Macleod Ganj

So we woke up to a very neat place. There are trees here and the views are quite remarkable and there are really cool little shops and cafes' all over the tiny streets. It is the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in Exile. It is also a little bit of Tibet in Nepal with it's hygiene standards and friendly people. Although you do get reminded still that you are in India as well. But we didn't plan too much, just enjoyed our surrounding and general vibe of the place. There are many Tibetan crafts, clothes and fabrics around, and is just amazing what a difference the people can make in a place. We went to the many tiny cafes and "retaurants" tucked away in little corners and just walked around the area. went to the Tibetan museum where the atrocities of the Chinese in Tibet are chronicled. It is amazing how these people can still have such a positive view on things after everything that has been done to them. Truly amazing. We also did the pilgrimage circuit around the Dalai Lama's residence. The path was adorned with prayer flags and tablets and prayer wheels. We went to a movie in one of the movie "theatres" which were really cute little places where seats from old buses where lined up in front of a large screen TV and a new release was shown with the whole camcorder in the movie theatre in full effect. It's funny, kinda like wathcing an old western movie how's the screen is scratchy. But as with most places you can't stay forever and at some point you need to leave and get on another crappy bus, which is exactly what we had to do. I have had some comments about me being a little grumpy but that's just what the bus rides here do to you. And it could be tolerable, until those things about India come into play and sometimes it becomes too much. (ie. the drunk guys on the bus or the touts following you when you get off the bus even though you tell them specifically not to follow you many times). But that is the reality with travelling and i don't mean to sound grumpy because it takes a lot to bring us down but just so little get us back up again. Off to Shimla, the honeymoon capital of India and former summer residence of the british raj.