Tuesday, November 29, 2005
I am in McLeod Ganj, near Dharmsala. Just arrived about two hours ago, a little bedraggled and the worst for weat.
My guest house originally booked the bus trip to Dharmsala for me, but then said I will have to wait a day as the bus wasn't running yesterday. So I went to the State Bus Office, and easily booked a deluxe bus for myself right away. The guest house wasn't very be happy, losing a commission, but tough nuts for them.
But boy, was I wet behind the ears! Luxury bus? OK, so I took out a couple of books to read on the 12 hour overnight, to decide what to do and where to stay. And, I should have thought a bit when people said "Oh, Dharmsala? Cold up there."
The luxury bus had no reading lights. Worse, it had no heat. I was wearing a thin short-sleeved shirt and had along a light windbreaker. Didn't take long to add the windbreaker. Then added the trusty scarf on my head - the one I've been using in Africa to ward off the sun, happy thought. Then added the cape that stores in the collar of the windbreaker. Then pulled my arms out of the sleeves of the windbreaker - felt a little like wearing a straightjacket, but helped a bit.
The bus finally made a pit stop around 3am, and a couple of us bought tea masala there. That hot juice sure felt good. But then the bus began climbing, with lots of switchbacks and hairpin turns and it began to feel like a small boat in big swells. I don't know if it was that, or something in the tea (I suspect the latter), but I was not the first to open a window and wet the side of the bus. Felt better afterwards, though.
After an hour's layover in Dharamsala, a little gnome of a man pointed out the bus we needed to get the rest of the way to McLeod Ganj. MG is up, man, up. 45 minutes of steep switchbacks on a one-lane road with no guardrails. But it is a gem, a few narrow streets lined with shops and a major buddhist temple. Prayer wheels. Flags fluttering.
I thawed out a bit at a rooftop restaurant with sheer comfort food - a coffee, with banana-apple pancake with honey, jelly and butter. I feel much better now, thank you.
My guest house originally booked the bus trip to Dharmsala for me, but then said I will have to wait a day as the bus wasn't running yesterday. So I went to the State Bus Office, and easily booked a deluxe bus for myself right away. The guest house wasn't very be happy, losing a commission, but tough nuts for them.
But boy, was I wet behind the ears! Luxury bus? OK, so I took out a couple of books to read on the 12 hour overnight, to decide what to do and where to stay. And, I should have thought a bit when people said "Oh, Dharmsala? Cold up there."
The luxury bus had no reading lights. Worse, it had no heat. I was wearing a thin short-sleeved shirt and had along a light windbreaker. Didn't take long to add the windbreaker. Then added the trusty scarf on my head - the one I've been using in Africa to ward off the sun, happy thought. Then added the cape that stores in the collar of the windbreaker. Then pulled my arms out of the sleeves of the windbreaker - felt a little like wearing a straightjacket, but helped a bit.
The bus finally made a pit stop around 3am, and a couple of us bought tea masala there. That hot juice sure felt good. But then the bus began climbing, with lots of switchbacks and hairpin turns and it began to feel like a small boat in big swells. I don't know if it was that, or something in the tea (I suspect the latter), but I was not the first to open a window and wet the side of the bus. Felt better afterwards, though.
After an hour's layover in Dharamsala, a little gnome of a man pointed out the bus we needed to get the rest of the way to McLeod Ganj. MG is up, man, up. 45 minutes of steep switchbacks on a one-lane road with no guardrails. But it is a gem, a few narrow streets lined with shops and a major buddhist temple. Prayer wheels. Flags fluttering.
I thawed out a bit at a rooftop restaurant with sheer comfort food - a coffee, with banana-apple pancake with honey, jelly and butter. I feel much better now, thank you.
