tibet + dreadlocks / hashish = mcLeod ganj

Sangri La! Finally! After a pretty perilous drive up the lower Himalayas (in a crappy bus that felt tilted about 45 degrees) we reached the mountain town of Mcleod Ganj, which is very close to the better-known Dharamsala. This town is the official residence of the Tibetan refugee government and the Dalai Lama and you can feel the vibe change to something that is distinctly non-Indian as soon as you arrive. Mostly in the sense that things are so much less hectic. There is something about the intensity of the other places we have visited. Even where the weather is blistering hot, people are hustling, honking, yelling on their cell phones. Just really intense. So the polite vibe of the Tibetans was much needed and appreciated. (Not to mention the 10 degree weather drop!) It was pretty surreal actually, to go from being the only non-Indians around to this town where there are a ton of Asians, Indians, Europeans, Americans. Such diversity!!

Mcleod Ganj seems to be THE place for foreign tourists to go get their hippy dream on. There are a ton of yoga centers, ayurvedic massage courses, holistic bookshops. In fact, it reminds me of the West Village, with weed smoking as holy as sipping lattes. (The nearby Parvati Valley is rumored to be the number one marijuana exporter in Asia) And so naturally there are many, many tourists of the granola persuasion. Its funny to think of these foreigners with dreadlocks, tattoos, and facial piercings in other parts of India. If we have been getting stared at like animals in the zoo, I can’t imagine how the Indians must look at them. It was really wonderful to have the opportunity to make friends with other trekkers. And there was quite a social scene going on, especially because you are constantly seeing the same tourists in such a small town. Just to exchange stories of triumphs and frustrations reminds you that you are not the only person doing this!




Our very first day in the Ganj, we were lucky enough to see the Dalai Lama! What are the chances? Of course he constantly on the go, making appearances all over the world, but his residence is officially in Mcleod Ganj. So when he comes home, the whole town knows about it and waits outside his house to pay respects. They burn incense, hold pictures, and carry white shrouds. It is so interesting how accessible he is to his people. (although when he came through that day, he literally just waved from the car) When newly arrived refugees come to India, they get to have a meeting with him. Foreigners can even sign up to attend his public talks.




The Buddhist monks are equally human. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I was under the impression that the monks would be pretty much confined to their prayers most of the day. Not so! They go to restaurants, stay in hotels, and even go out at night! We met a monk in plain clothes out at a jam-session one night. He was having fun, but just not drinking or smoking, of course.



I had never seriously considered the plight of the Tibetans before my visit to this town. At a certain point, pop culture swallowed the whole “FREE TIBET” thing and reduced it to a bumper-sticker movement. But the Tibetans themselves are still hanging on to their struggle for independence, despite grim odds that China would ever give grant it. Tibetans STILL living in Tibet are actually paid a sum of money to stay there by the Chinese government and are exempt from China’s one-child policy. And yet, Tibetans are still making the dangerous trek over the Himalayas to seek refuge in Nepal and India. The Tibetans living there wear “FREE TIBET” t-shirts and hold rallies. Many of the local restaurants and coffee houses even screen daily documentaries on the struggle. It just makes me so sad to see them still hopefully engaged in a struggle that the rest of the world seems to have selectively forgotten. At this point it would be a suicide in international relations for any government to speak out against the Chinese government regarding the situation in Tibet. To think that when I went to Shanghai a few years ago, the national museum had a Tibetan art exhibit, as if they are sincerely trying to empower that community.

In all, Mcleod Ganj was a bit of peace. And now after a few cold nights and some yoga classes, I feel prepared to tackle India again!