Dharamshala is the home in exile of the Dalai Lama, so it's an area that has become home to many Tibetans since the Chinese invasion of Tibet in 1959. The 14th Dalai Lama certainly knew how to recognise a great location. It's a mountainous area with stunning scenery, pine forests, Rhesus macaques, and fresh air. We've stayed in upper Dharamshala in McLeod Ganj, a town popular with travellers young and old. We came over on the night bus, so arrived in the centre of the small hillside town at 4 am. It was still dark but the small square was buzzing with people, and more importantly momo sellers. (momos are the Tibetan equivalent of Chinese dumplings or the Polish Perogi) Fortunately, the bus driver had arranged for us to be picked up and safely delivered to the door of our hotel by his brother, a local taxi driver. To be fair the fare was reasonable and we were happy not to haggle at that time of the morning, so everyone was happy. As you would expect the hotel was in darkness when we arrived and although the door was open when we tried it we decided to remain outside- We were already wearing our trusty down jackets so bedded down on top of our rucksacks. I dozed off but John, the protector kept one eye open and at 6 am decided to go inside and see if he could find anyone. As soon as he entered a tired-looking young man climbed up from the floor behind the desk, gave him a cheery smile and welcomed him to the hotel. He enthusiastically took our passports and checked us in before showing us to a comfortable room on the first floor. Both tired from the journey we collapsed onto the bed in our coats and immediately went to sleep. When we finally woke up and pulled back the curtains we were amazed by the fantastic view - looking across the narrow valley we could see acres of pine forest dotted with small houses and temples. As we looked down there was a busy town, made up of hotels and small shops. Very different to the rest of India we had seen so far.

The existence of the monasteries ensured the town was full of shaven-headed male and female monks in claret robes. The monks wander freely around the streets of the town, talking on mobile phones, enjoying drinks outside cafes, and sharing conversations with the town community. I always thought monastery life was one of abstinence but some of these monks have great jackets, sandals and phones. Maybe being a Buddist monk is something worth considering if the taxes go up again. Intrigued by the monks we decided to visit the Dalai Lama temple Complex where many of them reside. The museum there gave an interesting well-illustrated account of the Dalai Lamas exodus and the subsequent relationship of Tibet with China, highlighting the continual struggle of Tibetans to hang onto their culture and motherland in the light of domination by a much stronger power. Whilst we were there we watched the monks having one of their debating sessions. I had to read an online explanation afterwards to understand what was going on, as it just seemed like a lot of hand slapping to me. Maybe I should have read that before I went - note to self! There were effigies in both the debating hall and the temple, all of which were adorned with packets of fruit juice, biscuits, and jars of honey which seemed very odd. I did notice a packet of biscuits past its sell-by date and wondered if that mattered, but as all the monks were busy I kept that one to myself. Perhaps as well, as John would have curled up with embarrassment.

On Saturday we decided to take one of the other roads out from the Chowk, hoping to come across the lake en route. In the event, we took a higher road which took us through the pine forest to the other side of the valley. On the way back we stumbled across the church of St John in the Wilderness, a church used during the time of the Raj when Britons used the mountainous area as a respite from the summer heat. An area close to the church, and obviously selected for its beautiful location overlooking the valley, was home to a large number of British graves. Many of them belonged to children and infants who had died whilst in India. It was a moving experience and a shame that many inscriptions had not withstood the test of time.
As we continued along the road we were able to watch a large troupe of Rhesus Macaque monkeys making their way through the forest, they were fascinating to watch. John was in his element as he had lots more opportunities for pics.

Sunday proved to be the icing on the cake as we headed into the mountains again, and this time found ourselves so high up we were virtually touching the sky. I have no idea how they managed to build it, as transporting materials up the mountainside must have been a nightmare, but at the top was a small hotel that served the most amazing chai. If I tell you that John actually said "this is a great way to spend Sunday morning, even better than golf! " you will have an idea how brilliant it was. The air was so clean, and the views outstanding. It was a great reward for the climb. Eventually, we conceded we had to start walking back down. We had noticed numbers of women carrying large bundles of sticks and branches on their heads, going down the rocky path, so decided that would be the way we'd take. It was a lovely walk down, as it took us through little clumps of houses, giving us a glimpse of the realities of life in the hills. Many properties had woodpiles, some had the odd cow or goat, and many had opened their doors to offer accommodation or yoga courses. There were also some fantastic rocks too- which just shimmered in the sun due to the silver colouring in them. I did steal a tiny one to remind us of the day, but I'm sure it won't be missed.

We had a great time at McLeod Ganj. We met some genuine, interesting people, and experienced the beauty of the natural world first hand. It was refreshing to spend time amongst people with a genuine love of their surroundings and a desire to protect them. There was minimal harassment from traders, food (especially the Momos) were delicious, and the air was clean and fresh (at least as you got away from the centre)

We were sorry to have to leave, when we eventually had to move onto our next stop Delhi,...........moving on days are never our favourite as they usually herald extra hassle. The prospect of going to Delhi multiplied the potential hassle by a number I can't even imagine. Everyone we have met so far has hated Delhi, and everything I read before leaving the UK warned of sophisticated scams on a huge scale....so as you can imagine we weren't jumping up and down at the prospect......