Happy Diwali!

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It’s hard to believe it’s been over a week since I last wrote. The time is certainly flying by. Sunday was our first day off from work. We had a group outing to a nearby Hindu temple. Anil, the program director, gave us a short explanation on what we were seeing. Unfortunately I was a little distracted taking pictures and watching the interesting characters walking around to remember what he said. It was still very neat. After the temple, we had a picnic outside which turned into a massive water fight.

We finally had some free time on Monday, so I headed up to McLeod Ganj. It is a 10-minute taxi ride up the hill. McLeod is more touristy than Dharamsala since the Dalai Lama temple attracts a lot of travelers. It was an incredible little town. The shops, colors, and sounds are both overwhelming and amazing. My favorite part about this town is the monks. There is just something about them … I love watching them. McLeod is also a home to a large number of Tibetan exiles so the people and stores differ from Dharamsala. I am already excited for another chance to visit.

I’m starting to get into the habit of getting up early and heading next door to do yoga at 7 am. It is a small studio that can hold about 6 people. Raju, the instructor, is really good. And since it is such a small place, we get a lot of individual attention. This is the first time I have done yoga and love it so far. On the first day, Raju explained why yoga is important: “Your mind is like a monkey, but not a regular monkey, a monkey that is drunk. It is actually not just a drunk monkey, but a drunken monkey that has been bitten by a scorpion. Yoga helps to tame this mind.” He is great. On my second day of yoga he helped me do a headstand.

Yesterday was Diwali, the festival of lights. People decorated their houses with lights like Christmas and lit fireworks like it was Canada Day. Fireworks started going off from everywhere starting around dusk. It was fun to sit on the roof and look out into the valley, watching the fireworks go off from different houses. If I hadn’t of known it was Diwali, I would have thought we were in the middle of a war zone. There wasn’t a full second between fireworks/firecrackers. They must have gone all night long because I heard some at about 6:30 am this morning.

I have so many more great pictures but I need to find the time to convert them to be able to post them on here. Hopefully soon I will have some free time and be able to post a whole gallery. The scenary is beautiful here.

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Photos

Hindu Temple
Don't think I was suppose to photograph the guys in the background but I didn't really notice until it was done.

Himalayans
This is what I saw one morning from our deck.

Tibetan School of Art & Culture
I can't imagine how much time and effort these paintings require.

Comments

[Joyce]

Kathleen, I love your stories! I am getting a very good mental picture of all your travels. Keep them coming. And Happy Belated Birthday!