Thursday, December 01, 2005
McLoud Ganj is an interesting place. The scenery is incomparable, even if the view of the valley is somewhat haze shrouded. The mountains are spectacular. MG itself is a cramped little tourist spot, a mix of backpackers and tibetan traders and monks. So it is kind of like a leftover hippie hangout - but now, in the start of the cold season, with relatively few of the tourists that must be here in other seasons. Yesterday evening I went to the movies here. A DVD showing of Easy Rider. It must have been cut though, because it was missing Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds from the sound track. Pity.
But the interesting part of being in a place like this is really just talking to people, anyway. Last night I talked with a store owner for a long time. He was Nepalese, third generation traders, who left Nepal some years ago when the country came apart. He is hoping his girlfriend will come back next month - she is from California, and they met here when she came into his shop. Today at breakfast I listened to a very competent woman giving English lessons to a Tibetan man who was mastering the present continuing tense. Then talked to a guy who spoke highly of Che Guevarra, but not convincingly.
Then I headed out on a road, picking Dharamkot as a destination, in the general direction of UP, steeply. Got lost a couple of times, teamed up with Ben from LA and we got to the top of a hill. It would have been called a mountain anywhere else, but here we still had towering peaks way above us. We talked about LA, Sikhism and Eastern religions, future plans and Myrna, Hindu lore as we stopped in at little temples and stupas along the way... He was a good companion.
Now I am ready for a good Indian meal for the evening.
Tomorrow I plan to walk downhill from McLoud Ganj with all my gear to spend the night in Dharmsala so I am closer to the bus station. The express bus to Amritsar leaves at 5am. The trip to Dharmsala is 3 km by steep trail or 10 km by bus, so I guess the path really is as steep as they say. Along the way I should pass by the Dalai Lama's residence and the Tibetan Library where they supposedly hold many lectures and courses.
But the interesting part of being in a place like this is really just talking to people, anyway. Last night I talked with a store owner for a long time. He was Nepalese, third generation traders, who left Nepal some years ago when the country came apart. He is hoping his girlfriend will come back next month - she is from California, and they met here when she came into his shop. Today at breakfast I listened to a very competent woman giving English lessons to a Tibetan man who was mastering the present continuing tense. Then talked to a guy who spoke highly of Che Guevarra, but not convincingly.
Then I headed out on a road, picking Dharamkot as a destination, in the general direction of UP, steeply. Got lost a couple of times, teamed up with Ben from LA and we got to the top of a hill. It would have been called a mountain anywhere else, but here we still had towering peaks way above us. We talked about LA, Sikhism and Eastern religions, future plans and Myrna, Hindu lore as we stopped in at little temples and stupas along the way... He was a good companion.
Now I am ready for a good Indian meal for the evening.
Tomorrow I plan to walk downhill from McLoud Ganj with all my gear to spend the night in Dharmsala so I am closer to the bus station. The express bus to Amritsar leaves at 5am. The trip to Dharmsala is 3 km by steep trail or 10 km by bus, so I guess the path really is as steep as they say. Along the way I should pass by the Dalai Lama's residence and the Tibetan Library where they supposedly hold many lectures and courses.
