Before leaving Delhi last Tuesday, we spent the evening at a massive (and unique) temple on the city's outskirts. Unlike all other temples we have visited so far, this one was heavily Americanized, complete with educational boat ride (a la Disney World), IMAX movie, and food court. According to the boat ride, Indians invented everything before anyone else thought of inventing anything. Nationally biased are we??
We arrived in Dharamsala the next morning by car, following an overnight train ride. Dharamsala is situated in the South of the Himalayan Mountains, a lighthouse of civilization amongst seas of nearly unpopulated peaks. Dharamsala is a hotbed of Buddhism and serves as a refuge for Tibetans who are no longer safe in their own country.
Occuring all over India on this very day was the "festival of color" known as Holi. There may be more to it, but all I've gathered is that people spend the morning walking the streets and throwing paint at each other. Maybe it was the seeking of a new experience or simply a poor decision on little sleep, but I chose to take a walk. Witness the very purple Holi aftermath...
The most exhausting of the week's activities was a strenuous hike up a 10,000ft. "foothill" (as the Tibetans call it. The excursion took from breakfast to dinner and resulted in aching bones, but the incredible view from the top was well worth it. And for me, that's saying something!
Another highlight of my time in Dharamsala was getting to interact with the locals through one of our only common factors: basketball. In terms of height, we definitely dominated, but overall it was a good challenge. I've never been exactly suave at basketball, but my unique way of playing fit in well to the very different Tibetan rules and methods. To save myself embarrassment, I'll post a picture where I'm just standing still.
Dharamsala is so far one of my favorite places on the trip. I don't know if the chill aura of the city comes from the peaceful setting or the plethora of buddhist hippies that sing bizarre songs at coffee houses (see below),
but it definitely serves as a nice change of pace/scenery.
In my opinion, the city itself was worth the trip despite not being able to see his holiness the Dalai Lama (Buddhism's posterboy).
Tomorrow we leave for Amritsar, the second and last stop on our journey through the North. It's bittersweet to be 2/3rds of the way through the trip; I'm eager to get back to all of you, but still loving every minute of it! :) Until next week...
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