Beginner's India

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McLeod Gang, described by one American here as "beginner's India", is THE most Tibetan-food-eating, tourist-hotel-staying, happy-hour-drinking place. Not to mention meditation-class-taking and Dalai Lama-spotting. (We saw him in his Land Rover, on his way to speak!) It's absolutely comfy here.


The hills around us are big and quiet. Looking down on Dharmsala and the gangetic plain makes me believe I can see all the way to Kanniyakumari and reminds me how high up we are. I finally discovered an equivalent to Indians waking us too early - coming back to the guesthouse late, requiring them to open the locked gate for us. But isn't it called "guest" house, not "curfew" house?


And I don't think it helped our cause when I returned alone late one night after a few big beers. I was approached by an Indian guy on the dark street in front of the gate. He wouldn't stop touching me and after I warned him, I let out a scream at the top of my lungs! Instinct kicked in and saved me! The guesthouse owner woke up and had to come let me in. The offense was horrible enough that the gruff old man said to Mike in the morning, "You check out today!" Oh well, at the Sun Lion, they don't care when we come in, although it's a little tricky, tiptoe-ing through the field of sleeping brown bodies in the hallway.


There are many wonderful travelers here, including Craig, a bartender from Nantucket, who was introduced to us by an over-friendly, over-bearing, belly-rubbing drunk American who we've since avoided. Craig's just burning a few days before his flight and decided to come with us to Dalhousie and Chamba! He and Mike are two of a kind.. good drinking buddies, good people.


Dalhousie is like going to Wellesley in the hills after being in East Boston. (To use some Massachusetts references) The British have left their big dollhouse buildings in the cool green woods. This pleasant rich Indian tourist town is minus Westerners and therefor beggars as well!

Chamba, in the valley, has open green spaces, ancient streets (some too narrow for traffic) and temples from the 10th century. From up on the hill, the town's a rolling forest-colored quilt with light brown stitches of thin trails and flat grey patches of slate roofs. **Bye, Craig!**


"I'll be your bitch, I'll have your puppies!
You can be Butch and I'll be Fluffy!" - Mike: punk songs dogs should sing

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Photos

Drinking with Craig, Chamba
The beers have great names like "Knockout" and "Hit". This one's ""Thunderbolt!"

Sending Craig off to Pathankot
But we'll meet again, stay tuned...