McLeod Ganj and Dharamkhot

Well, there will be no miraculous accidental meeting with the Dalai Lama. Of course, I knew it was a long shot. But when you come to where he lives, there is a chance, right? Ironically, he is traveling in the US right now. But here in McLeod Ganj, is a home-away-from-home to Tibetans (exiled government and spiritual leader, refugees, released and escaped political prisoners, transient refugees that hope to return to Tibet, as well as more established business owners). It is also home to many Hindu shopkeepers and street vendors. There are 2 main streets that run parallel, about 7 feet wide, lined with shops, guesthouses, restaurants and monestaries. Filling the streets are young homespun dreadlocked hippies (mostly euro), students of yoga, Buddhism, Auyervedic medicine, Buddhist monks and nuns with shaved heads (in their burgandy robes with goldenrod accents and tennis shoes), Indian tourists, and Israeli tourists (about a third of the tourists here are Israeli). Into this mix are a few Hindu Sadu (holy men) and motorbikes, taxis, cows, monkeys, donkeys and the occasional bus. But compared to every other Indian town I have been in, it is calm. Sometimes as much as 3 minutes passes between horn toots and blasts!

The town is built up into the foothills of the Himalayas and is much cooler than where I was traveling. Being among pine trees again (the last I will see on this trip) is healing. I breathe deeply. The air is fresh.

There is also a strange disconnected feeling here. The town too well caters to tourists. Italian restaurants abound. It is possible to be completely in a new age bubble of superficial stoned spiritual bliss, eating Western food, doing yoga in a Western way... which doesn't feel right to me. It feels I left India and now don't know where I am.

Despite the surreal surface, I was able to make some tangible connections. I attended an English conversation class with nuns that had been political prisoners. Two days in a row, I met with them for 2 hours and we talked about many things. Their stories came through in little bits, but mostly we talked about our families, our hopes. I met an amazing Swiss woman and we talked about our lives and philosophies over several meals. I took a cooking class and learned how to make Tibetan momos (a tasty steamed dumpling filled with vegetables).

I grew restless in McLeod Ganj, so came up the hill for a couple days of retreat before heading down the mountains into the heat and chaos. I wanted a couple of days to hike, process the trip so far, and prepare for the next chapters. My first evening here, I ate at a fine restaurant and got really sick. Not like food poisoning, just the runs. Worst bout so far. 2 days of liquified guts that Immodium wouldn't solidify. Losing a lot of water, stomach cramps, some relief by laying perfectly still on my back. Unable to eat the first day, had a little broth and crackers yesterday. Needless to say, my time here has been very different than I pictured. At least the weather has been cool and rainy and nice for snuggling into blankets and resting. I took my strong medicine, I've been drinking electrolytes, and I hope today will be better. These little gastric mishaps are an inherent part of traveling where I am. Today I plan to make my way to Dharamsala where I will catch a very early bus the next morning to Chandigarh, the capital of Punjab. I will leave India May 23.