Sept. 21, 2012

Mcleod Ganj, Himachal Pradesh, India

The bus was late picking us up in Delhi. We (Alex, Obi, Praveen and I) got on the wrong bus before that, and when we finally got on our bus, we had the pleasant surprise of the French girls waiting for us on the bus they had boarded an hour ago. That’s what traffic in Delhi and the symptoms of what we call “Indian time” do to you.The bus ride itself was great. An overnight, semi-sleeper, air-conditioned Volvo took us up to the foothills in Mcleod Ganj proper in just over 11 hours. In that time, I had a nice chat with Praveen, who I’d just met the day before, about India, its states, the state of its democracy, and the Pakistan/Bangladesh/India split of the British colony of India. There’s still an incredible gap in my knowledge about the Indian region of Asia.

We were woken up by the operator of the bus, announcing the last stop at 6AM as Mcleod Ganj. Stepping off the bus, I was greeted by a stunning view of a mountain valley below and the crisp, clean mountain air. It was damn good to be alive.

RISE and SHINE(RAMA). Two plays on words. I wonder if any of you will get both?

The four of us found a hotel, put our bags down, freshened up, and headed to breakfast. We met a man who was involved in Tibet-issue protests in Chengdu, China, and heard his tale of escape from the clutches of the Chinese authorities, fleeing from Chengdu, through Nepal, into India, and finally setting up a restaurant in Dharamsala. This has been one of the major themes of being abroad, both in Germany and in India, that world events (Berlin Wall, Tibet, to name a few) have meaningful personal impacts that are less seen and even less thought about back home. We can know about the issues, but that’s all we know.

The man from Chengu in the middle with the weird two-tone shirt.

The next thing up was the Dalai Lama’s temple. We went the wrong way, ending up in Kharamdot. Here, we stumbled upon a group of high school kids, on a volunteering mission to clean up the town. They were taking their group shot, and a quick “Hey we’re from IIT Delhi, can we get a picture with you guys?” got us the strangest picture of the trip. Praveen and I, front and center, Alex and Obi, way in the back, surrounded by Indian students volunteering to clean up the town. Farther on up the road, we stumbled upon a beautiful waterfall, with two snack shops on either side, blocking our advance up the mountain.

Hey there, beautiful.

The clouds started to roll in at this point. At 1725m, this meant we were in the clouds. As we made our way back down to the temple, the visibility decreased to maybe a city block. We bumped into two groups of IITD exchange students along the way, asking about the temple. It wasn’t incredibly impressive, but a safe refuge for Tibetans who have braved a lot to get here. It really did feel like home with the milk being served constantly by volunteers. This was a tight-knit community, representatives of a nation.

Lunch, quite late in the afternoon ,was had at the Khana Nirvana. An excellent Chinese meal in a quiet place up a steep stairwell, staring off into the valley filled with clouds. We had a good chat about renewable energy, fusion, and the future of how we’ll get our energy.

After that was a visit to the Tibet Museum, highlighting the independence movement of the Tibetan people. I now realize I need to see the other side of the issue; how objective can one be when one is fighting for home and nation? Tibet would be an interesting place to visit. We did have a good chat with the front desk man about the Tibetan government-in-exile, the diaspora, and the objectives of the Tibetan movement. I learned a lot about Tibet today, but the other side of the issue remains to be seen.

A bit of souvenir shopping, then back to the hotel for a little nap. That turned into 45 minutes of talking to Praveen about the financial struggles of families in India, the cost of education, social pressures, women, and the Civil Service exam. Civil Services is where you can obtain power in India, according to Praveen. The elected government has bureaucrats behind it, who “actually write the policies and control the power”, whereas the democratically elected representatives range from the educated elite to the illiterate. A lot of IIT Delhi students are studying for this exam to get into the government and into power, hoping to change the system and remove the corruption that is slowing India’s growth. It’s a hell of a fight.

Dinner was at the Tibet Kitchen, where I enjoyed lamb slices in gravy with vegetable fried rice. Not too special. Writing in 4 languages about the food in the comment book was fun, and I started to wonder how far my Chinese has deteriorated. It’s not as good as it used to be.

The bar next door on the rooftop had a great view overlooking Mcleod Ganj. We met Joe and Brianni there, two people (not a couple) who were teaching English and life skills to elementary school kids somewhere close to Dharamsala. We chatted over a Free Tibet (gin, orange juice, lemon juice). I think it’ll be the only time I ever do manage to truly free Tibet, and it wasn’t very good.

IT'S JOE. HE'S FREEING TIBET.

And finally, back to the hotel, the first time there’s truly been peace and quiet since escaping from Delhi. Onto the next day!