Dharamsala... probably the nicest sounding destination I've ever been to (just ahead of "bed" and "Go"in Monopoly) Took a bus that left at 8 pm... and got us there at 8 am. Woof. One Karan Talwar and I were in the middle of Dharamsalatown (actually Mcleod Ganj), used our ninja skills to fend off all of the dudes that wanted us to stay in their hotel, and then found one called Hunted Hill. (I liked it because it sounds like my home road... Hunters Ridge). Crashed. Napped until brunchtime.
Here's a little Dharamsala background: It's in India, yes it is. Right in that asscrack between Pakistan and China.
There are Tibetans galore. Why? Well when China took over Tibet (for resource exploitation... jerks), the Dalai Lama fled because he had people to lead, and could not afford being taken hostage by Chinese resource exploiters. So he went to the next best place, Dharamsala, and people followed him. Because that's the thing you do if you have a spectacles-wearing, giggly, brilliant Buddhist monk as your leader - you follow him into political exile.
So here are a few key highlights:
WORLD CUP SEASON: Why, yes it is! There should be more world cups because they just bring people together.
First of all, Dharamsala is a big tourist destination, which would usually bother me, but for once I wasn't the only white girl around, which was nice. So there were tourists from all over the world... all watching soccer with each other! And when the electricity goes out, which often it does in the Himalayas, everyone makes a soft, slightly disappointed "Ohh..." together, and someone lights some candles.
Another cool thing I saw - a 90 year old Buddhist monk (no hair, no teeth) sitting in a little wooden chair just inside the entrance to a gift shop where, just above the doorway, there is a small television. The monk is looking up at it, absolutely beaming without teeth.
And if Buddhist monks love soccer, well shit. I love soccer, too.
DOGS: I think the dogs up there caught the hippie Himalayan vibes because they were all chilled out.
example 1: We hiked up to a place called Shiva cafe where people were hair braiding, playing guitar, and smoking (stuff). I sat on a pillow with my chai and a dog named Tiger, and all it took was a few minutes of scratching Tiger under the chin, and then he was MY tiger. He layed down with his head on my lap, occasionally lifting his head to catch a fly in his mouth. And when I left, he stood at the end of the path watching me go.
example 2: I met an American on a pathway to somewhere, and he had a dog named Butch with him. I asked him what he did, and he said he used to work for Fox News in NYC, but now he's writing fiction stories. I said - isn't that the same thing? (hahaha JOKE!!) He laughed and then felt bad for me that I was going back to work in New York. I said don't worry, I'll probably be back here in a year. Anyway... the dog was a stray that followed him home. Now it's his. He named him Butch.
SOME OTHER FUNNY THINGS:
- I met 2 Afghanis on the bus back to Delhi. I apologized to both of them on behalf of my country. (They both said, don't worry.. it's the fault of the British.)
- English translations - you could go to a salon and get a "mini-cure" or a "pady-cure" or go down the street to find "World Class Baked Goods and Laundry Service"
- Monks can play soccer with children at their monastery.
- For $10 you can get a nice, hour long, ass-smacking massage from a Tibetan masseuse. Not just ass-smacking, but also reflexology, spinal voodoo, and Tibetan oils.
- When it rains, you can go into a tent where there will be a Tibetan jam session. And chocolate momos! (google momo) So... foreigners and Tibetans, some Hindu rap, a little Oasis ("Vunder-vall"), and classical Tibetan music where one guy will start playing his long guitar (like a lute with a huge neck), and all the monks in the room will join in.
- finally, MONKEYS. They were everywhere! I wanted to capture one and hold it for a little while, but Karan explained that they would not love that, and they might scratch the hell out of my face. So I let them be, and they were fun to watch... they ran around like little naked people. And on the bus on the way back to Delhi, the driver threw out half-bananas to them and they caught them in mid air, peeled them, and ate them.
I think Mcleod Ganj is like heaven. Away from the tourists buying roadside goodies and John Mayer playing in cafes (??!?), you just forget everything except for how peaceful you feel. You are surrounded by mountains, terrace farming, monks, and prayer flags (Buddhist belief that as they blow in the wind, the prayers written on them are sent to heaven). There's good energy there, and I got reacquainted with my inner hippie all over again.
And then I went back to Delhi where everyone wondered why I was 22 and unmarried.
