McLeod Ganj and the Himalayas

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Due to local holidays and some schedule shifting, we had all of last week (Oct. 4th - 9th) free: a perfect opportunity to travel to Dharmshala/McLeod Ganj (the resting place of the exiled Tibetan government and current home of the Dalai Lama). I've been hoping to visit this place for a while.
Six of us left right after class on Friday to catch a 4pm train that would bypass Delhi and land us way up north in the hub city of Patankot. From Patankot we would hitch a bus that would land us in McLeod Ganj. I know I probably say this a lot, but I’m pretty sure this really was the longest journey of my life. The train ride was incredibly lengthy because at every stop we had to wait an extra half hour at least so that the police could deal with the people riding illegally on top of the train cars. We soon learned that there was a workers strike taking place in Delhi on Saturday, and that the people riding on top of the train were heading there to participate, that or they were going to nab the jobs of the workers who would soon be picketing. As we spotted more and more human silhouetted shadows upon the tracks, it seemed obvious that the authorities were not succeeding in their mission. This was confirmed when one police officer who happened upon our birth, tired and sweaty, decided to take a load off and buy himself some onion salad. And of course it wouldn’t have been gentlemanly of him if he didn’t insist we have some too. Surprisingly it was quite delicious, although I must say the entire confrontation was a bit strange. Oh, I forgot to mention that the fans responsible for keeping the compartment tolerable (at the very most) were broken—all three of them! I should say that calling the top bunk this time around was not the most brilliant of ideas. Though we were headed for the mountains, it felt more like we were traveling to the center of the earth. Fire pit would be a good way of describing it. I think it was the sweatiest I’ve ever been. Yes and of course any journey wouldn’t be complete without a little Bollywood music playing aloud on somebody’s cell phone at an ungodly hour.
Finally we arrive in Patangkot at…well….sometime….there was daylight, I know that much. We hitched a rickshaw (of which Jesse and I had the pleasure of sitting in the trunk of—breathing in pure black exhaust) that took us to the bus station. Once there we had twenty minutes to freshen up before completing the journey. It was our first bus ride; squished in with our bags in an old city bus with oversized tires. Exhausted, we attempted to zone out the rattling sounds of the vehicle and its passengers. As we climbed the mountainside, we could feel incremental drops in temperature. It finally began to feel like we were getting somewhere. By the time we reached Dharmshala, the last pit stop before McLeod Ganj, Tibetan monk sitings only confirmed that fact. Twenty minutes more from Dharmshala, and 24 hours of traveling in total, we’ve reached the summit! And what better way to welcome a group of desert stricken travelers than a down pouring of rain. We leapt for joy and tried to drink the rain. Once we found a reasonable place to stay, showers were our priority. It was cold enough to wear sweaters, jeans and wool socks. It was lovely. We hung our train tainted clothes as far away from life as we possibly could, and admired the view of the Kangra Valley (part of the foothills of the Himalayas) from our balcony. The moment was made even sweeter over a ice cold beer.
The next several days were spent enjoying the nature and populace of McLeod Ganj. We spent the first day perusing the narrow streets that are covered in shops of every flavor. My favorite stores were the ones run by Tibetans selling their traditional handicrafts. We enjoyed talking with the different vendors and meeting other tourists along the way. The next day we hiked up to the waterfall at the top of the mountain valley. We spent several hours there enjoying the solitude. I found a very comfortable rock further down the falls and fell asleep to the sound of the rushing water. Later that day we visited the Temple of the Dalai Lama (who we had missed by just a day—a let down) and watched as people spun the lines of wishing wheels that circumvented the complex. That evening we ate at a Tibetan restaurant and I had one of the best meals of my life. If you ever have the chance to eat at a Tibetan restaurant, make sure to order Tantuk and some momos. You won’t be disappointed.
The next day we visited the Tibetan refugee museum that documents China’s “liberation” movement against Tibet. Not having known much about the details of the incursion itself, but rather about the current publicity around the matter, I was glad to have paid the visit. What is so hard to believe is that the stranglehold China has put upon this nation and its people is still taking place to this day.
After the museum, we headed down to where the Tibetan government now resides. Though there was not much to see but a collection of buildings with titles across them of the various departments, it was fascinating to witness a country’s entire government functioning outside of its borders. One last visit was paid to the Tibetan temple before it was time for more Tibetan food at a restaurant run by the Tibetan monks. There we spoke with a monk who had written a book on his experience as a prisoner of one of the Chinese prisons in Tibet. I was glad to buy a copy of the book, and had him sign it.
McLeod Ganj is a beautiful place with beautiful people. I enjoyed the peace and tranquility very much, and was glad to have learned what I did in going there.
On our way back from the Himalayas, we stopped in the city of Amritsar—motherland of the Sikh religion and resting place of its most holy Gudwara, “The Golden Temple”. A quick briefing on what I know of Sikhism: it was a religion started in the mid 1500’s by a man by the name of Guru Nanak. Sikhs, like Christians and Muslims, believe in one divine power. They live by the Guru Granth Sahib (holy book) and assume a life of modesty and constraint. They do not cut their hair (and thus the men often keep their hair wrapped in turbans), eat strictly vegetarian, and practice a life of sobriety. In general, Sikhs seem to be very spiritually accepting people. They openly reject the caste system within India—something I find to be a significant and equally honorable fact.
Before visiting the Golden Temple, we had to check out the infamous changing of the guards ceremony that takes place at the Indian/Pakistani border about a 45 minute drive outside the city. I know what most of you are probably thinking (dad), are you out of your mind! Let me explain. Amritsar is the only legal border crossing between these two unfriendly nations. Ironically, it is also where a very friendly and rather hilarious ceremony takes place every evening. Basically I would describe the ordeal as a high school pep rally between countries. On either side of the border, each country has constructed a grandstand to host its audience of cheering supporters who chant “long live India!” and “long live Pakistan” while the guards on each side kick their legs high into the air and collaboratively speed walk to the gate. Back and forth they go as cheers are made and flags are waved. While I certainly felt more Indian pride than I ever have before, I found myself befuddled by what I was taking place. Most of the ceremony had me in stitches until the grand finally which was actually rather touching. At the lowering of the flags, the ropes holding the symbols of the two sovereign nations are crossed and then let down at the same time.
Back from the border ceremony, we visited the Golden Temple that was lit up by hundreds of white lights that shown on the reflecting pool. We sat admiring the complex before circumventing the pool clockwise. Then it was time for “Langa.”At this particular temple, free meals are served 24 hours a day. Walking into the dining hall you are handed a metal plate, bowl and spoon. Then you are pointed to a spot on one of the many lines of rugs. Having sat on the floor, you wait as men come around with pails of food including spiced dual with garbanzo beans, sweet porrage, rice and chapatti (its similar to nan). You can have as much as you want and go back as many times a day as you’d like. Quite an experience I would say. All the people working at this temple, making the food, cleaning the dishes, mopping the floors, taking out the trash, polishing the railings and squeegeeing the marble, are all volunteers. The temple is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Our last hurra at the temple was watching the ceremony of moving the original Guru Granth Sahib from it’s daytime resting place to where it is kept at night.
The next day it was time to catch the train back to Jaipur where we made it just in time for class at 10am. All in all it was a wonderful journey.

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Photos

gathering at the lodge for some american food
from left: kendra, me, jesse, renee, jasmine and erik