In order to save time Gretchen and I flew from Goa to Delhi. The 3 hour flight saved us a good 2-3 days of overland travel to get to the capital. It was awsome. The flight went beautifully. After landing we had the pleasure of taking the 80 rupee airport express undergraound train to New Delhi train station and Pahargang where we were to meet a friend of Gretchen's who also is in India. We were saved from the hassle of taxi drivers. The train stops running at 11 so this was our first opportunity to use it.
We met up with Melady and Teddy as shceduled at 2 in the afternoon and were on a bus north at 540 the same day. The 14 hour bus ride was harmless enough. I didn't sleep a wink but managed to read most of the time. We made it to Dharamsala around 7 has some tea and caught a bus to McCleod Gang a few miles away.
Dharamsala roughly translated is the "City of Peace, like Jerusalem. But I think Dharamsala has had better luck at keeping its namesake than the Israeli holy city. McCleod Ganj is in the state of Himachal Pradesh in the northern reaches of India. The ethnic make-up here is different than Darjeeling in the east. Being the center of the exiled Tibetan government, there are many Tibetens. But to replace the Nepalese Ghorkas of the east are the Kashmirees and Himachalese. These people, to my understanding are of Persian decent. They are of Muslim and Hindu faith. Many are proud to trace their ancestory back to Alexander the great who pushed his way through this area in the 4th century bc. I find myself staring at the many green and grey eyes I meet with. Stunning. Many men could physically pass as europeans.
It is nice to be in the mountains again. It feels like Minnesota September. Warm comfortable days, cool blanket nights. Warmer than I expected. But we are only at 4000 feet give or take a football field. We're lucky to be here while the rhododendrons are blooming. The blood red flowers speckle the green slopes. The abundant and prevailing tree here is a larch. Himalayan Larch? Better known as a tamarack back home (one of my favorite trees). Teddy a tree expert pointed this out. The larches here are much larger, much much larger, here. And unlike back home are not growing in wet or swampy areas. On a hike the other day we enjoyed a photo shoot using a blanket of petals as a back drop.
I prefer the food in the mountains over the lowlands. Mmm! The wonderful world of dumplings and noodles prevails here. Locally these dumplings are called momos, and are a staple for the Tibetans. They can be similar to a Chinese bun or a the Polish pierogi. Most often steamed, momos can also be ordered fried. Dozens of women sell them on the street here accompanied with a very spicy dried chilli sauce- I'd prefer hoisin. Generally they are stuffed with a spiced boiled potato mixture or cabbage and onion concoction. A small plate of 4 momos can be had for 10 rupees- about 20 cents.
There is also a thick flat noodled soup readily available here. It is called Thupka. It is not exotic or special and probably has, like the momo, a million names around the world. But is simple filling and delicious. And unlike the Indian foods of the south, is not soaked in grease. Belly warming broth is perfect for chill mountain nights.
Meat is also readily available here. In many forms. Goat. Sheep. Chicken. Cow. I saw something resembling a sqab hanging in a restaurant window. Yesterday I tried a sausage sold by a street vendor. I don't know it's animal origin but the bulk of the filling was liver and nothing much more than salt. The finger sized sausages were sauteed in a wok like pan and dipped in the same chilli sauce as momos. Liver is something I've grown to enjoy. A favorite of mine in Thailand was chicken liver satay. But it is something I never eat back home, except for liverwurst years ago.
I've never seen such an obvious concentration of NGOs and non profits and humanitarian organizations than here in McCleod Ganj. Posters and flyers are taped everywhere on the streets of the small town. Volunteer work of all kinds is available. I showed up to help locals with conversational English yesterday after reading a poster but no one was around. Think it was because it was Sunday. The people here speak much better English. I don't know if there is any correlation but there was a lot of American aid coming here as Tibetans fled Red China's persecution. I've noticed 5 gallon steel containers now used as flower pots that were originally held vegetable oil supplied by the USA.
After the Dalai Lama, Richard Gere is of great celebrity here. I've seen his picture proudly displayed at many a shop and restaurant. He, like many of the Hollywood set, have been very outspoken about the atrocities that still take place in Tibet. Free Tibet. Free Palastine. Free Quebec. Free Texas. Free Ghorkaland.
The teenagers and twenty somethings here are very hip. They would fit right in walking down a street in Greenwich Village or Uptown Minneapolis. The fashion is very hip-hop influenced. Colorful sneakers- Adidas, Puma, and Nike knock-offs. Witty t-shirts with cool design graphics. Sunglasses. Designer glasses. Tight jeans. Skinny jeans. Jeans dragging off butts.
