DAY 29 - MCLEOD GANJ, DHARAMSALA

We arose at our now habitually later time (a result of the more relaxed atmosphere, we have decided) and had a hearty full English style breakfast at a chilled out backpacker cafe called 'Carpe Diem', boasting a popular roof terrace with floor cushions and interesting paintings on the walls (including, bizarrely, one depicting a scene from 'Alice in Wonderland' and another showing a couple of hindu gods in coital union), along with great views over the region's mountains and settlements. After we were satisfied, we headed over to another hostel called The Green Hotel and set up in a room with a better view and location than the one we had spent the previous night in. From there, we decided to get a sense of the town, so strolled its streets, slowly making our way to the main Buddhist temples and monastries located towards the south of McLeod Ganj. The size of the exiled Tibetan Buddhist population became very clear to us as we made our way through the small mountain town, hoardes of monks and nuns filtering through the streets and alleys as we passed the countless number of Tibetan shops and cafes lining every road. We had a drink at a cafe before ambling around the monastries and temples, observing rows of prayer wheels set up around the complex and ribbons of beautifully coloured prayer flags cutting through the air in every direction, decorating the hill faces and streets with Buddhist mantras. A real sense of Tibetan cultural and religious identity permeated the atmosphere, lending it a vibrant and intoxicating aura that intruigued and mystified, that begged for the visitor to listen, to watch and to learn. There were plaques and posters everywhere, highlighting the Tibetan campaign for independance from the Chinese (who invaded the country in 1949) and asking people to support the cause - one which I have followed and been interested in ever since I studied it in my Buddhism class at school. Being an atheist, I never pay too much attention to religion, but Buddhism is one that I find myself naturally gravitating towards the most. I am attracted to the fact that there is no focus as such on deities, only on the self - I see it more as a way of life, as a guiding hand in self-discovery on the way to contentment or a greater understanding, and as a result believe that it is a religion that anyone can learn from. Its pragmatism, I believe, is timeless and always relevant, regardless of the individual or their religious inclination. After walking for an hour or so through the temple complex and the forest that lined it, listening to the gentle chimes of bells and the occasional whispered prayer as a monk passed us, we decided to watch a religious ceremony in the town's main temple. We observed in interest as monks uttered low, guttural chants as a senior monk sat on a large stool in front of a fire, occasionally throwing symobolic items into the flames while reciting prayers or mantras. A real atmosphere built up in the room, and although we didn't know the religious or spiritual significance of the ceremony, it was nonetheless an interesting experience and an insight into the practices of the Buddhist faith. It is definitely well worth noting at this point that 'Losar', the Tibetan new year, something we were looking forward to seeing, was not observed this year in protest against China's continued occupation of their homeland 50 years after the 1959 uprising, which resulted in the Dalai Lama's exile from Tibet. To give you an idea of China's attitude towards the whole issue, this year they announced the 50th anniversary of what they called 'Serfs Emancipation/Democratic Reform' in Tibet. The Dalai Lama's humble residence is located in the same complex in which we watched the ceremony, and there was a real sense of the area as a spiritual centre for the Tibetan global community, centres designed to promote Tibetan cultural identity (something that the Chinese government has attempted to erase) located all over town. After a while, we returned to our room to play cards and relax before heading to McLeod Ganj's small cinema to watch 'Slumdog Millionaire', a film which has been sending ripples through the Indian media. I think that my appreciation of my film was greatly enhanced by my experiences thus far in India, and I left the cinema satisfied. Interestingly, the reaction to the film in India seems to be pretty split, although I think that most feel a certain pride that a film based in India gained so much international notoriety and acclaim. We followed it up with a good meal at a nearby restaurant which was very popular with backpackers, enjoying simple but tasty Tibetan noodle dishes, watching travellers from all over the world converse and philosophise as the streets thinned and darkened as shops closed their doors for the night.

DAY 30 - MCLEOD GANJ, DHARAMSALA

After meeting yet another couple of Canadians in the room next to us, we decided to spend the morning venturing into the hills to find a nice spot with views over the town where we could read and maybe light a couple of our newly purchased incense sticks. After a while climbing up the steep paths, we came across a nice little opening next to an old wooden house occupied by nuns, who passed us occasionally carrying water from the mountain, and a quiet cafe. Amidst our relaxation, we decided to grab a chai so sat in the cafe for a while where we talked to one of its owners. Every now and again he would punctuate our conversation with the phrase "You want a massage?", a sentence which was composed in such a way that made us chuckle to ourselves every time he said it. To be truthful, our ideal massage was not, in our minds, to be administered by a middle aged man with a dodgy moustache. Needless to say, we politely declined. We spent the rest of the afternoon making our way through the town, every now and again visiting one of its many bookshops, browsing for a while but never quite deciding on a purchase. Upon entering our last of the day, we bumped into a couple of people whom we knew from college and swapped a couple of stories about our respective trips so far. I don't think any of us could get over the strange coincidence, but hey, this is India - nothing is to be expected. In the evening we went back to the main temple to watch a screening of 'Tibet - Murder in the Snow', a film about a group of climbers on the Chinese Tibet/Nepal border who witnessed and filmed the shooting of a few members of a group of Tibetans attempting to flee the Chinese oppression. There was a fantastic atmosphere in the temple courtyard, hundreds of Tibetans and individuals of all nationalities holding up candles for the Tibetan cause and chanting in the build up to the film, conveying a real sense of unity in the name of justice and freedom that crossed national borders, a point reiterated by one of the evening's speakers. The film's director and producer introduced it, along with a few of the survivors of the terrifying ordeal, adding to the significance of the screening. The film itself was very interesting and intensified the atmosphere, an international campaign leader also taking to the stage after it was over. One man told the story of a monk who, after a peaceful demonstration he was part of in Tibet was broken up by the Chinese authorities, self-immolated in the street in protest. The desperation of the Tibetan people was clear, he said, poignantly adding that the story he was telling had only occured the day before. Everyone left the temple with a greater sense of determination, it seemed, to do what they could, even in a small way perhaps, to aid the cause. We decided to go to the same restaurant we had gone to the previous night, before getting some sleep after a couple of hours spent chatting in our room.

DAY 31 - MCLEOD GANJ, DHARAMSALA

We spent the morning in the very interesting Tibet Museum, which highlighted Tibet's rich cultural history, although it mainly focussed on Tibet's struggle for independance from the Chinese, highlighting campaigns for the nation's freedom. I got the sense, during my time in McLeod Ganj, that many of the town's population were keen to educate visitors of Tibet's plight in an attempt to raise the issue up the international agenda. I am sure that I would feel the same desperation if my country was in danger of dying at the hands of a powerful aggressor who, having taken the nation over and destroyed its main religious sights, was set on dissolving my national and cultural identity. In order to extend our education, we revisited the cinema to watch 'Kundun', a film documenting the early life of the current Dalai Lama, leading up to his exile. I had seen the film before but I still enjoyed it thoroughly. We had another nice meal up on the roof of 'Carpe Diem' and spent the rest of the day walking through town, visiting its shops and viewing its colourful temples. We eventually retired to our room, keen to get an early night after bookng a taxi for 4.30am the next morning in order to start our journey to Amritsar. I must stress how much I appreciated my time in Mcleod Ganj and the Indian Himalayas as a whole, it offered us the perfect respite after the three weeks touring northern India's main tourist towns. I would recommend a trip up to the himalayas for anyone visiting Delhi, Agra or Rajasthan for this reason.