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Stefanie's Travel Journal
Hello from McLeod Ganj/Dharamsala, home of the Tibetan Government in Exile.
I traveled here by overnight train last night from Delhi and it was great. The air conditioned sleeper car was comfortable, my bunk mates were a nice Indian family with two small kids and an Austrian artist named Marcus who spends winters in Dharamsala. So before we even left Delhi station I had someone to share a car ride from Pathankot (where the train stops) to McLeod Ganj and lots of good advice. And it was nice to ride the train with the kids - kids are so consistent the world over. It was great to see how excited they were to ride the train and how friendly they were to everyone. The train took about 11 hours but we all slept most of it so it flew by.
Dharamsala is the lower half of town and McLeod Ganj (named after the british governor of the area at the time the city was named, David McLeod) is the upper section of town where the Tibetan government and the Dalai Lama reside.
The town is a quaint mountainside town.Its nice to be in the mountains with pine trees, relatively clean air, and cool mountain temperatures. Its perfect weather here. Warm during the day but not hot or muggy at all and cools down at night.
Today was the last day of the Diwali festivals here so a lot of things were closed so I don't know yet if I'll be able to get into a public appearance to see the Dalai Lama (he returns from abroad tomorrow and will be here the rest of the week so hopefully!). I had a relaxing day. Checked into my hotel. Had a nice warm shower (the one thing the train doesn't have). Had a great lunch on the patio overlooking the Tibetan Monastery. Walked around town and bought some books to read (I got Holy Cow, mom at your suggestion - I'll let you know if its good). Had a little nap. And had dinner at a recommended Italian place (the food was ok but the view was great). I finished reading the book on Einstein and Gandhi that I bought yesterday at the Gandhi museum. It was simple but interesting.
A couple of other random things about India so far:
- its a good thing I'm taking my malaria medicine. I wasn't in India 12 hours (and most of that was at my first hotel) and I already had 2 mosquito bites - I'm a magnet for them!
- the newspaper here is much better than in Nepal. Its a little fluffy still but Nepal's was awful - absolutely the worst I've ever read and nearly devoid of confirmable facts.
- India is more expensive than Thailand or Nepal (Thailand had the cheapest food and shopping I've ever seen but the hotels were a little more expensive in some areas. Nepal had cheaper hotels overall but the food and shopping was a tiny bit more than Thailand - still amazingly cheap. Thailand dinner might have cost $1.25 and in Nepal I got used to paying about $4). I had a nice buffet dinner at my hotel in Delhi and paid $20 for dinner which at home I wouldn't think twice about but I was so shocked. I'm used to cheap prices now! Luckily things are a little cheaper out here in the country. My lunch and dinner were aout $2.50 and $3.50 respectively.
- I'd read about it but its true - India men seem to think all western women are cheap and easy and they can therefore treat you like dirt. Nothing physical usually happens (although I read its best to avoid crowded situations like subways) but the men look at you and talk to you like dirt on the streets regularly. Its somewhat unpleasant but its only a few more days.
Well, off to read my new books and hit the sack. I want to get up early to try to get an audience with the Dalai Lama - I'll let you know!
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