Mcleodganj

Yesterday we arrived in Mcleodganj, the northwest most point of my travels. This town houses many Tibetan refugees and has become a backpacker and tourist hotspot. Today I visited the temple and monastery of the Dalai Lama. Apparently, he was in town yesterday, but left early this morning to do some public talks farther north of here. While at the temple complex, we also visited the Tibet Museum, which documented the history of the Tibetan exile. Tibet was invaded by China in 1949. After some failed attempts at resistance, it was basically usurped by China, and the Dalai Lama, after being threatened by the Chinese, fled to India several years later. He set up the government-in-exile here in Mcleodganj. Since then, China has assumed total control of Tibet, and the cultural revolution led to the destruction of, according to the museum, three quarters of Tibetan monasteries, nunneries, and important Buddhist texts and sculptures. The museum also cited 1.2 million as the number of Tibetans who have died due to the Chinese invasion. The exhibition made special attention to provide evidence that Tibet was a sovereign, independent state prior to 1949. Some of the devastating effects of the Chinese invasion are on the environment: Tibet is now used as a nuclear testing site, forests are being cleared, and lakes considered sacred to the Tibetans are being polluted. Tibet is much larger than I realized at two-thirds the size of India. There was also an exhibition about the Panchen Lama, the chosen successor to the Dalai Lama. He was born in 1989, and at the age of 6, in 1995, he was identified as being a very special person. On May 14, he was visited by the Dalai Lama, who confirmed that he was the Panchen Lama. Three days later, on May 17,  he was abducted and remains missing today. It is suspected that he is being held by the Chinese, possibly tortured or brainwashed. Although the information I received today was all one-sided and provides only the Tibetan point of view, it is all very disheartening. On our first night here, there was a candlelight vigil for two people who had recently self-immolated (set themselves on fire and died) in protest of China's continued holding of Tibet. Hundreds of people walked through town and to the temple.

On a more light-hearted note, today I also went for a walk to the next town over, Bhagsu, and a pretty cool hike through a valley to a waterfall. I went with 2 friends in my group, Sophie, a student from Indiana University, and Charlotte, an Australian med student.

After that, we walked to the other side of town and saw the church, St. John in the Wilderness, dating to 1853. It was built for the English governor and other Brits. It's in a beautiful, quiet forested area. There is also a large cemetery (unusual for India because Hindus and Buddhists practice cremation). The cemetery contains the remains of many victims of a large earthquake that hit here in 1905. Another was an early church leader who died of a bear attack!

Just some cows in the road. Fun.

Yesterday I sported an Indian suit, salwar kaleez, that I had made for me during my time in Bir. I picked out the fabric and pattern from a fabric store, then took it to a tailor who had me choose the design/pattern, and then he measured me. Two days later, I had a hand-made, tailored outfit! While in Bir I also had my eyebrows threaded (kind of like waxing: shaping using strings of thread to capture errant hairs, but it's more common in India to use this technique for finely detailed work). It cost 15 rupees, which is about 40 cents; apparently, it can cost $15 in the U.S., according to my Indian-American friends on the trip. What a steal! I feel pretty, oh-so-pretty... 

With my trip roommate, Rashim! She had this blue suit made while we were in Manali, and she helped me navigate the process of getting a suit made.

Tomorrow, I travel back to New Delhi via Chandigarh. It will be a long travel day. We leave our hotel here at 7:30 a.m., and my flight arrives in New Delhi about 6:30 p.m., then it will take probably an hour to collect bags and make it to my next hotel. I'm a little wary of traveling to the big city after all of my favorite time in small towns and villages, but it should be fun. I'll be with 3 other women on my HHE trip, too. Can't wait!