So its Friday the 13th, and my journey tomorrow goes up twisting river valley roads, precipitous drops, and manic bus drivers…but hey its OK because to my absolute joy I have spent the last 2 days in the real India. How do I know this? Because of the Staring!...yes I have been stared at more times in the last 2 days than in my whole time in northern India before this....but it is wonderful, because the places are real, and full of life, and the people are friendly... So an update:
After 2 days up in the quiet Dharmakot forest, above Dharamsala/Mcloed Ganj, which is very nice but so so quiet, I ventured down to the McLeod Ganj town to spend my nights. In the Osho yummy food shop I met and subsequently stayed a wonderful 5 days with Siva and Nicki, renting a room in their apartment, so much nicer than a guest house, they really made me feel welcome, yoga at 7am, dinner with their friends. By a strange coincidence Jess did yoga with Siva on her visit here. I dont really like Ashtanga yoga that much though, its the same routine, day by day. Synergy is far more evolved and much more my style. In town I visited the Buddhist temple, where the Dalai Lama officially lives and watched the monks doing their lessons, ate yummo food from origins including Korea, Japan, Tibet, India, Israel and Nepal and generally had a very nice time. My last day I walked maybe 24km up to the ridge line above the town to Truind, then on to the ‘snowline café’, indeed it is in the snow, buried in 10 feet of the stuff, but dug out the roof the only thing visible, so you can walk down snow steps to a dingy little hut for chai, very India. On my return I met a wonderful traveler Tanja, (Hi), from Finland. We walked most of the way down together and had a wonderful chat.
I left McLeod Ganj and the Tibetan enclave, taking 3 days to get to Manali via Palampur and Mandi.
Palampur is only a short trip down from Mcleod Ganj, but is a whole world away. The mountains that barely show themselves in Mcleod Ganj are fully visible in Palampur, providing a beautiful backdrop to the quiet and friendly town that is set in wonderful tea plantations, oak and conifer trees shading the tea bushes. It is a symphony of greens. I walk randomly hoping to find some tea pickers, remembering the wonderful colour of the Ghats in South India, and during this expedition, I am met by two delightful school girls, one a very articulate 12 year old, the other, much shyer, maybe 8. The 12 year old is incredibly bright, and we chat happily as she walks home from school, then I am invited for chai at mothers house. Father is a driver and is not seen for months on end, perhaps a typical story for Indian children. Mother is a beautiful 30 year old woman, with a radiant smile and deep affectionate eyes for her children. After chai we have a very funny photo session, and I promise to send them some Aussie souveniers. We walk back down the road, singing ‘ If you are happy and you know it clap your hands..”, and I am left with a radiant joy just from the childrens’ energy, brightness and pure innocent joy. The photo of me and two of the kids reflects that surely.
It is here in town that I first notice the stares, and feel the India returning after too many tourist towns. It is also here that I buy a suit! Hey a suit and beautiful white shirt for $60, wow you cant go wrong! Anyway it matches my goatee. I take tea at my hotel and it is one of the best teas I have ever drunk, from the local plantations of course..
So to Mandi, via the narrow Gauge train Palampur to Jogindernagar…a real train adventure through incredible scenery along the Kangra valley, locals hanging out the windows and doors, the warm breeze a real pleasure to the click clacks of the railway sleepers passing. While it takes much longer than a bus it is also a full experience, 50km for 9 rupeers, and my carriage is full of baba’s, at the stations they hop down to the tracks and spark up their chillums’...but they are harmless, one is a leper now treated but minus all his fingers. He is cared for by his friends in a touching manner. So from Jogindernagar it is only 55 km to Mandi, king of the staring towns, ironical since it is only 4 hours from Manali, yet most people stare then smile and say hello. Mandi is like Rishikesh without the tourist hordes, with a beautiful river curving through the town, and hundreds of wonderful temples, some with amazing colours near the river.
So wish me luck on Friday the 13th…
P.s. well I arrived in Manali/Vashist without bus incident, the roads pretty mellow, they have got nothing on the crazy roads i endured in the ghats in kerala...i guess i will have to wait for Ladakh another time to experience more mountain bus fear!
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