passed Tibetan monks walking up and down the road. We were very excited. We entered the town the wrong way down a one way street (surprise, surprise) and caused chaos, but our nutty driver did some nifty reversing and dropped us off in the square - which is also the centre of the town.

On first impressions it was very busy - busier than we had expected - and there were many more westerners than we had also expected. Practically as soon as we arrived and started looking for a place to stay we were pounced upon by the beggers - two women with babies asking for milk. How can you say no? So, I went into a shop and bought some powdered milk, which she said was for her baby. We later found out that they buy powdered milk that can be used in tea and that they then sell it on to the chai tea sellers for money. The whole' begging' issue here took me on a big journey, which I'll go into later...

So, we found a lovely guesthouse and promptly went to sleep as we were shattered after our long journey. Then we got up and had a little explore and got some food.

Indians and Tibetans live side by side in Mcleod Ganj, with Tibetans probably making up the majority of the population. Thousands of Tibetans have fled Tibet, which is under Chinese rule to live here and in Dharamsala. They have followed in the footsteps of His Holiness the Dalai Lama who left Tibet in the 50s in fear of his life. Dharamsala is now the home to the Tibetan governement in Exhile.

Tibetan monks are a VERY common site here. They can be seen throughout the town in their red robes, in the cafes enjoying lunch and in the streets making their way to the temples. Many of them also work in the cafes and guest houses - the guy who worked on the desk in our guesthouse was a monk and a number also worked in a Tibetan cafe which we were very fond of.

The two main streets here are full of Tibetans selling different goods - mostly clothes, blankets and jewelry. Many of them are in traditonal dress and they have beautiful happy faces. That was one thing that both Jamila and I agreed upon - the Tibetan people have wonderfully 'open' and kind faces. Not a good thing if you want to barter with them - you feel too guilty! As well as the people seelling different bits and pieces you also have a big variety of places to eat, many of which serve Tibetan food. Mmmm momo...

So, we went and found a lovely little Tibetan cafe, which sat opposite a temple with bright red and yellow prayer wheels. We were served by Tibetan monks and by a lovely humble Tibetan girl, who must have been our age, but seemed to be much younger - the Tibetans are vey humble and gentle. We ordered a salad, Tibetan garlic bread and momo...mmmm. Clearly I can't write momo without salivating...they are THE most delicious things in the world. The closest thing I can describe them to is dumplings. They are steamed or fried and are stuffed with a variety of fillings: potatoe, cheese and spinach, meat etc...so delicious. Jamila and I went to bed with happy stomachs that night.

The next day we got up and went and a explored a part of Mcleaod Ganj called Bagsu. We wanted to see if we should stay there instead of the centre as it's a haunt for backpackers and meant to be quieter. At the center of Bagsu we found a Hindu temple and an outdoor swimming pool fed by mountain water. On one of our other visits to Basgu, when the sun was shiniing, this area was alive with locals swimmng, chatting and best of all - there were monks playing hacki sack. There were quite a few shops and guest houses in Bagsu, but as it was out of season it was very quiet - so we decided to remian in the centre - plus there weren't many Tibetans here and we came to Mcleaod Ganj to be with Tibetan people.

On our way back to the main town, we got pounced upon by a young indian boy who was begging. He was about 9 years old, but spoke great English. His clothes were worn and dirty, but his face was bright and happy. He held our hands and asked us where we were going and when we said: 'We are going for some food' he asked if he could come along as he was hungry. He took us to a little French/Tibetan cafe and we ate salad, with Tibetan bread and honey jam. He bounced on the cushions and gave us hugs at every opportunity...Suraj was his name. As he was lying on the cushion I looked at his little feet. They were hardened and dirty and he ate his toast with eager fingers that hadn't seen a wash in a long time...

After lunch, Jamila and I went and bought him a new set of clothes and a few other essentials. Jamila, bless her, took his old clothes away with her, which she told him she would return in 2 days, washed and mended. As we got back to our room and Jamila laid out his clothes on the floor and looked at them in disbelief, she started to cry.

After soaking Suraj's clothes in a bucket of hot soapy water, we both went and had a Tibetan massage. We both had a 30 minute back massage, which cost about a fiver - it was really needed. That night we went and found alcohol. We went back to the main square and into an Inida restaurant where we drank cider (well I did anyway) and refelcted on things.

The following day we went to the main temple in Mcleaod Ganj. This is where His Holiness also lives. We walked down Temple Road and past many beggers. As we approach the temple we are again sidelined by a beggar asking for milk for her baby. Being wiser, this time we make sure we buy baby milk and nothing else.

The Temple is a modern structure. Hardly surprsising as the Tibetans didn't start to arrive here until the 50s. It's quiet and is set on a number of levels. It's not ellaborate, but quite plain and painted in cream. It's a square building, with many other smaller square builings attached to it. As we walk towards it's centre, we pass an exhibtion on the history of Tibet and the Tibetan's fight for freedom from Chinese rule. The exhibition is beautiful presented and the room is well lit. There are a number of boards showing black and white pictrues of Tibet and the Tibetan poeple with text by the side. We end up spending about an hour in here. It's looks at the brutality of the Chinese takeover and highlights a number of stories from some of the people who have been affected. These are people who have been tortured and imprisioned, but who have survived to tell their tale. One story stuck in my mind. That of a female monk, who went with a few other female monks to protest peacefully in Lasa. They were arrested, imprisioned for 7 years, beaten, hung from the celing naked, had cigarettes stubbed out on them and electricution devices inserted into their vaginas. How can this take place. How can China condone this. It's appalling. But this isn't all. As well as physical abuse, the Tibertan people aren't allowed to express their cultureal identity in any way. As an example, Tibetan chidern must now wear chinese uniforms in school. They are taught the chinese language and chinese songs and dance. Another sad story, which we knew nothing about was that of the Panchen Lama. In 1997, a boy of 9 was recognised by the Dalai Lama and therefore the Tibetan people as the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama (a very important spiritual leader). A few days later the boy and his family were arrested by the Chinese and they have never been seen again. In his place, the Chinese have put their own 'Panchen Lama'. So as you can tell, the exhibition was horriffic. But it was very important for us to learn these things.

After we left the exhibition we had a look around the temple complex. The sun was shining and the temple was quiet. We walked up some steps and came into a paved courtyard with a few trees and benches. There were a few people sat about here - reading, or just immeresed in their own thoughts. We then went up another flight of steps and came upon the main room. Inside were golden figures of the Lord Bhudda and other key Tibetan icons. Golden prayer wheels also ran along two sides of the outer walls. But the best thing about the temple was that it had been built around the trees. They refused to cut down the trees, so they maticulously built the temple around them. So every now and again you would come accross a huge tree trunk pushing trough the concrete floor and ceiling.

After we left the temple we heard that there was some kind of big festival at the Tibetan school. So we took a tuk tuk and investigated. The school and the grounds around the school were full of Tibetan adults and children, either picknicking or watching the goings on. We walked up a pebbley road, dotted with different stalls selling food and other bits and pieces. It was much like a school fete at home. We bought some home made momo, drenched in chilli sauce, which burnt our lips clean off. We then walked around a bit more and came to the main playground area where there was some sort of traditional Tibetan play being performed. A huge crowd surrounded the players and many others sat on raised grassy banks. We stopped for a few minutes and then carried on exploring. We came accross the main school building, but we weren't allowed to go through. However, written on the wall in the distance was something wonderful in huge letters: 'Others before self'. That just sums up the Tibetan mentality...

We then made our way back slowly to the centre via a pebbly path through the woods. Many others were doing the same and we bumped into a Australian girl who it turned out, was working as a volunteer with the Indian children who live in the slum in Mcleaod Ganj. We talked to her about Suraj and she knew him. She said that his parents had bothed died of TB, but he was looked after by his Grandmother and his brother was in a charity programme which meant that he could go to school. Apparently, he was also offered a place but turned it down. Meeting her and hearing this story gave us mixed emotions. We were saddened to hear his story, but also frustrated as it was clear that he had told us some lies and that he had chosen to not go to school - he chose to continue begging. This was the second stage in my emotional journey with the beggers here. The first was to feel empathy and to want to help, the second was anger and frustration...Over the following days here, we spent more time with Suraj and ate lunch together. My feelings again began to change as I realised that it didn't matter if he lied to us. This was his bottom line. His parents had died and he had to beg every day to get by. We still wanted to help him regardless of his 'stories'. He was still a human being like us. He was still just a boy. So the last stage on my journey was to go back to the beginning and feel compassion for him.

On the night of the festival, Jamila and I went back to the Tibetan / French restaurant that Suraj tok us to on our first day and had some food. We ended up chatting to one of the young Tibetan men that worked there and one of his friends. They spoke so passionately about Tibet and they told us some horrific stories from back home and about the dangerous journeys they had had to endure to get to India. One of them said that on his trek accross the mountains, which took about 2 weeks, he had to pass dead bodies and blown off limbs - knowing that they were Tibetans who hadn't made it. He said he lived in constant fear of being caught and of what would happen to them if they were. These were young men in their early twenties. It's unimaginable to us. They spoke about how when they were growing up they would ask questions about the Dalai Lama and why he wasn't in Tibet. They would ask about why they weren't allowed to talk about the Dalai Lama, or even have a picture of him. They also said that the Chinese have instilled fear into the Tibetan communitites - that you feel you can't trust anyone, not even your best friends. But the biggest sacrifice they made when coming to India is that can't see their families. They can't go back to Tibet - unless they go back the same way they came - and even then, their lives would be in danger once they got there. By leaving in the first place they endangered their families...

It was clear that they just needed to talk. We didn't really need to ask them many questions. They talked with great passion and sadness. At one point, whilst talking about how he wished he had been a better son, one of them welled up with tears...

NB: If you are reading this and it's having an effect on you, please do something about it to support their cause. Talk about Tibet to others, find out more on the internet, see what you can do to help.

The biggest impact this evening had on us, was that it made us realise that EVERY SINGLE Tibetan here - these wonderful people, that we pass in the street every day, old men and women with kind faces, teenagers who had come alone - had had to travel accross the Himilayas, or undergone great hardship toreach India...it was very sad.

It was in the cafe that night that we also met Tasha. A lovely woman from London, who was a practicing Bhuddist and who was taking a number of Bhuddist philosophy calsses at the Tibetan Library. Again she talked with great passion and love for the Dalai Lama and as she did, her eyes filled with tears. AS you can tell, it was a very emotional day for us.

The following morning we went to 2 Buddhist Classes at the library. The library is set on the hill between Mcleod Ganj and Dharamsala. We caught a rickshaw to the library and we laughed hysterically as we bumbled down the trecherous mountainside. We arrived at the library, which is part of a complex that also contains the HQ for the Tibetan Governemt in exhile, in good time. It allowed us to have a look around before the class. The site is quite big, but peaceful, and set around a main square. There are a number of other buildings including a temple. At this temple we were able to ask for some seeds which had been blessed by the Oracle. In Tibetan culture, the oracle is very important. There are always two - one male and one female - and the oracles act as the protetors of Tibet and the Tibetan people. The oracles act in a similar fashion as a Shaman would do and go into trances to seek answers. The seeds we recieved are very scared to the Tibetans. We were desperate to be given seeds blessed by the Dalai Lama, but westerners aren't allowed them. Apparently, some people in the past have just thrown them away...

We took two classes that morning. The inside of the library resmbled any other academic building back home. There were wide concrete steps leading upwards and the stone felt cold on our feet as we climbed upwards towards the classroom. The room wasn't too big and it was bright and inviting. Light stremed in through the yellow curtained widows and incense burned in one corner. At the centre of the room, along one side, a raised platfom stood with two seperate cushioned seating points - both with microphones. Big blue square cushions dotted the floor and as we waited, they were taken up by Tibetans and westerners alike. We took two classes that day and one the following day. We learnt some basics about the Buddist religion and also about the importance and practicalities of meditation. It was fascinating. The classes were taken by monks and translated into English by an interpretor. Our favourite class was taken by a very old monk, who (as Jamila pointed out) looked very much like a wise old turtle. His words were translated by an English woman who we both thought might well be his wife. They had great banter if he felt she wasn't translating his words properly - it always raised a giggle with the class and between the couple. It was really surreal to be being taught about Buddism by a Tibetan monk. It was an experience of a lifetime.

At some point, I'm not sure if it was the next day or not - I got ill. Just a little cold but that knocked me out for a good day. Once I felt better Jamila and I took a Tibetan cookery course, to learn to make momo! It was fantastic. We were taught by a Tibetan man of about 30 yrs old, in his kitchen in his house whilst the TV blared and his mate sat and gigled at our pathetic momo attempts. We learnt to make 3 different types: cheese and spinach, potato finally a sweet one with sugar and sesame seeds...delicious! At the end of the lesson, his young wife came in and we all sat around and ate the results.

One night we also went to the cinema! We found the cinema down a spiral staircase on one of the two main streets. We ate crisps on office chairs whilst Kundun was shown on a white wall. We had the cinema to oursleves - it was heavenly.

One of the most amazing things we did in Mcleaod Ganj was to go to an English Conversation Class. The voluntary class is run to help the Tibetan poeple with their English. We went to the class, which was held in a big dishevelled building, and discovered that we would be taking a group of up to 7 students each! Panic! It turned out ok though, as a lot of people turned up to volunteer their time. I was given 3 students. Two young woman, one of about 30 and one of 19. I was also given a young monk, who was about 24. It was quite difficult as they all had different abilities, but at the end of the 1 and a half hours, we were good friends and we learned a lot about eachother. I asked them if they wanted to ask me any questions and the girl of 19 asked questions like: 'What do you think is most important in life?' 'What are your hopes in life?' I wasn't expecting this at all! But it just goes to show how they are thinking so differently to us, because of the struggle they had and are still going through. The girl of 19 told me how she cries a lot becasue she misses her mum and dad so much. It was very sad.

The conversation class was the last thing we did here. The following day we caught a night bus to Dehli, to then catch our flight to Bangkok. We learned so much about ourselves here. It's a wonderful place, with some wonderful people. We were very sad to leave Mcleod Ganj - and we still are.

NB: I haven't put up pictures of the Tibetan friends we made as this page can be accessed by anyone...sorry. Lots of love to you all. Next installment - Thailand! Although there's not much to write other than 'ooohh I got drunk...again...' xxxxxxxx FREE TIBET xxxxxxxxx

---

Photos

Goats on way to Dharamsala
One of the nice parts of the taxi ride form hell!

Mcleaod Ganj
Main street

Mcleaod Ganj
Main street. A typical stall

Goat in Bagsu
I couldn't resist a cuddle

Bagsu swimming pool
The pool is fed by mountain water. Mountains rise behind it.

Main Temple
Where the Dalai Lama lives. Can you spot the trees?

Hand made wall hanging
This was on display at the temple

Tibetan school festival
Pebbly road where we ate momos

The Library
Where we had our classes

Puppy looking for food
The smallest puppy in the world! Wandering around the Library complex...

Momos!
Before they've been cooked...

Eating Tibetan bread
In our favourite cafe Lamos...

Cinema
Where we watched Kundun (a movie about His Holinesses life)

Temple on main street
Opposite the cafe where we ate momo A LOT

Giant Prayer Wheel
Prayer wheel attached to the temple on the main street

Coloured prayer wheels
The temple on the main street...