Momos and McLeodganj

When I was working in NCAER I took a trip to McLeodganj with a few friends of mine. We went on the birthday weekend of the Dalai Lama which falls on 6 July. I think the year we went it was 2003. I remember that the weather was beautiful and so was the ride up to Dharamshala and further up to McLeodganj.

Dharamshala is located in the Kangra valley in Himachal Pradesh, and is divided into two parts - Upper and Lower Dharamshala. Lower Dharamshala is the bustling busy township complete with your post office and local bus station. Upper Dharamshala has the more touristy areas like McLeodganj. Dharamshala is also the capital of Kangra district.

We went by one of those tourist buses where you pay Rs 500 and with an overnight journey, you'll wake up in McLeodganj. It's amazing just how many foreigners took the bus up - a sign of just how popular McLeodganj is with foreign tourists. We spent a long time at the Tibetan colony outside Delhi before we were on our way.

McLeodganj, like all hill stations, has only one main street and everything revolves around this street. All the shops hug the pathway and so do the motels that dot the landscape. We had a early shower before we hit the streets to see what McLeodganj had to offer.

One of our friends had a classmate in McLeodganj who was Tibetan - and he showed us McLeodganj. We saw the parallel government that the Tibetans have set up in exile, the refugee centre where refugees gather for food and aid, the school set up for Tibetans further up in McLeodganj and a documentary on the Tibetan spirtual movement. He was very insightful and extremely interesting.

Tibetan culture is extremely different from what one normally encounters. Tibetans are by nature, peace loving and don't lay much importance on material possessions. I loved their prayer flags that they hang across - almost every hillside has a few.

On the Dalai Lama's birthday, the Dalai Lama stays inside and spends time with his family. All other Tibetans however celebrate his birthday with festivities which include dances in colourful costumes, singing, dancing and playing music. It's a very interesting experience and no one minds that non-Tibetans have crowded all over to watch.

The momos in McLeodganj were excellent - and so was the Thupka (a soup with loadsa noodles in it - yummy!!!). We went on long walks and explored the town.

Early one morning I set off for Kangra to see the Kangra fort, which had been built by the Sikhs but later on improved under the Great Mughals. Earthquakes have weakened the fort and a lot of structures have been destroyed, but the fort remains an interesting place to visit. Further, the valley it overlooks is awesome. It is a desolate place though and swarming with monkeys - so do carry a big stick to beat the monkeys away!!

I liked Himachal Pradesh. I've always found the people very friendly and helpful, and even public transport there is very easy to use. It's a state that I would later visit three years later for my annual trek - but that's another story.