I was really excited for my last stop in India, Dharamsala / McLeod Ganj which is were all the Tibetan refugees have made there home. The Tibetan government in exile has also made this home. The town sits perched on the Himalayas at about 7000ft, with peaks behind it at 18,500ft which makes for impressive views in all directions.
The 10 hour bus ride was all on narrow mountain roads. I listen to the Da Vinci Code form start to finish which made the bus ride seem quick. The bus arrives in Dharamsala which is about 10km from McLeod Ganj which you can take a local bus or shared taxi in the day. Since our bus arrived in the night, I split a taxi with two other tourist to the Green Hotel, which was a nice Tibetan ran hotel. It reminded me of some of the guest houses I stayed at last year in Nepal, they had a good little restaurant and internet at the hotel which made it nice to chat with Danielle.
In McLeod Ganj I really enjoyed the laidback Tibetan lifestyle. I did a lot of hiking in the mountain going to little temples. I did go to the Main Buddhist Temple were all the monks live and train, it was interesting watching them debate. I did go to a candle light vigil which was an amazing experience, there were a few thousand monks and Tibetans that were there to morn for a monk that had been jailed in Tibet by the Chinese for protesting with a Tibetan flag, after a year in jail he had commit suicide. It was really sad they showed a video about all the torture the Chinese have been putting the Tibetans through over the last 50 years. Over 1.5 million Tibetans have been killed by the Chinese in the last 50 years. The only way they are allowed to live free, is run away over the Himalayas to Nepal or India, on a 12 day trip that they are only able to walk at night and sleep in the day, because they will be killed by the Chinese military if seen leaving Tibet. It was really an eye opening experience, about things that are still going on in the world that might get overlooked due to trade agreements and commerce.
My 3 days I spent in McLeod Ganj were a great way to end my trip. I meet a ton of great people and heard lots of heroic stories of Tibetans leaving there homeland for freedom. I also did some hiking in the foothills to relax and reflect on how amazing my three week trip to India was. This was another highlight of my trip.
I took a 12 hour overnight deluxe train back to Delhi. I had two days one night left in Delhi, I was really tiered from the bus, so I spent half the day sleeping back at my room were I started at the Smyle Inn. I did manage to get up before the sun set and did a little shopping for the family and had an amazing dinner for 70 cents, you’ve got to love the prices in India. On my last day I walked to Caugnaught place and spent most of the day reflecting and talking to locals. I meet a few really great people that day. I went to coffee with a nice guy Rohit, we really connected after a few hours he was telling me I have to come back to India in a few years to attend his wedding , who knows maybe I will.
My flight to Paris wasn’t until 1 am so I got to the airport at about 10 and had dinner. I really enjoyed India but was ready to get home to Danielle, but first I had a 1 day stopover in Paris.
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