Travel - A home in the hills

We reached Pathankot station a little after eight in the morning. A taxi was to take us up to Mcleodganj, or Little Lhasa, the hotel had informed us. The driver greeted us outside the station. There was a lovely hill song playing on his recorder. How long to Mcleodganj, we asked him. Oh, it will take at least three hours, the driver said, since the “road is not well”.
And, as we hurtled along the highway at a speed of some 100 km an hour, over dangerous potholes, we realised the road seriously needed a doctor. Some in our party, who hailed from Gurgaon, were used to much worse. We eventually asked the driver to slow down a bit. He assumed we meant the music, and so he turned down the volume of the trill Tibetan song. And it took us a while to convince him to drive at under 80 km an hour.Good beginning
It was pouring when we got to Mcleodganj at noon. It didn’t augur very well for our long weekend. We checked into our charming guest house, The Chonor House, which is a part of Norbulinka Institute’s Hospitality wing. The institute has been set up by the Dalai Lama Trust to preserve Tibetan culture in these fragile times. The rooms were beautiful, really. Evocative of the lands these rugged mountain people had left behind — Nomads, Voyage at Sea, Mythical Birds, and the famous Kham Suite, which is apparently Richard Gere’s favourite room at the hostellery, probably because it overlooks the Dalai Lama Temple. Our suite was called Central Tibet and the murals on the walls by local artist Tashitopden were awe inspiring. The rough terrain, the bare mountains, the sensuous cloud forms merged beautifully with the mist and pouring rain outside our window and we realised there was really nothing to do, but accept it stoically.
By late evening the sun had come out and we trekked it to the local bazaar and first armed ourselves with raincoats and chhatas. Then we let ourselves soak in the local flavour, the little silver shops, momo hawkers, stalls selling singing bowls. We eventually wound up at Hotel Tibet for dinner that evening. Stuffing ourselves to the gills with mouth-watering momos, thukpa and “papper” chicken — which we were a bit confused about — was it paper, or pepper…the spice won ultimately, since the dish was smeared darkly with it.
We woke up to torrential rain the next morning. The only option was to take in a Tibetan yoga class being offered at the Pema Thang Guest House, next door. Tibetan Yoga emphasises “a continuous sequence of movement”, whereas Indian forms focus on “static positions”. They mainly work on the seven Chakras.Cleansing the soul
By mid morning the skies cleared a bit and we walked across to the Dalai Lama Temple. There were women prostrating in the veranda of the main Temple. It was an interesting ritual, which they would repeat two, three hundred times, with short breaks in between. I asked an old woman to teach it to me. I was huffing after a couple of repetitions. Very strenuous exercise, I told her. She gently chided me — it was more an exercise of the spirit to cleanse the soul.
The temple had some stunning statues of Avlokiteshwara, Kaalchakra and the Buddha. Unfortunately the Dalai Lama was away in France, but we still walked across to his Palace and chatted with the Jat security guards on duty. They warmed up to fellow Haryanvis in our group.
The Tibetan Museum in the Temple precincts was an eye opener. There was a very good exhibition of photographs, facts and videos, painstakingly put together by a dedicated group of Lamas to highlight the plight of the Tibetan diaspora.
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Bhagsu Road is dotted with picturesque little Italian and French Bakeries. The famous Lhamo’s Cooking classes are held here — they find mention in the honour rolls of the “Lonely Planet”. You could stop by at their bakery for some really crumbly/buttery croissants and hot chocolate. Thus fortified, continue walking for a couple of kilometres to Bhagsunag Temple, and onwards to the stunning waterfall. The waterfall is a precarious one-and-a-half kilometre trek from the Shiva Temple. The trek is worth every breath you take…and nothing you have ever done in your life can prepare you for the experience.
Once you reach the waterfall, an option (not for the weak-kneed) is to take a gruelling half kilometre trek up to Shiva Café. Perched on a hill top, Shiva Café provides a panoramic view of the waterfall and surrounding hills. It was misty when we got there. There was a little shack, a rain shelter really, where you can have hot tea and biscuits and play carom, and a small courtyard outside displaying beautiful spiritual paintings done on slate. The café also has a couple of spare rooms for overnight guests. And most important of all, they have toilets you can use for free. One really appreciates these basic amenities in the hills.Innovative idea
There are no theatres in Mcleodganj. But a vegetable vendor has worked around this problem and opened an underground DVD Theatre. One of the things to do in the evenings is to catch a movie at this innovative cinema hall, replete with auditorium style seating. We caught a show of “Monty Python: The Search for the Holy Grail”, British slapstick at its worst. Other films on offer were “Escape to Tibet”, “The Simpsons” and “Om Shanti Om”.
Another good plan for a day out is to trek to Dharamkot, an Israeli settlement, a short distance from Mcleodganj. The thing to do here is to knock on the door of a family and play a little game. You ask for some food while they try and convince you that you don’t really want to eat their food, that it’s not that great, etc. And when you almost give up, they will cook you one of the most authentic Israeli meals you will ever get to eat this side of the Suez Canal. This could take hours sometimes, but I have it from a very good source that it is worth a try.
St. John in the Wilderness is a beautiful abbey built in the late 1800s. The church is about a kilometre from the Main Bazaar. And quite literally the standard ugly concrete of the bazaar gives way to “wilderness” as you approach St. John’s. Walking around the church compound and attached cemetery is like a nature class for the uninitiated. We spotted ladybirds, slugs, rattlesnakes and wild strawberries, in that order. I couldn’t help searching for a four-leafed clover. Old habits die hard, I guess.Flourishing business
On our last evening in Mcleod we went over to an Internet Café in Jogiwara. While my daughter uploaded photographs and caught up with friends on Facebook, I sat and watched a Voice Of America Tibetan News Telecast, along with a dozen Lamas. As I sipped a freshly brewed cup of coffee, the enterprising young owner told me what the discussion on TV was all about and how he had tried a couple of times to get a visa for Tibet but had always been turned down. He had grown up at Majnu ka Tilla in Delhi and moved to Nainital in the 1990s to set up a stall at the Tibetan Bazaar there. He came to Mcleod sometime in 2000 and set up this very up-market café and Internet facility. He was obviously doing very well. Yet all he wanted was a chance to go back home.Quick facts
Things to do:
You must visit the Norbulinka Institute, about 11 km from Mcleodganj. They have workshops in which the sacred and traditional arts of Tibet like Thangka painting, wood carving, statue making, and appliqué work are passed down to the new generation by masters who were trained in Tibet. You can actually commission Thangka paintings via Internet by writing to them at orders@norbulinka.org.
Or get Tibetan Massage: Dr. Dolma and Kalsang — cheoyangdolma@yahoo.co.in and kalsangdondup@yahoo.co.in — provide services at your hotel.
How to get there:
By bus: Himachal Roadways has daily services from Majnu Ka Tilla, Delhi (13 hrs.)
By Train: Jammu Mail to Pathankot (overnight) and then by Taxi to Mcleodganj (3 hrs.)
By Air: Air Deccan flies once a day to Gaggal Airport, about 30 minutes away from Mcleodganj