When we arrived in McLeodganj, after a mad 10 hr bus-ride along the worst road imaginable (I'll never complain about the potholes back home again-they're big enough here to swallow whole cars!!!), I sat on the balcony of our guesthouse to gather my thoughts and admire the view. I was here at last, in McLeodganj, Dharmshala, the home of the Dalai Lama, the exhiled political and spiritual leader of the Tibetan people. I had wanted to come here for quite sometime. To me, coming to McLeodganj, was like coming to some magical place. I have always been fascinated by stories about Sangri-La, the mysterious Tibet of old, lost somewhere up in the greater Himalayas. And now with Tibetan government exhiled in McLeodganj for the last 40 years, I had thought of here as a sort of mini Sangri La, a mini paradise on earth. But I couldn't have been further from the truth.

Dharmshala is a small, dirty, polluted and fairly ordinary Indian village with it's own set of cultural, political and enviromental problems. In the first few moments of arriving here, I was struck by the amount of rubbish that littered the streets. Even in the early morning light I wasn't difficult to see that there was a serious dumping problem here. And as we carefully picked our way through the cow paths, the pothholes and the discarded rubbish I was also struck by the amount of concrete that was being used in constructing the village. The roads, the paths, the hotels, the guesthouses, the shops, the cafes, the monasteries were all made from the stuff. Everywhere we looked we only saw the continuation of an uninspiring and aesthetically unappealing theme. Where were the trees, the plants, the flowers, the lamp lined streets, the cute little alpine like lodges, the beautifully constructed monasteries and temples? In short, where was my McLeodganj?

I realise now, after spending a week here that, that a lot of people are initially disappointed with what they find here. Nearly everyone that I spoke with described there initial impressions in a similiar fashion. This is understandable. Not knowing the people or the socio-economical background it's easy to have false expectations. But having spent sometime talking to the locals I have been able to see the place in a different way. The Tibetan people are the warmest, friendliest most loving people that I have ever met. I feel incredibly humbled by listening to their accounts of the hardship that they had to endure. Most of the people that I've met have come over the mountains. Fearing persecution and searching for a better life they choose to brave the harrowing 6 week trek over the Himalayas, risking getting caught and imprisoned by chinese boarder guards. Indeed, nearly all the Tibetans that I spoke with told me that out of the family that they had left behind at least one had been 'falsely' imprisoned. Throughout the village one can find many posters describing such 'false imprisonment' and calling for a Free Tibet. When they arrive here they literally have to start over again, learning new skills and building their lives. It's not easy in a developing to find somewhere to find a job, somewhere to live and consider all the enviromental issues related to choices that you might have to make.

McLeodganj attracts all sorts of people to its temples, monasteries and schools. Not all of them are here to aid the cause and teach English, French or some other useful skill. Like Knock or Lourdes, McLeodganj also attracts a weird element. We've seen quite a few ungrounded types running around high on the strange energy that seems to emanate from the place. It's easy to loose youself here as there are an amazing array of courses. From cooking classes with Lhamo (excellent!) to Yoga, Astrology, massage and Reiki, there is no excuse to be idle. Though, we've found it better to stay focused and take our time on deciding what we want to do. It's so easy to stop and have a wonderful meal in any of the cafes and restaurants here so why rush!

Next we take a 10 day meditation retreat, so there'll be no more entries until the 27th or so.

View of McLeodganj from balcony
Lhamo's cooking class
Gerry on monastery steps
Isa, lunch at the top!
Prayer wheels
Norbulingka Institute
Buddha
Old man at Norbulingka