Dharmsala - Blogabond

With a wonderful sense of accomplishment and reward for finishing the Annapurna Circuit in 15 days carrying all of our own weight, Katy and I enjoyed a couple of beers and some Western food in the lakeside town of Pokhara. We then continued onto Kathmandu, where we stayed one night before catching our flight back to Delhi. Kathmandu would do well to take a page out of the Delhi transportation policy by switching their bus fleet to Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). The pollution resulting from the diesel exhaust is pretty terrible, and completely conceals the view of the surrounding mountains. It is also overly crowded, with motorbikes and taxis flying down narrow roads honking their horns and perpetually just barely missing each other and pedestrians. There is some charm in the street side stalls, and I'm sure many travelers really enjoy their time in Kathmandu. But, for Katy and I, we were content to just pass through in favor of less noise, haze, and chaos.

We then proceeded straight from the Delhi airport to the Old Delhi train station (complete madness) to catch our overnight train to Amritsar. This was our first train ride in India, and will certainly not be my last. We splurged for the air conditioned sleeper coach, which was a very wise idea and resulted in a fair night's rest. Amritsar is home of the Golden Temple, the holy site of the Sikh religion. We spent some time soaking in the sight of the many pilgrims circumambulating the mote-surrounded temple. Hopefully we can upload those pictures shortly.

Arriving into Dharamsala a couple of days ago, we're really enjoying ourselves here. For those of you who are unaware, this is the home of the Dalai Lama and a large portion of the Tibetan community living in exile. I won't get into the entire history, but here is a brief synopsis:

Shortly after Chairman Mao took power in 1949, China began its "cultural revolution" which sought to implement a Marxist-style state of socialism across the fragmented country. The Tibetans were among the many minority ethnic groups that were persecuted and killed and forced to give up their rich culture and unique spiritual tradition. In 1959, at the age of 26, the Dalai Lama was forced to leave his palace in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa. He took up "temporary" residence here, and this year marks the 50th anniversary of Tibetan exile in India. If you missed his recent speech commemorating the event, check it out on You Tube. 1.2 million Tibetans have lost their lives in the struggle for freedom, and the Chinese have committed a host of human rights violations throughout the conflict. Before arriving here, I didn't realize that the Panchen Lama (#2 holy lineage in Tibetan Buddhism) is the world's youngest political prisoner, disappearing at the age of six when the Chinese disagreed with the Dalai Lama's appointment (recognition) of the 11th reincarnation of this spiritual figure. The Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, but the nonviolent struggle to reclaim Tibetan independence (or at least autonomy) from China continues today.

written by

Katy and Mark Lewis on April 30, 2009 from Dharmsala, India

from the travel blog: India and Nepal

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Mark- Just catching up on your writings this morning and trying to keep track of you on my National Geo atlas- mostof the time i can't find you, but your trip sounds like the adventure of a lifetime and you are the guy to take total advantage of the opportunity. I am green and other colors with envy at the experiences you are having and the people you are meeting and thoughts you are having. Will write more later when I have more of a chance to read more. Kee writing. It makes me feel like I am right there with you, except that I can go into the next room and find a drink of water and use the refrigerator or the john- or turn on the TV to see what is happening at the US Open or the unrest in Iran. Take care and be safe, Russ

written by russ haskell on June 19, 2009

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