After the train ride we all piled into 21 cars/vans and headed to the mountains - destination Dharamsala. Mix the crazy driving here, with the hairpin turns on the road, with the cliffs on one side (no barriers at all) and the rock on the other side, throw in people, flocks of sheep, lots of cows, donkeys, dogs, monkeys and chickens with cars and tourist buses and you will have an idea of what our day was like. Scott and I were at the front of the van and we could feel ourselves trying to brake constantly. We had a few close calls!
When we arrived at Dharamsala our rooms were not ready so we set out to explore. The town is all hills and tiny shops. This is the first place in India where we could easily walk! No one hassled us, everyone enjoyed walking the city, talking to the shop owners, no pressure here.
We ended up following the sound of the monks chanting, and arrived at the Dalai Lama's temple just as the service was ending. After going through security, we were able to go upstairs where the service was held, thousands of monks everywhere, spin the pray wheels, take off our shoes and walk through the temple. Amazing!
Downstairs we were able to witness a historic event. Just before we left on this trip the Dalai Lama announced that he was stepping down as the political leader, but would continue to be the spiritual leader of the Tibet people. The day we were there everyone was voting, we are not sure what for, but there were alot of cameras recording the event. At one end all the monks lined up with their passports waiting to vote, at the other end the Tibet people lined up. The polling booths were made with colourful flags. It was a memorable experience for us.
Anne
When we arrived at Dharamsala our rooms were not ready so we set out to explore. The town is all hills and tiny shops. This is the first place in India where we could easily walk! No one hassled us, everyone enjoyed walking the city, talking to the shop owners, no pressure here.
We ended up following the sound of the monks chanting, and arrived at the Dalai Lama's temple just as the service was ending. After going through security, we were able to go upstairs where the service was held, thousands of monks everywhere, spin the pray wheels, take off our shoes and walk through the temple. Amazing!
Downstairs we were able to witness a historic event. Just before we left on this trip the Dalai Lama announced that he was stepping down as the political leader, but would continue to be the spiritual leader of the Tibet people. The day we were there everyone was voting, we are not sure what for, but there were alot of cameras recording the event. At one end all the monks lined up with their passports waiting to vote, at the other end the Tibet people lined up. The polling booths were made with colourful flags. It was a memorable experience for us.
Anne
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