McLeod Ganj

     McLeod Ganj sits on the south-western edge of the Himalayas, about 10 hours north of Delhi by bus.  It is the headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile and the residence of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.  I had been looking forward to heading up to McLeod for a couple months, and though I knew it would be cold this time of year, I seized the opportunity to go for a couple of days while there was nothing happening in Delhi.
     After an overnight bus to Dharamsala (just below McLeod Ganj), we arrived well before schedule and were dumped at 4:30 am on the side of the road.  Taking a taxi up to town with a girl I had met on the bus, there was no movement, no light, and everything was blanketed in snow.  We stood in the tiny, dark, icy "town square" deserted with our packs, wondering what our next move could possibly be.  We had little choice but to get out a flashlight and start carefully picking our way down the narrow lane, hoping to come upon a guesthouse whose door we could bang on at 5 am.  We were incredibly lucky- down the lane, in the dark, we ran into a couple who had been on the bus with us, and they owned a guesthouse!  Not only that, but they happened to be the proprietors of the guesthouse I had booked for my trip earlier in the week!  Upon arriving at the guesthouse, we were informed that the entire town was without electricity, and even the road up had been completely blocked until the day before, due to a snowstorm.  Our guesthouse-saviors gave me four heavy blankets, and at 5:30 am I tried to burrow under them sufficiently enough to sleep for a couple of hours.
     Again- not my best planned trip!  The next morning there was still no electricity leading to not a few problems- no heat, no hot water, nothing open, limited and scarce food (there had been no deliveries either due to the road blocks).  After a massive struggle to get out of my blanket fort, I made it outside to discover that things were quite bearable in the sun, walking around.  Ice began to melt and people started coming out.  I trekked several kilometers down the mountain to the secretariat, the government compound. It's amazing to think (and see) how an entire exiled government can set up shop in the small, previously backwaters, Indian mountain town.  I returned to the town to discover the return of electricity (sporadic).  My guest house was still without, so I moved to their sister property, down a steep, icy path below the main road.  It was spectacular!  The whole first day I had been debating about leaving early, but when I arrived at the Sidharth guesthouse, there was no thought of leaving.  I saw the modest but homey and comfortable room and then THE VIEW, and I knew I could stick out the cold for this (electric heating of any sort was still nonexistent).  We were perched on the mountainside gazing across at a panorama of snow-covered mountains; breathtaking and truly peaceful.  I learned the art of cocooning with my blankets, and after a much longer and warmer night's sleep, I awoke refreshed.
     I went to the Tsuglagkhang Complex, which includes the official residence of the Dalai Lama, the Kalachakra Temple, and the Tsuglagkhang Temple, and then checked out the Tibetan Museum before cozying up to hot tea and the BEST momos (dumplings) I have ever had.  That day and the next I did a lot of wandering, slipping, and sliding about, admiring the local handicrafts and generally enjoying and being appreciative of where I was.  Though it was freezing, I hadn't showered for days, hadn't even changed my clothes (the first day I put on every item I had and hadn't had the courage to peel off one layer since), I was really sad to leave.  It was so beautiful, peaceful, friendly; seeing the monks ambling about, feeling the sun warm my numb toes as I scrambled through the slush, sitting under a giant blanket with hot tea- it was full of simple joys and few needs.  It's a place I definitely feel the need to return to, and not just for the momos. Having read the Dalai Lama's autobiography and being there, it's hard not become suddenly impassioned for the Tibetan cause.  The history of the people and their struggle is astounding, and should make everyone want to work towards a free Tibet.  I look forward to returning to McLeod Ganj, hopefully in warmer weather and when I can dedicate time to volunteering with the community.  Though the trip may not have been entirely what I expected, it turned out to be just what I needed.

View from my room!

The Tibetan Library

Part of the Secretariat

Peace flags are everywhere- strung along trails, over houses and roads, and in restaurants

     

The Great Southern Adventure

     From December 21st through January 3rd, John and I traipsed across southern India, and it was GLORIOUS.  Southern India is unparalleled in beauty, and its unique and varied landscape never ceased to amaze.  After much planning, we had an impeccable (almost) itinerary taking us from our starting point in Mysore down to Varkala, a beach town on the Arabian Sea, over 14 days.  Needless to say, it was an amazing trip.  I will apologize now for my anticipated gross overuse of the word "beautiful" and all of it's synonyms in relaying our travels...

     Our trip started with a 36 hour train ride from Delhi to Mysore.  It was surprisingly easy; however, thanks to John's unwillingness to leave work on time, we did have to jump on to the train with our baggage as it was pulling out of the station.  Having barely made the train and found our compartment, we drank a bottle of bubbly, watched "It's a Wonderful Life", and settled in for the long road ahead.  With the aid of snacks, magazines, and 2 nights of semi-sleep, we were in Mysore before we knew it.

from our train window

our little compartment! 

  

     Oh, Mysore of my dreams... Bananas abundant, marigolds galore!  It's a beautiful city, though seems fairly small.  The main site here, the Maharaja's Palace, is on of the most spectacular palaces I have ever seen, and the Devaraja Market is absolutely splendid- chock full of fruit, powdered dyes, sugarcane, incense, and oils.  It's the market one might imagine from the magical stories of old India- the colors are so vibrant, with row upon row of fuchsia, aqua, tangerine, lemon yellow, red, brilliant greens... and somehow everything seemed a bit cleaner, more inviting.  We spent the day wandering through the exquisite palace and then the market and down colorful side streets, enjoying the perfect weather and our first day of vacation on solid ground.

the Maharaja's Palace

bright and beautiful goods in the market

     Next stop- Ooty, a hill station in the Nilgiri hills of Tamil Nadu.  Beautiful, lush, a bit over-developed and busy these days, but charming none the less.  Even better is the hotel where we stayed, Sherlock Hotel- that's right, a Sherlock Holmes-themed hotel that is perched on a hillside outside of town with grounds that overlook everything.  The inn is an old British house and the lawn overlooking the valley is scattered with wrought iron tables; everything was fully decorated for Christmas, and every room had a roaring fire (Ooty, though warm during the day, gets quite cold at night).  It was hard to even leave the hotel property- the views were stunning, the air clean, and it smelled good as we were surrounded by tea plantations.  It couldn't have been a more lovely retreat and quite appropriately old-British reminiscent, nice given we were spending Christmas there.  I will admit, Christmas proved to be a bit tougher than I had anticipated; as beautiful as everything was, I couldn't help wishing I was at home to celebrate with my family as I have done every year prior to this one.  I'm so glad we were able to make it special in our own way, the good folks at Sherlock Hotel were so accommodating and made everything festive, but I don't think I'll choose to be anywhere but Louisville for future Christmases!

     Our one snag in the trip- a full day and night of transportation hell.  Correction- the transportation at the start of the day was quite lovely- a train here, a bus there, all through winding mountain passes, lush with tea plantations.  However, as time went on it spiraled into the hell that finally spit us up onto our next destination- Kochi.  Moving past this, suffice it to say we made it from Ooty of the hills to Kochi on the coast in Kerala.
     Kochi- another big hit!  We stayed in Fort Cochin and walked to Mattencherry, to see the Dutch Palace and the synagogue built in 1533.  Within Mattencherry is a an area called Jew Town.  The entire area belonged to the Portuguese, then the Dutch, before it was finally handed over to the British in the 19th century.  Jew Town is an incredibly charming, historic area along the water, now full of shops, spice markets, historic homes, and old godowns.  We had a perfect leisure day (much needed after arriving a bit battered at 4 am).  We ate, shopped, strolled, and browsed the antiques and handicrafts.  I was even dressed up in a traditional Kerala sari in a spice shop!

on the passenger train down from Ooty

feeling a bit silly in my sari 

      That evening we went to a Kathakali performance- an ancient form of dance/theatre/storytelling that involves elaborate make-up and costumes and music to tell traditional "good vs. evil" stories, usually from the Mahabharata or other classic Hindu texts.  The performers study rigorously for 6 years to be a Kathakali performer, and the result is quite a spectacular sight!

putting on the make-up

the hero explaining that he will kill the demon terrorizing the village

our hero kills the evil demon and chops his head off!

     From Kochi we went to Alleppey for our night on a houseboat touring the backwaters.  The backwaters were, to use an inadequate and cheesy word, magical.  Serene and relaxing, we ambled through the large thoroughfares and around the largest lake in Kerala,  drinking semi-cold Kingfishers and lazing about.  The boats are designed like traditional rice barges and include a cook to whip up simple but delicious Kerala-style meals onboard.  Nothing glamorous, mind you, but perfectly quiet and beautiful.

     Our next day was in Kollam and an extension of our backwater tour.  We stayed at a guesthouse on a spit of land jutting out into the water and spent the afternoon on a canoe boat tour through the smaller channels of the backwaters, through the canals of Munroe Island, and visiting the village there.  We stopped at a chai shack, saw how coir is made (coconut fibers spun into rope), and meandered through tiny canals in our guide's canoe while he pointed out various spice and fruit trees, birds, and backwater village farming techniques.  It was an unreal place and felt so removed from, well, everything.

our amazing guide

making coir

tree climbing lesson!

     Finally, we moved on to our last stop where we spent 4 whole glorious days- Varkala, my little hippy-heaven!  It's a fantastic little town, the tourist part of which consists of one long walkway packed with shops, restaurants, and inns perched along a cliff's edge with the beach below.  It's easily a place where days could turn into weeks without a person even realizing.  We had ayurvedic massages, ate freshly caught tiger prawns and mahi mahi, and we rang in 2012 drinking and dancing with a global hodgepodge of revelers.  On new year's eve, we also stumbled upon the Janardhana Temple further inland- an extraordinary place that is part ancient religious awe and part Indiana Jones.  In the jungle setting, the large complex is humbling to say the least.

our beach!

our dinner!

Janardhana Temple grounds

last evening with the Arabian Sea

     It was hard to imagine going back to Delhi when this whole other side of India just lies here, beckoning with its beautiful and varied landscapes, friendly faces, and delicious (not to mention cheap!) food.  But the trip was more than I could have hoped for, and I'm eternally grateful that we were able to see this part of the country.  One day I'll tackle the eastern half of the southern subcontinent!  

Christmas at VSA

The day before we left for our 2 week trip south, the kids at Very Special Arts put on a Christmas performance that they had been working on for several weeks.  We put together 2 choreographed dances and a play!  Many families in Delhi celebrate Christmas, for fun, so it is not uncommon for kids to know all of the lore that accompanies Christmas along with even the nativity story.  In addition, many of our kids come from orphanages run by nuns, and therefore are given some Christian/Catholic education.  So it was not entirely strange that the play we put on was a very simple staging of the nativity story, with Joseph, Mary, a baby Jesus, shepherd, townsfolk, and wise men.  The kids were absolutely amazing- they worked really  hard every day to build the set and practice the dances to make sure everything was ready for the big day!

Joseph and Mary and baby Jesus

Knocking at the doors of the inns only to be turned away

Taking their much deserved bow

Some of the kids and me in front of the manger

The amazing, stupendous, super-awesome Jingle Bells!

After we all had lunch and hung out in the courtyard- a perfect day to leave on!  Thanks VSA!