Blogs from Mcleod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh, India, Asia - page 8

Got to Dharamshala or Mcleod Ganj this morning after that bus ride. I am happy to say that I will not be verbally eating-my-hat but instead will be doing the opposite whatever that may be (regurgitation?). The bus was not at 4:30 as advertised. The bus was not in the location advertised (5mins away from guesthouse). The police did not allow the bus 'in' or thats what they told us; we had to get on the packed metro (8 of us) with our backpacker bags at rush hour. Not a pleasant experience. The bus left at 7. One hour and a half into the ride the bus almost skidded off the road at high speed and I suspect that if there had been another vehicle (godd forbid a motorbike) in the lane adjacent to us then ... read more

I really am living her life now. For those who don’t know who I’m talking about, her name is Lhamo Tso. She is 37 and has been through more than we can imagine. Her husband is Dhondup Wangchen, somewhat of a hero in Tibet due to the legendary documentary he made documenting the feelings of Tibetans about various things in 2008. As a consequence of this he was imprisoned for 6 years. He is now in a labour camp, despite having contracted Hepatitis B and is receiving no medical care. Lhamo Tso, her four children, niece, Dhondups parents and brothers family had to flee to India in order to be immune from being harassed by the Chinese government themselves. She is supporting so many mouths on the salary of a bread maker selling her bread at ... read more

July 6th was a special day. Especially for Tibetans. The only birthday celebrated in their culture is the Dalai Lama’s, they rarely acknowledge their own. Obviously Mcleod Ganj, where the Dalai Lama is in residency, saw a big celebration and involved the presence of His Holiness himself! I rose early, put on my best chupa (traditional Tibetan dress) and splashed my way to the temple as the heavens had opened… non stop throughout the night and morning. I must admit, the amount of rain did put a slight downer on the event, as I was getting completely soaked, waiting for a glimpse of the man himself. Shivering and having water running down my arms, face, back, pretty much every part of my body, was all made worth it though when he stood less than a metre ... read more

Life in Mcleod is getting better by the day. Would I be having these experiences without LIT and Lhamo Tso though? I think not. So here I will write a little more about her and LIT, what they stand for and the amazing work they are doing. I now spend my mornings sat at the bus station with Lhamo Tso while she sells her bread. I know I say everything is the highlight of my day, but she is too! I spend around half my day with her and still want to go back for more. If she wasn't so amazing I wouldn't be getting up at 5:30 to go and sit with her for three hours. She's like a ray of sun. You cannot help but fall in love with her and her incredibly sweet ... read more

Apres notre sejour a Tushita, nous sommes reste encore quelques jours a Bahgsu histoire de se rehabituer doucement au monde "normal" avant de se jeter une derniere fois au coeur de l'Inde afin de rejoindre Mumbai et notre dernier avion pour le retour en Europe. Passer de 10 jours en silence a la civilisation, meme un clme petit village de montagne, represente un choc assez violent. La premiere idee qui nous passe par la tete est de faire demi-tour pour retourner dans cette quietude isolee...mais non, il faut savoir qu'on ne pourra pas passer toute notre vie en retraite silencieuse (quoique :D ) et donc on s'immerge a nouveau petit a petit dans ce gentil brouhaha de la vie. J'ai neanmoins profiter de ces derniers jours montagnards pour aller marcher un peu...en compagnie de Dennis, mon ... read more