Mountain air

---

---

Leaving Amritsar I had no difficulty for once finding my way out of the city. Perhaps a sign: no trouble leaving a place I don’t like. But I’m probably being unfair and my opinion is coloured by having been sick.

Road to Pathankot quite good, then construction work turned it to shit. As soon as I left Punjab and entered Himachal Pradesh the geography changed from flat to hilly and the road became winding and interesting to ride. Surface quality remained variable and in a gorge with a river construction turned things bad again. But as I rose in elevation I felt the air slowly become cooler finally turned off toward Dharamshala. Narrow, winding road of good quality, a real pleasure to ride. Rose up and up and came soon to sweet-smelling pine trees with a layer of fallen brown needles beneath. Then, coming around a cornier, a sudden view of snow-streaked mountains that made me think instantly of Switzerland.

McLeod Ganj, a small, two-street mountain village above Dharamshala set among pine trees under rugged peaks. Sunshine and cool air. A mixture of Indians and Tibetan exiles, very distinct in physical features from the Indians with pumpkin-shaped heads and slanted eyes. Here no one stares at the white-skinned foreigner. They’re used to us.

The Dalai Lama lives here and almost every shop, hotel and restaurant has his photo hanging on the wall, the same way you find pictures of Kemal Ataturk everywhere in Turkey. Every day late in the afternoon there’s a candlelight parade through the village to protest China’s annexation of Tibet. Monks first in burgundy and saffron robes, followed by everyone else. I didn’t see the Dalai Lama because he was away when I was there.

But I enjoyed my time relaxing in the much cooler and cleaner mountain air and had my first encounter with Tibetan food, which I really enjoyed. The main staples seem to be noodle soup with mutton, chicken or pork, or rice with mutton, chicken or pork. The soup was exceptionally good.

Replaced the rings in my motorcycle engine. These guys just strip it down and replace the parts in a couple of hours right there in front of you and the cost is nothing. Still, the motorcycle is having more problems than I appreciate and it should be soon time to sell it.

---

Photos

Plastic garbage at Pathankot.
This field was full of thrown-away plastic drinking bottles.

Plastic garbage at Pathankot.
Wonder what he's going to do with this stuff.

View of McLeod Ganj.
This is just one corner of it, but I enjoyed the greenery after the dust and yellow vegetation I'd been seeing up until then.