Dharmshala: The Tibetan Government in Exile

I have finally gotten the photos up from our trip to Dharamshala last weekend. It was beautiful and mountainous and foggy and mysterious and refreshing. I can see why the Dalai Lama wanted to live there. We stayed in a hotel perched on the mountainside. Our hotel is the leftmost white building in the picture below:

On our first day in Dharmshala we took a hike to a waterfall. I couldnt tell you how we got there, as the route twisted and twined down some small paths and roads, but at least the way was marked for us:

This is Megin and me just at the start of the hike. Notice how dry we are.

And this is Clare and I just at the beginning of the hike. Notice the fog ominously rolling in.

The walk was not too long (maybe a few kilometers). About halfway through it started to rain, and about three-fourths of the way through it started to POUR. When we reached the top there was a beautiful waterfall with Tibetan prayer flags above it, fluttering in the breeze.

At this point we were soaked, and being creeped out by some men up there who kept trying to take my picture, so we went back down the path and stopped at one of the several chai shops along the way. Here is Clare and Megin. Notice how they are not dry, not at all.

At the chai shop we met a man who, I am convinced, was a magician or wizard or some such. He was doing something with his bright rainbow umbrella, trying to fix something, but I couldnt understand what or why. However, it clearly necessitated turning his umbrella inside out and shaking it at the sky a few times.

The city itself is cute, and small. the streets are narrow and some of them are twisty and some of them do not allow vehicles. It is a rather pleasant place to walk around, and we did a lot of walking.

On the second day we went to tour the Dalai Lamas monastery. Outside there were things written in Tibetan and carved into stone, which were beautiful but incomprehensible.

The monastery is, as one might expect, modest. Aside from two beautiful rooms for religious activities, most of it was plain and painted a pleasing yellow. And there was even some laundry hanging outside. Who knew that monks do laundry?

Inside the religious activity rooms were beautiful statues of various Buddhas. In front of the statues were offerings of money, dried fruit, dried spices, and many, many boxes of cookies. Who knew that the Buddha liked Chips Ahoy?

This is Megin, Clare, and me, in front of the statue pictured above. It was a wonderful trip (we even managed to find a Baskin Robbins Ice cream stand!) and the weather was gorgeous. Everything was green, and lush, and wet, and cool. This is in complete contrast to Rajasthan, where everything is hot, dry, brittle, and painful.

If I could have stayed longer I would have loved to have time just to sit on the mountainside and contemplate the sky. As it was, we had to come back for classes. But when I next go to the mountains, I will plan to stay long enough to absorb the peacefulness.