A Tibetan Fairy Land

Tearing myself away form the snowy peaks, I left early the next morning for Dharamsala. I had to first take a bus to Jammu which I was told would take about 7 hours; accounting for Indian time, I figured about 9 which left me plenty of time to catch one of the buses to Dharamsala from there. There was nothing in particular to hold us up on the way; we didn't run over any cows or have to change buses, but it took a whopping 13 hours! In what universe does 7 translate to 13!? The bus ride was beautiful (its saving grace)--we were traveling through mountain passes nearly the whole time so I was more surprised than irritated, until I got to Jammu and found out I'd missed the last bus to Dharamsala by a half hour. Then I was irritated. After an unpleasant night in Jammu, I caught an early bus--my guidebook said 5 hours, the bus station said 6, it took 7. And a half. (That's reasonable Indian time I suppose.) Thankfully, when I arrived in Dharamsala, my troubles vanished like the rabbit in the hat. The beauty of the place was impossible to escape, the air was fresh, and best of all, the first guesthouse I tried had a cute little room with a view for super cheap.

Dharamsala is a very special place and to explain why, I must again delve into a quick background explanation. Many of you worldly folks must already know of Tibet's plight particularly in light of the recent Olympic torch controversy (or at least you recall the "FREE TIBET" t-shirts that were popular in Hollywood a few years back thanks to Brad
Pitt), but I'll admit that I had hazy knowledge of the big picture, so I will relate a short history in case you have some haze that needs clearing. Of course Tibet's history and relationship with it's neighbors is much more complex than what I can comprehend of it in such a short time, but here's one version: Tibet and it's people have existed independent of other nations for centuries upon centuries under various leaders including most recently (1600's to date) the spiritual and political leader-His Holiness, the Dali Lama and subsequent successors to the position. At no time in history was Tibet ever recorded to be a part of China, nonetheless in 1949, China decided it had been, and set out to reconquer its territory. Peace runs in the veins of the Tibetan people (they will go out of their way not to hurt any living thing down to the smallest insect as per the principles of Buddhism), thus when the Chinese army stormed in, there was no contest--Tibet's attempt at military defense was crushed and the atrocities committed against the Tibetan people began. It was China's will, under the pretense of creating cultural unity, that Tibetan artifacts, currency and significant buildings be destroyed. The Tibetans were terrorized, well over a million Tibetans were senselessly killed and the vast majority of Tibetan cultural heritage was blasted to bits. These happenings have every mark of a genocide and it is my guess (and my hope) that the label will be officially applied in the coming years, but meanwhile things are still extremely tense and it was really a slap in the face to Tibet's leaders that China hosted such a globally significant event this summer and was allowed to traipse right through Tibetan territory in opening celebrations.

Anyway, Dharamsala enters the scene when the 14th Dali Lama and those Tibetans willing and able to follow escaped Tibet and established the Tibetan Government in Exile--all of this generously permitted by an independent India--and Dharamsala was the chosen spot. As a result of this influx, the place (specifically McLeodganj--the tourist hub some 8 km north) is abuzz with Tibetan people, culture, food and handicrafts. What a welcome and refreshing change of pace this was! The knit socks with playful patterns, chunky beaded jewelry, bells and other crafts were extra tempting after facing so much of the kitchy toys, souvenirs and bangles at typical Indian gift shops. The streets were peaceful--Tibetan shop owners smile warmly when tourists pass instead of peppering them with entreaties like "looking, yes? just looking, no have to buy, looking, looking!". Even the beggars are more courteous, giving a nod and wishing passers by a good day regardless of the availability of spare change.

My first morning there, I met a girl my age--Rose--over Tibetan porridge (yum) and we went around together the next couple of days. There were a few walks/hikes to be done and we did those (one was to Bagsu waterfall where we averted out eyes as too many men stripped to their tighty whities for a dip--I'm so utterly disgusted with male bravado these days--decency is not in the repertoire of Indian men). We also went to a couple of movies in this funny makeshift theater--The Darjeeling Limited and 7 Years in Tibet--both appropriate for sure and good flicks taboot. We also visited the Tsuglagkhang complex where the Dali Lama resides and there's a great museum about Tibet's history there as well. Tibetan flags bring color and life to the whole town but in the area around the complex and the nearby temple, there was such an overload of them, barely a space between two trees was left unfilled. I was lovin it. I went and checked out an amchi (traditional Tibetan medicine) clinic--looked like all they had was dog kibble in various jars... --got a Tibetan massage (more research) which was much nicer and probably more beneficial than dog kibble. The lady who worked on me really dug into my kinks with reckless abandon--just how I like it! Needless to say, it was tough for me to leave this place too, but time was limited therefore, at 4am on Sunday morning, I was on the bus to Amritsar.