Au Revoir McLeod Ganj

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Tomorrow we leave McLeod Ganj, and with it, a bit of each of us. Over the past week, we have learnt to cook Tibetan Momos, bread, and soup, walked to the "sacred" Dal Lake (complete with tacky plastic pedal boats) and the Bhagsu waterfall, complete with three cafes on route. We have seen beautiful Buddhist Gompas, and sat in on prayer in the Tse Chelong Gompa, and dined on fantastic food at JJI's and the Green Restaurant.
Most amazing as well, we have seen the sheer strength and passion of the Tibetan people for their homeland and cause, in their endless march through McLeod Ganj and Dharamsala today, and their huge hunger strike yesterday. We have also witnessed the compassion they have for their fellow exiles and great community spirit in McLeod Ganj. And despite all the suffering linked to the Tibetan cause, they all greet us with utmost friendliness and smiles. We will truly miss many of the people we have met here, all at JJI's, especially Max, and also at Llhamo's Croissant, our cooking teacher resplendent in Che Guevara t-shirt, and the Green Hotel. When we return Jesse promises to go for an early morning swim in the mountain waters with the owner of the Green Hotel.
We will also miss all the great travelling folk we have met, from mad South Africans, to friendly Americans, to Gareth and Nischa, who we first met as Somerfield regulars in good ole Gloucester Road, Bristol, and who, bizarrely had come all the way to McLeod Ganj to see us (or teach refugees, one of the two).
Our love of McLeod Ganj and the Tibetan people, and our incredible, chance meeting with Gareth and Nischa , has led us to a momentous decision. We plan to return to McLeod Ganj in mid-April after completing our travels and earning money. We will then volunteer, and teach Tibetan refugees and monks english for 3 month (although Jesse may try to secure a possible internship with a Tibetan Human Rights NGO).
Yet for now we must leave tomorrow, on the sleeper bus to Dehli. So it is au revoir McLeod Ganj, hasta luego, till we meet again.

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Photos

Through the Tibetan Symbol
Through the canvas roof on Llhamos

Comments

[aunty margi]

Chloe ( and Jesse though I don't know you).it sounds as though you are having a truely life changing , life enhancing time. sickness and all, keep it up guys. I look forward to hearing about what comes next! Margi and Josh and Izzy

[Jamie]

Hiya! OMG that sounds amazing! Its so you, and i don't think i've ever heard such passion in an internet blog! You guys have an amazing time, and we must meet up so you can tell me about it when you get back! To think that you're doing all this amazing stuff while i'm sitting here skipping lectures... Much love, Jamie xxx

[Adam]

Free Tibet!
Good work chaps, keep up the forward momentum, eat plenty of beans and remember that highly realised spiritual beings birthday celebrations are not always the wildest parties.. I feel it is my duty to let you know if an interesting experiement which is being conducted globally, which I feel you'd gain much from participating in www.globalorgasm.org/ Anyways toodaloo for now, I have an urgent apointment with a Clown and his class of half-actualised drama students..