Wednesday 10th June 2015
One day we stopped to talk to these crazy old goats!
This morning we got up and went and had breakfast then
headed back to the guesthouse where we gave our room a clean and changed the
sheets and what not. I also did some laundry.
Once that was all done and our room looked all spic and span
we headed down the hill to Bagsu to the Thai restaurant where we had a drink
and I uploaded some blog and when we got hungry we had some lunch.
After eating and blogging and uploading photos we decided to
walk up to the Bagsu Waterfall which is a pretty easy walk. We later learnt
that we could have cut across but we didn’t know that at the time and so walked
all the way down to Bagsu up to the waterfall then back to Bagsu and then back
up to Dharamkot. But it didn’t really matter It was a nice day (and we could do
with the exercise!)
On the way up to the waterfall we bumped into a couple we
met in Manali and chatted to them for a while before continuing up. Along the
way a dog started following us and she stayed with us until we went back to
Bagsu town.
The waterfall was overcrowded and there was loads of rubbish
about there are three shops up there and all the rubbish seems to be deposited
into the waterfall. Its baffling that they fail to realise that in time this
will dissuade people from visiting or maybe they just don’t care as there are
weekly clean ups in which tourists can feel good about picking up rubbish that
shouldn’t be thrown there in the first place.
The Dog we adopted for our walk
Bagsu Waterfall
Me and the waterfall heading into the valley
We didn’t stay there long instead heading up to the Shiva
café which is further up the hill. The view was great but that was about it.
There were loads of groups of drunk leery Indian youths smoking hookahs and
chatting shit, bad service (it took an age to order and then my drink never
came) and crappy electro music blaring out completely ruining the serenity of
the perfect view. We didn’t stay long and headed back down.
On the way back to Bagsu we took a wrong turn and ended up
having to walk back uphill to get back where we wanted to be. We got back to
the guesthouse as the thunder started. We had a shower and chilled out for a
bit trying to wait for an appropriate time for dinner.
Unfortunately we waited too long and the rain started. This
wasn’t some little shower either It was a full blown rain/hail storm with wind
and thunder and lightning that lit up the entire sky (which shouldn’t have been
dark as it was too early but was completely pitch with clouds)
In the end we had to make a run for it as Sandeep was
waiting for us. We practically ran the whole way there so as not to get too
wet, it didn’t really work though and we sat through dinner feeling very damp.
We ate and then moved on for Chai somewhere else as there was a group of
preteens playing the guitar (badly) and singing the same song (badly) over and
over again and we had to get away before we threw pakoras at them.
It was still raining when we got to the chai shop and as
soon as it stopped we made a break for it home to dry cloths and bed.
Thursday 11th June 2015
Today was a super lazy day we got up and had breakfast after
which Mark was tired and went back to bed the sun had his hat on so I took my
yoga mat and sat on the balcony reading and drawing all afternoon. After a
while I had nothing else to do so started watching a movie on my laptop Mark
heard it and felt like he was missing out on something so came out and we
watched some TV for a bit before heading out for an early dinner.
We saw Sandeep and he joined us although he had eaten a late
lunch and so just had Chai. We went to café that serves vegan and veg food and
both had pumpkin curry (which I know I could have made way better!) after we
had eaten we were still hungry and so we walked down to Bagsu and had a falafel
wrap as well.
The eating didn’t stop there though as we also decided to
get dessert at another café which tipped us both over the edge and we spent the
rest of the evening slowly dying. On the way back to the guesthouse we stopped
off at another restaurant where we saw friends (we didn’t eat anything though)
we all sat there for the rest of the evening and then headed home before the
rains started again.
Friday 12th June 2015
This morning we slept late and by the time we were up and had
eaten breakfast it was lunchtime we went back to the guesthouse and put on
shoes as we planned to walked up to the temple. As we walked up the hill we
were walking away from blue skies and sunshine and into dark grey clouds and
thunder, by the time we reached Gallu Temple the sky was almost completely
black and the thunder went on and on in the pauses where it stopped for a few
minutes the hillside was eerily quiet.
We sat on a rock and waited to see which way the clouds were
moving as in the valley the sky was still clear and blue but the longer we
waited the less sky we could see anywhere. Since we didn’t have any rain coats
with us we decided to abandon the waterfall for another day. Last night I had a
dream where we were on a hillside and there were rockslides all around us. We
both had a creepy thought that it could be a premonition so we retreated.
Not long after we started back down the rain started and it
made us feel justified in our decision not to keep going. We walked down to the
tea house where we stepped in for a hot ginger lemon tea before going back to
the guesthouse. While we were sitting there the rain stopped but as soon as we
got up to leave the wind picked up sending he rain at us sideways meaning we
had to run back to the accommodation.
I changed out of my wet clothes and Mark had a shower after
which we shut ourselves away from the world and watched some TV
Just as we were getting ready to head out for dinner it
started to rain but it was just a drizzle so we donned coats a headed out we
sat in a café and ordered a few things to share but pretty soon they put on
some horrendous dance music and we had to get out of there. We left to meet
Sandeep for a chai and as they say great minds think alike as he was on his way
to meet us.
We turned around and went somewhere completely different for
a drink before attending a Kirtan. We were in a café right next to the studio
where it was being held and it looked as though there was only a few people
going but when they opened the doors the place just filled up with more and
more people squeezing in.
For the next few hours we sang songs and mantras and
meditated a bit time went by so quickly that I was surprised at the time when
we came out. As it was Friday night it seemed as though there were things going
on in town but we floated past them all and head home to bed.
Saturday 13th June 2015
We got up and dressed with the plan to conquer the waterfall
today only by the time we had eaten breakfast it was a bit rainy and we use
that as an excuse not to walk up today. Instead we walked down to McLeod Ganj
and had a day of eating.
On the way down we stopped off at a café as it had started
raining heavily and the boys wanted coffee. The café was nice and cosy and we
watched the world go by. I sat and read my book while the boys entertained
themselves online for a while.
We planned to check out a Korean restaurant we had been told
about and so when our bellies began to rumble and the rain died off we made our
way there. We weren’t really sure what a lot of things were so lucky for us
they had made a photo book with pictures of all the dishes we sat mouth-watering
and struggling to decide what to get.
In the end I opted for Korean sushi which came with kimchi,
seaweed soup and another side dish of eggplant it was all rather delicious
although the sushi didn’t hold together as well as Japanese sushi does.
We sat in the Korean restaurant for quite some time as
Sandeep was trying to book tickets somewhere, I was reading and Mark was as
usual geeking at something on the internet. Eventually we got moving and walked
through town looking in shops. I needed some more hay fever tablets and a new
toothbrush (exciting purchases I know!) we looked in a few electronics stores
to try and find me a case for my phone and for Mark to look at electronic
things then decided to have a coffee.
We went to a nice place and chilled out for a while killing
some time as we had decided to go to the Dharamsala Film Festival which started
at 6pm and was halfway up the hill (to Dharamkot) at the Tibetan institute of
performing arts. We got there and got tickets and had a bit of time to kill
before it started so went across the road to a dharba and got some munch.
At 6pm we went in and found some seats we soon had to move
as we couldn’t see past a very tall very upright couple in front of us but in
our new seats the view was great. We saw four films the first was a
USA/Nepalese made film called “Bon in Dolpo” all about the Bon religion which
is over 9000 years old and has survived almost exclusively in a region of Nepal
near the Nepalese border called Dolpo.
The religion has the same goal as Buddhism in that devotees
seek to gain enlightenment but it has its own rituals, mantras and icons and
rather than a single Buddha Bon worships over 1000 Buddha’s. In Dolpo the two
religions are practiced side by side with devotees often sharing temples and
monasteries. The film also went into information about the region speaking of
the healthcare and education in the region (locals use a mix of traditional and
western medicine and students learn meditation and ayurvedic medicine at school)
the region is pretty cut off from everywhere but with the Chinese planning to
build a road straight through the region and down into India this might soon
change. Another problem faced by the community is that the younger generation
often are not interested in staying and living the traditional lifestyle and so
many fear for the community’s survival.
The next film was an American film called “Away” it was a
short film at only 18minutes and was a bit sci-fi it focused on a young guy who
leaves home searching for something and travels across America eventually
finding a spaceship launching himself into space, making a realisation about
God and coming back to earth with the realisation that what he was looking for
was with him all along.
The third film was called “Where the Darkness has Run” an Indian/Irish/UK
documentary about people who head to India on a spiritual journey it had a few
main characters who have been living in India pretty long term. The film maker
set off trying to answer the question of were these people running away from
their problems by moving to India and living a spiritual life, were they lost
and trying to escape something or was this just a different way of living. He
film was really interesting and showed a lot of places I have been in India as
well as featuring several people I have encountered along the way.
By the time the fourth film started I was beginning to fade
which was a shame as it was super interesting. It was called “Planetary –
Reconnect to something bigger” it’s an American documentary with the message
that we need to reconnect to the planet, that we are all one living breathing organism
and if we kill our planet then we are killing ourselves.
Once all four films were over we walked up the hill and
headed to bed.
Sunday 14th June 2014
After a bit of a sleepless night we both woke up
exceptionally hungry and so got up and made our way to the tea house. It was
super busy in there this morning and so service took rather a long while (the
man gave us a cardomomon sweet to apologise for the Wit even though we weren’t
bothered)
Back at the guesthouse the pleasantly sunny morning had
become overcast and grey and pretty soon it was raining. We took a bit of time
doing laundry and cleaning our room which seems to be an attraction for all
sorts of insect creatures.
When the rain eased off we walked down to town and had a
ridiculously cheap thali for lunch the place was rammed and it was a matter of
eating and getting out before you became trapped. We came out and the rain had
started again so we walked down the road to a café and had a hot drink and a
piece of cake and sat in the warm and dry reading for a while.
We ventured out when the rain had stopped and wondered about
doing a bit of shopping and generally peeping about in the markets and shops.
We walked as far as the Dali Lamas temple and went in for a cheeky pee stop and
to fill up our water bottles.
On the way out we looked in the bookshop and Mark bought a
book before we headed on back through town we stopped off at a few more stores
on the way up to the Tibetan instate of performing arts for the second night of
the film festival.
We got our tickets and sat about as we were early and also
were waiting for Sandeep. Just before 6pm e went in and found some seats for
the first two films we had the perfect view and then a loud group came in and
spent the next four films talking and standing up and generally getting in the
way.
The first film was called “Alegria: A humanitarian
expedition” a Nepalese film about a Swiss guy who cycled across Nepal and India
through second highest pass in the world to raise money for mentally destitute
woman in India as well as leprosy patients. He also volunteered for a month for
the two causes in India which was also featured in the documentary. Along the
(more than) 3000km journey he had to deal with the elements, a rock fall,
altitude sickness and several crashes but the overall story was one of triumph.
The next film was called “Sulh-e-Kul” (peace to all) by an
Indian film director who was actually at the festival and answered a few
questions. It was a documentary about a famous Muslim saint whose tomb is in
Ajmer Rajasthan. Every year pilgrims travel by foot over 500km in 13 days to
visit his tomb where there are six days of celebrations. The saint is known as
the patron of the poor and it is said people visit his tomb because they are
called to him and that he grants every pilgrim what he needs (and often what he
wants) the film featured several long term devotees as well as people making
the journey for the first time. The tomb is different to most Muslim resting
places in that non-Muslims and woman are both permitted to enter in fact anyone
from any religion is welcome and they serve food for everyone there as well.
The third film was a short film called “Penchant” also by an
Indian film maker who was also at the festival but chose not to speak passing
on the message that the film speaks for itself. The story was the life of a pen
who in the world of modern technology had been put aside but dreamt of one day
being used again.
The next film was called “Cave Digger” an American film
about a guy in America (New Mexico?) who digs caves. He has done several caves
for people on commission that they live in but after finding people too
restrictive of his personal dream he has opted to concentrate on creating his
Magnum Opus. He worked on it for two years when it collapsed in and he had to
start again the film ended with him beginning his new project that he estimated
would take him 10 years at least. His caves were truly amazing he carves the
walls as well as holes in the ceiling which are then filled in with glass
making huge sky lights. They are truly a work of art.
The penultimate film was a short film only five minutes long
called “Sugarless tea “another American made film about a young guy who well
travelling in India befriends a man who works in the post office he tells the
young guy the story that when he was a young boy his twin brother was injured
and fell into a coma unable to pay for his care his brother was adopted by an
American couple who took him back to the USA and raised him once they had paid
for his treatment and he had recovered. The boy never returned to India and the
Post office worker had never seen his brother since but was saving to visit
America. One way he saved money was by having sugarless tea.
The last film was called “AWAKE: The life of Yogananda” yet
another American made film about the life of Yogananda who is credited with
bringing yoga to the west. He was born an old soul and as a child had wisdom
beyond his years he trained with a master and in the early 1920s set out for
America bringing his yogic philosophy. He was the first Indian Born Yogi to write
memoirs and his book “autobiography of a Yogi” continues to be a best seller to
this day. He also started the Self Realization fellowship, a lot of the
interviews where devotees, monks and original members. The film was extremely
interesting.
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