A lazy weekend

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Weekend blog
Last weekend was pretty relaxed - because people have been ill and out of the workplace so frequently we now have Saturday mornings off for lesson planning. I think a lot of it is the fact it goes from very hot to freezing in the course of one day, and also because people eat/drink dodgy things - most notably the dog-brain pakora one guy ordered last weekend, bad quality meat and unfiltered water (from taps, rivers, temples…) I managed to churn out an impressive quantity of word-searches, flashcards, matching pairs games, pictorial crosswords…as well as realizing that IDEX has a textbook that I can use for my class. Slightly disenheartening as they are most definitely two years behind curriculum, and I had to tell them that it was book 2, not class 2, to protect their confidence. But they are learning fast and the books are a big help. Yesterday the teachers at our school asked that we include more maths in our lessons because we teach for the whole morning and there isn’t enough time to do it in the afternoon. Although this was a bit daunting at first, the maths study book has really helped me to establish the basics and cater for the fact they all work at different paces. So I can actually say I enjoyed teaching maths!
Anyway on Saturday afternoon most of the house went to stay in a hotel in the nearby McLeod Ganj, with the aim of going to its one cheesy little club and getting drunk. Seeing as that isn’t exactly my scene or my budget (me being one of the few who uses the public buses rather than taxis for long journeys), I stayed back at the house with four other girls who I’ve become quite close to. It was nice to have a bit of peace and quiet, helping to cook an amazing meal of rice, beans and vegetables as well as deep-fried cinnamon toast and ‘secret’ apple custard. We basically ate as much as physically possible before crashing out on the colourful mats in the living area. The staff were hanging round too, and Nagi the cook put on a film. This was shortly paused, however, so that Vinod the house manager and Rakesh, a project executive, could play the drums and sing some songs. It was really amazing to experience some more of the local culture and see the staff out of role as such. It did go on a bit, however, as what we’d presumed would be a half-hour music break turned in to a bit of an epic jamming session.
On Sunday we took the bus to Dharamsala and from there to Mcleod Ganj. The journey was rather drawn out, taking about 4 hours - double what it normally does. There’s a sudden noticeable change in people as you arrive, the Tibetan community being the majority in the area where its government in exile is located. Lots of Buddhist monks in deep red robes. We did look it up to see if we’d be able to attend an audience with the Dalai Lama, but apparently he has been ill and is going travelling, so it looks like we might not manage it… McLeod is full of shops and the volunteers who are leaving at the end of this week were stocking up on presents and souvenirs, however I decided to experience some of its spiritual side, travelling on to nearby Baghsu. Here there was a temple which was described as having been intended to be an awesome feat of architecture that had turned out rather grotesque, into which you entered through a concrete crocodile’s head. It was actually rather nice, though. Split over different levels with lots of tiny side rooms, looking out over a deep, inviting swimming pool. As soon as I saw the pool I was desperate to swim, but didn’t have enough clothing with me to do so without causing any cultural offense.
Just beyond the temple was a stunning waterfall where the monks were washing their robes in the rock pools, spreading them out to dry in the sun over the rocks. I walked up along the cliff-path, up towards the top of the waterfall. The slate on the cliff-side was glistening in the sun, trees silhouetted hazily in the distance, prayer flags following the waterfalls long, meandering descent…
On the path I met two backpackers who were heading up to the Shiva café - the highest stop-point along the waterfall. We practically sprinted up, thanks to a crazy French guy in non-matching Indian silk ¾ length trousers and socks & sandals, called Damien, setting the pace. At the top was a beautiful clear pool of ice cold water, which I was dying to jump in to but had to content myself with lying on the ledge and immersing my arms (with a few swimming motions, watched over by a rather bemused Italian called Michelli). The Shiva café was amazing - a really hippy hangout full of interesting people and juggling equipment for some reason. I met people from Italy, France, Mexico…They were really good at juggling, Damien being a crazy ginger street performer from near Bordeaux. I got started on a bit myself, but couldn’t stay for nearly as long as I’d have liked as it was time to run back down the mountain path in order to catch the bus back to Palampur.
I’ll definitely return to McLeod for some shopping and spiritual activities - you can hear the Tibetan parliament speak in Dharamsala and they have a lot of Yoga in Mcleod as well as tiny lanes packed with shops. I don’t think I’ll be able to resist a hand-knitted Tibetan flag hat with “FREE TIBET” knitted across the front. The only thing I didn’t like was the density of tourists. There were loads of backpackers, and although I enjoy hearing everybody’s stories, and it makes me wish I could spend more time travelling around the country, its really strange to suddenly be thrown (however mildly) back into Western culture. Watching the film on Saturday, which was Indian but began in London was a really surreal experience after having been entirely cut off from the UK for over a month. It all made me realize how much I value being able to spend time in and connect with a community where there aren’t any foreigners or tourists. Although I can’t travel so much, you realize people often get stuck in one place anyway, and I appreciate all the more how lucky I am to be able to experience what independent travelers wouldn’t .

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