Dharamsala (McLeod Ganj)

From Amritsar I headed north with a group of my friends to escape the heat. The drive from Amritsar to McLeod Ganj became very scenic as we could start to see the Himalayas and get out of congested cities. The air became fresher as we got into Himachal Pradesh (the state where Dharamsala is located).

McLeod Ganj is about 4 km above the town of Dharamsala and it is the home of the Tibetan government in exile and the Dalai Lama (unfortunately he was away during my stay). There is a large Tibetan population living in McLeod Ganj, many of whom are refugees.

McLeod Ganj is a really calm and peaceful place in the mountains with plenty of backpackers passing through and some even staying for longer periods of time. It is the kind of place where it is so comfortable and relaxing to stay for a long time. There many short walks around McLeod Ganj as well as longer multi-day treks in the mountains.

My favourite walk was the kora (ritual circuit) of the Tsuglagkhang Complex, which comprises the official residence of the Dalai Lama, the Namgyal Gompa where you can see monks debating, the Tibet Museum, and the Tsuglagkhang temple. This circuit must be carried out in a clockwise direction. The path leads down a hill and through a forested trail with prayer flags all around. Tibetans believe that the prayers and mantras on the flags will be blown by the wind to spread the good will and compassion into the surrounding space. Along the walk there are many rows of prayer wheels and two huge prayer wheels that you must spin as you pas by. According to Tibetan Buddhism, spinning the wheel will have the same affect as saying the prayer. Prayer wheels are used to accumulate wisdom and good karma and to purify bad karma.

Every morning this ritual circuit is filled with Tibetan monks and nuns in their red robes carrying prayer beads behind their backs and saying prayers.

There is a longer hike to Triund, which takes a full day. All along the way up the mountain there are chai stalls and the water gets slowly more and more expensive. We understood why this was when we saw that the water and food is carted up the mountain on the backs of donkeys. It took us just over three hours to reach the top where there was a chai and snack stall and a place to stay the night. It was possible to stay the night then hike up to the snowline but we only spent one day.

Through my time in McLeod Ganj I gained more perspective on the Tibet political situation and I am truly amazed by the strength of Tibetan people but also the lack of international interest and involvement in the issue. According to what I learned about the political situation, the Chinese are in violation of the human rights of Tibetan people through forced sterilization and denying their freedom of speech and freedom of religion. They hold strict control over Tibetan people, with many of them living in fear and it is hard for Tibetans to leave the country and escape to India. There are two ways for Tibetans to get to India. The first is that if they are lucky enough they can get a Nepal visa from the government and go to India Tibet. The other way is by taking a dangerous 9 day trek through the snow covered Himalayas. This journey can not be completed by the very young or old so many people who come to India this way must leave their families.

It is a very complex situation and I am still interested to learn more. One afternoon I went to the Tibet museum and watched a documentary as well as powerful footage of recent events in Tibet. This was a very moving and powerful experience for me. The footage showed violent riots and protests as well as self incineration. Self incineration is a form of suicide in which the person, often a monk, will set themselves on fire in a public place as an extreme way to bring attention to an issue or injustice. It was very difficult to see and I can not believe that the situation is so extreme but I had barely heard about it on the news or in my classes at home. One night I was going out for dinner and I saw a group of monks walking together, each holding candles and chanting. My friend suspected that there had just been another self incineration.

McLeod Ganj is such a calm and peaceful place and with the kind people and beautiful mountain landscape it is easy to temporarily overlook the extreme situation in Tibet. However on every corner there are women knitting “Free Tibet” hats and posters everywhere that say “Tibet is not a part of China”.

I actually didn't eat any Indian food during my time in McLeod Ganj because there were so many new food options. Tibetan food includes many noodle soups as well as Momos. Momos are similar to a dumpling except there is a different kind of dough. They can either be steamed or fryed and the filling can be chicken, vegetable, or my personal favourite, spinach, cheese, and mushroom. You eat momos with a really spicy chilli sauce and can get them on every street for 10 rupees (20 cents).

There are also many really good cafes serving real coffee and sandwiches. One morning I was having breakfast at one such cafe of french toast and a cappuccino and was on the wifi. A Kings of Leon song was playing and I looked around and there were backpackers from all over the world in the cafe. I felt as though I could be back home or in any other place than India.

There is also great Chinese and Japanese restaurants in McLeod Ganj and many are run with Tibetan NGOs.

There is a community cafe in McLeod Ganj called Oasis Cafe, which is run by a Tibetan NGO. Everyday at 11:00am there is a volunteer opportunity to teach English to Tibetan people for an hour and I one day I got involved. I was speaking with a 37 year old monk and a 22 year old female student. They were both lucky enough to get Nepal visas and come to India from Nepal. They did not have to make the treacherous trek through the mountains. Both told me that they had family in Tibet.

Oasis Cafe also hosts different awareness and fundraising events for the Tibet situation. One night I went to a documentary showing on the life of the Dalai Lama. The film followed the Dalai Lama through his life and interactions with international political leaders and he seemed to be very wise and down to earth. In many parts of the documentary he would laugh when asked about the realities of the situation with China. I think that he recognizes how inhumane China is treating the Tibetan people and it is so bad that you have to laugh. I thought that Tibet wanted independence from China but the Dalai Lama recognized that it would be beneficial for Tibet to be a part of China but that they should be free from strict Chinese control of their freedom, especially religious freedom.