McLeod Ganj has been a great experience. We have met many many refugees from Tibet and heard their stories--so powerful and tragic. China is making a concerted effort to wipe the Tibetan culture out. Many Tibetans are unemployed because they don't speak Mandarin; nor do they attend school if they don't speak Mandarin. The job situation has caused many Tibetan women to turn to prostitution, adding AIDS and HIV to their problems. China has set up many incentives to get more Chinese people to move into Tibet and push and breed out the Tibetans. We went to the Tibetan Library yesterday where they house some artwork that was saved from the country, and in the same complex is the Government-in-Exile as well as the Tibetan Torture Survivor Society where they provide physical and psychological care for the refugees that come to McLeod Ganj that spent time in Chinese prison. I don't want my blog to be another forum for Brodie-Buzzkill, but China is able to continue with these practices mostly because the world doesn't know they're doing it. The best way I can help the Tibetans we've met and their families is by making others aware of their people's situation. Click here to learn more.
Anyway, Joel and I are leaving McLeod Ganj this afternoon for Delhi. We've taken a Tibetan cooking class and were able to give a monk and two of his classmates English lessons. The Dalai Lama has been traveling and will be back in India sometime next week, so we haven't seen him. Joel may go to see him speak in Ithaca this fall. We've met so many great people here: fellow travelers, our cooking instructor, the monks, an aging American hippie promoting the Tibetan cause... we'd love to stay longer.
Joel will be back in New York on Friday; I will be heading to Paris for the Bat Mitzva of one of the kids I au paired for. I bought a dress here since I found out about the event while I was in India. Then I'll meet my mom and Krista (sister-in-law) in Prague a few days later. I'll be keeping up with my blog as much as I can from there too. Should be a pretty dramatic gear shift: Delhi to Paris to Prague...
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Silly Bessie
This is one of the few pictures I was able to take on my camera before it broke. It seemed like quintessential India: we're inside a restaurant in Delhi and a cow walks up for a taste.
Friday, June 15, 2007
McLeod Ganj
This is the town where the Tibetan government in exile and the Dalai Lama are currently residing. India has sort of given them this town. It seems to have more Tibetans than Indians, and possibly more Westerners than either... not really, but there are a lot. Joel and I watched a very powerful documentary called Tibet: The Cry of the Snow Lion about the Chinese invasion of Tibet.
It's great to be here among Tibetan Buddhists who are able to practice freely and educate their children in their own language and traditions.
The tourist-town means that Joel and I are enjoying relaxing days of shopping, bookstore browsing, and eating a variety of foods. We're staying in our most expensive hotel yet: $15/night for the two of us. (We've been paying $5.) It's got electricity, a foam mattress, and even a hot shower! This is luxury.
Tomorrow we go to the Tibet Museum, Library, and check out the Dalai Lama's pad. I'll have more to say later, I'm sure.
For now here's a picture from McLeod Ganj that I stole from Google...
It's great to be here among Tibetan Buddhists who are able to practice freely and educate their children in their own language and traditions.
The tourist-town means that Joel and I are enjoying relaxing days of shopping, bookstore browsing, and eating a variety of foods. We're staying in our most expensive hotel yet: $15/night for the two of us. (We've been paying $5.) It's got electricity, a foam mattress, and even a hot shower! This is luxury.
Tomorrow we go to the Tibet Museum, Library, and check out the Dalai Lama's pad. I'll have more to say later, I'm sure.
For now here's a picture from McLeod Ganj that I stole from Google...
Monday, June 11, 2007
Gangotri (Day 14)
We are back in Uttarkashi, with the heat; however, we have been at over 3000m for the past week. That means it's been quite cold at night and a little chilly in the shade, but the sun at that latitude and altitude is fierce. Hawaii did not prepare me for it. My face and neck are fried even though I regularly wore a hat and sunscreen. I think the sun's heat explains why there isn't snow on the ground at such heights. We were above the tree line at some points.
We've been staying in places with very simple accommodations: bathrooms outside, if at all and electricity only for a few hours at night, if at all; and we've loved every second. One place was called an ashram, and while I did do yoga with an instructor, I'm not sure it would technically qualify as a place of spiritual learning. But it was very simple, and I loved it.
We hiked 23 kilometers over two days from Gangotri Village to the Gangotri glacier, then on top of the (melting) Gangotri glacier (which would probably be illegal in the US), and up to a mountain top/meadow called Tapovan at 4460m (which is higher in elevation than the altitude I was at when I last jumped out of a plane). The climb up to Tapovan is probably as technically difficult as a hike can be without needing equipment. The first half was a rock scramble followed by scaling a rocky, sandy cliff face and crossing a snow-melt stream cascading down it. We felt like champions when we made it to the top. There we spent a night in a cave-like hut that had been built under a giant boulder; then hiked the 23 kilometers back in one day. Needless to say, we're beat.
As far as what we've been seeing, I can't really describe it. As I said before, it's obvious why this is a spiritual epicenter for so many people. Gangotri is said to be the spiritual source of the Ganges river. Thousands of people make pilgrimages there every year to bathe in the glacial river. We did too--it was cold. We met a photographer named James along the way, and he hiked with us for a while; I think his pictures will help give you an idea of the beauty that surrounds here in Uttaranchal (the name of the state). Click here and then go to "A Fifth Season" to see what I mean.
Now we're on our way to Darhmasala and McLeod Ganj where the Dalai Lama is currently living in exile. We're excited to get a strong taste of Tibet without having to get more visas. There should be internet access there as it's now a huge tourist location, so I shouldn't be out of contact as long as I was this last time.
Joel and I have been quite successful at avoiding the heat and rain. The high elevations coupled with my general good fortune have kept us cool and dry. When we descend (like today), it is hot and monsoony, but we'll be heading back up to elevation soon.
I know it sounds crazy, but I think Joel and I are going to complete our first trip to India without going to the Taj Mahal. The weather and crowds down there kind of scare us. We are both confident that we'll be back here one day, so we'll get it next time.
We've been staying in places with very simple accommodations: bathrooms outside, if at all and electricity only for a few hours at night, if at all; and we've loved every second. One place was called an ashram, and while I did do yoga with an instructor, I'm not sure it would technically qualify as a place of spiritual learning. But it was very simple, and I loved it.
We hiked 23 kilometers over two days from Gangotri Village to the Gangotri glacier, then on top of the (melting) Gangotri glacier (which would probably be illegal in the US), and up to a mountain top/meadow called Tapovan at 4460m (which is higher in elevation than the altitude I was at when I last jumped out of a plane). The climb up to Tapovan is probably as technically difficult as a hike can be without needing equipment. The first half was a rock scramble followed by scaling a rocky, sandy cliff face and crossing a snow-melt stream cascading down it. We felt like champions when we made it to the top. There we spent a night in a cave-like hut that had been built under a giant boulder; then hiked the 23 kilometers back in one day. Needless to say, we're beat.
As far as what we've been seeing, I can't really describe it. As I said before, it's obvious why this is a spiritual epicenter for so many people. Gangotri is said to be the spiritual source of the Ganges river. Thousands of people make pilgrimages there every year to bathe in the glacial river. We did too--it was cold. We met a photographer named James along the way, and he hiked with us for a while; I think his pictures will help give you an idea of the beauty that surrounds here in Uttaranchal (the name of the state). Click here and then go to "A Fifth Season" to see what I mean.
Now we're on our way to Darhmasala and McLeod Ganj where the Dalai Lama is currently living in exile. We're excited to get a strong taste of Tibet without having to get more visas. There should be internet access there as it's now a huge tourist location, so I shouldn't be out of contact as long as I was this last time.
Joel and I have been quite successful at avoiding the heat and rain. The high elevations coupled with my general good fortune have kept us cool and dry. When we descend (like today), it is hot and monsoony, but we'll be heading back up to elevation soon.
I know it sounds crazy, but I think Joel and I are going to complete our first trip to India without going to the Taj Mahal. The weather and crowds down there kind of scare us. We are both confident that we'll be back here one day, so we'll get it next time.
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