Blogs from Mcleod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia - page 7

I am sitting having a pedicure in McCleod Ganj. I'm in a barber's shop, sitting on a bucket, as a young Indian boy painstakingly paints my toenails gold. 'Lovely colour,' I exclaim enthusiastically, to break the silence. Three large hairy men, having their haircut in front, peer round to check. They nod, unsmilingly, but seemingly in approval. This is Dalai Lama town: home to the Tibetan government in exile for around 50 years. It has a thriving community of Tibetan refugees, and an almost cosmopolitan feel. There are a lot of travellers, of all ages. But the local community is equally strong. It's a very comfortable place for western travellers. Cafes serve lattes and offer wi-fi. Lone Brits and Europeans pose moodily with their macs, composing a novel, or a work of philosophy. Or maybe just ... read more

Not really knowing what to do! Stay or leave Amritsar... Me having a enormes flu and Josh's stomach is against him we decided still to hit the road and go to Mcleod Ganj on an 7 hour bus ride! Mcleod Ganj Mcleod Ganj is on a hight of 1770m so it's pretty cold during the night.. but really sunny during the day! Mcleod Ganj is the headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile and the residence of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. There's a large Tibetan population in Mcleod Ganj so you don't really have the feeling your in India. The differnce is that people are friendly and not trying to rip you off! Everywhere you see monks with maroon robes. On our way up here we met Kurt and Mariano who became our partners ... read more

Well here we are in McLeod Ganj, the seat of the Tibetan government in exile and its a really beautiful place. All the people seem really nice and friendly but i can't help feeling a little land sick. The coast is calling me and we should be heading toward it in a few days to a week. First things first... are you guys managing to get any of these blogs? it doesn't seem to want to publish them... I've been putting them up as regular as i can but as of yet have only been able to find the ones i put up in england... The others just aren't there but when i log on, there they are... i do a search and they're gone. So.. Up to here... We decided to leave Manali and get ... read more

I’m literally heartbroken. That’s the only word for it. There are many Tibetans living in Mcleod that would do anything to be on a plane to England right now, yet I’m sobbing my heart out on the bus as I leave to board mine. Leaving Sadhana Forest wasn‘t difficult, it was just hard when I actually reached home to adjust to normal life, leaving Ecuador was relatively easy as I felt ready to go home. But this, I was not prepared for this. I cried on and off for three days in the preparation for leaving and now it feels like my heart has been broken into two pieces. Lame, I know, but it really does. The reason for this? I have a family, love, friends, a job I enjoy, beautiful surroundings, lack of pressure to ... read more

I’ve been to many English weddings and I thought they were fun, until I experienced a Tibetan one. Tibetan weddings and their traditions are fascinating. If you haven’t had the pleasure of going to one, make it your goal to be invited to one in the future. The fun all started the night before with preparing the room for the celebration. I knew Tibetans had weird taste, with their love for 90s boy bands and strange posters of white babies and Chinese girls, but the decorations brought on a new element to my belief in their weird taste. We had around 10 fully grown Tibetan men all helping each other put up the Christmas decorations you and I used to have maybe 10 years ago. You know, the tacky colourful plastic streamer style Christmas decorations. They ... read more