Yesterday I learnt that the word Nepali guys use to call a girl "ugly" is the same word as "tall". Brilliant!
After a wonderfully enjoyable week of jasmine tea, tibetan history, monks and dumplings, I am forcing myself to leave McLeod Ganj. I can see myself getting far too comfortable here and spending a couple of months eating good food and trekking the canadian-esque mountains that tower behind the hilly town. If that happens, I wouldn't be able to fit in the rest of India before my visa expires!
The temperature here hovers around 20 degrees, which is rather refreshing after my time in the desert. We have spent a lot of time at the temple which also has a comprehensive Tibetan museum inside. I never realized the extent of the horrors and control the Tibetan people have had to put up with since the invasion - political prisoners tortured and imprisoned for 10-15 years because they took part in a peaceful "Free Tibet" demonstration. It's one thing for a government to tell you what to do, but an entirely different concept when they dictate what you can believe in - even mentioning the name "Dalai Llama" in Tibet is a crime. Even today, thousands of political prisoners are still locked up in Chinese jails. It's beautiful that the Tibetan beliefs still shines through under chinese rule - there is no violence or malice, instead it's all peaceful demonstrations and positive "Free Tibet" thinking. Not sure if I would be able to be so compassionate after everything they have been put through.
I have met heaps of awesome people here, it is peak season so the town is packed with western tourists/hippies. We have gone on a few treks up to the mountains which have had amazing views - I love it when the fog clears to reveal snow capped peaks so close you could almost touch them.
Today its off to Jammu, capital of Kashmir, to sleep in cheap dorms with Indian pilgrims. Tomorrow I will head to Srinigar to stay in a houseboat on one of their gorgeous lakes. It's meant to be India's "Little Switzerland". I'm enjoying north india a lot more than the Delhi area!
