Tuesday 11th May 2010
12.25pm
Unknown hermitage, unknown hillside somewhere near Dal Lake
near McLeod Ganj
India
Now seems as good a time or place as any to update my diary.
So I have been in McLeod Ganj for two nights, but didn't write last night due to an impromptu power cut at 10pm.
Right now I am sat on a rock by a tree. On the hillside are many boulders and rocks with a few crude paths leading through them. All around are leafy green trees, though I am in a small clearing. Above and behind me, tied among the trees are hundreds of colourful prayer flags, rectangular and colourful; yellow, red, white, blue and green. They ruffle in the gentle breeze.
Further back is the stone built hut of a community of Tibetan monks, there huts spread out among the trees and complemented by a couple of modest white stupas.
I am the only person here, enjoying the view, one or two monks have passed in front of me though, 10m below me, ambling left to right along a stone track. A few minutes ago a voice behind me told a friend that the Dalai Lama's sister runs or administers this hermitage, who knows.
There is barely a cloud in the bright blue sky; looking behind me a great bulk of cloud is on its way, doubtlessly heading from the alpine-like snow capped Himalayas (the alp-like Himalayas or the himalayan-like Alps?)
I am looking at the vast plains to the south. The view is endless. The blue sky merges softly into the balmy white on the horizon. I can see 100 miles, at least it feels that way. The views here in the western Himalayas are so much clearer than those in Sikkim in the east.
From left to right I can see almost 180 degrees of dark flat long horizon. It seems like a low ridge of hills, in front of them are several more distinctive low ridge lines of hills and high mounds than dissipate into the flat expansive flat plains which run up to the foothills of Dharamsala. Yellow fields and pockets of trees populate the plains.
The sunlight is twinkling on the roofs of many small buildings. There is no town or village to, everything is spread out and dotted here and there on the patchwork land.
Dharamsala is tucked away to the left behind a hill. I can see however the red-topped stadium of the Punjab Kings. Far off to my right there appears to be a huge lake or wide river with only indistinguishable features and a watery glisten.
In the foreground the hills rise up closer to me, covered in trees and various shabby constructions. A small village lies 300 or 400 yards below me. I can hear a school P.E lesson going on; balls bouncing on a court; peoples' voices crying out; closer still tall trees and boulders; birds chirping; cockerels screaming; the high sun beating down over everything.
When I open my sun cream for the first time time after going up in altitude it all comes splurging out of the tube of its own accord. It reminds me of squeezing fresh icing on a cake where you feel you have little control over it.
I sat around on my bed picking my nose for 20 minutes the evening before last. Just pulling out those troublesome long hairs that seem to grow from time to time. I don't trim them, usually I take my razor to them.
...the sun has moved position, so now I have too; moved a few metres to the left...
There are few flies and mosquitoes up here in the hills. By day it is warm and hot enough for shorts and t-shirt, by night cool. It has rained twice since I arrived here but they were just showers.
I've been buying a lot of 1 rupee and half rupee sweets. Eclairs mostly. They are ideal to chew on if you go off walking for the day like I did today.
Also in the central square here, which is very small, crammed and busy with life, I've found a place that sells the newspaper (yesterday I had to go without). Meanwhile I've come across a Tibetan woman who sells Tibetan bread each morning, the slightly yellow muffin like thing tastes good.
I've been getting through a lot of biscuits. Indian biscuits are poorly made though. The ones with cream and jam in the middle can easily fall apart; sometimes the two pieces of biscuit encasing the creamy centre and back to front. They are morish though.
Yesterday I ate a nice veg. Thukpa for lunch, Tibetan noodles and ate dinner at the same place as on night one here, a veg. Thali and chapatis for 30Rs. I have grown fond of biscuits and pop in the evenings though.
Anyway, I went to the main sites here yesterday, the Dalai Lama's residence and the Tibetan Government complex. The latter has a good museum and I was able to catch a great photo-exhibition there too which taught me a lot about Tibet and the Dalai Lama. They've also a huge reading room and they do language classes as well as Buddhist philosophy classes. I am tempted to stay here for 3 weeks and take one of the courses. They seem cheap, and this place feels nice to be.
The only annoyance is the single beggar who wanders around with her baby in her arms following any white person she sees and asks them for money or food. She is not Tibetan, I've seen no Tibetan beggars. The Tibetan community really seems to support itself well here.
The Dalai Lama's residence was pretty underwhelming and quite modest, which you'd expect really. The complex has a temple where he does some of his teachings from and a cafe and museum (shut when I went)
I visited St. John in the Wilderness Church, an old Gothic church built when the British were here. Lord Elgin, former viceroy of India is buried there (incidentally it was his farther who purchased the Elgin Marbles). Many grave overlook a wonderful view of the plains.
I find graveyards reflective, not sad or depressing.
I also found a couple of monasteries on the McLeod Ganj area. One was at the back of the Dalai Lama's residence down a hill. The trees around it are covered with thousands of prayer flags at its entrance; 50 or so shiny prayer wheels are placed in the perimeter walls. It rained while I was there and I changed the film in my compact camera.
The other monastery has a school and lots of young monks staying there. Also it is where I am now staying. This morning I checked out of my double room and am now staying in the monastery in a single room for the same price. It is much quieter though. My original abode was full of noise, mostly from the staff moving around, shouting and playing music. The monastery has a stellar view from it's lower hillside location of the Kangra Valley. More later.
In my room is a picture of the Dalai Lama. It's Spartan but clean. There seems to be several travellers there but I've not met up with them yet. I only checked in quickly and than started on this walk to Dal Lake (which is all mud) and a near by village; I hope my camera will reveal the great view northward of high hills and beyond them. The mountains looks so close; snow capped; rocky; huge glaciers sit on them; grey clouds sit over the peaks casting vast shadows across the mountain sides. It really was a spectacular view to see and made feel that I was really looking at the Himalayas.
Soon I'll wonder back down to McLeod. There is a busy community of foreigners and Tibetans there. I believe the mountains I could see were on the Dhauladhar Range. There are other scenic walks that I'll take this week I hope.
I really am considering registering with the Tibetan library here and signing up for one of the philosophy courses, there is one running for two weeks until the end of May.
I'll have a chance to organise things before heading home I think.
I'm all out of sweets and water now.
Before seeing anything yesterday I stopped for a tea with a you Tibetan guy who got chatting to me. It was a small wooden shack on a side road. I basically taught him English for an hour. His name is Tenzing and he writes poetry in English and wants to be a writer. I gave him my e-mail address, he kindly paid for my tea. He was a nice bright lad already at a decent level and I enjoyed helping him out. Maybe I'll bump into him again.
At the Government complex I meta girl from Zurich with Tibetan parents here to study Tibetan and a guy from Taiwan here to learn Tibetan too. The girl didn't finish her Thukpa, but I though mine was nice.
Time to wrap this up. I think I've covered everything for now. The clouds are sweeping over and looking very grey.
In the next few days I'll make a decision about either sticking around here or heading on to Manali.