April 2, 2004

Those aren't clouds...

Maybe you have to have grown up in a really flat country to have the same experience, but as our small-gauge train slid up through the shear gorges towards Dharamsala, and it suddenly became apparent that the wall of clouds rearing up in front of us wasn't a wall of clouds at all, I understood all at once the impulse to climb mountains.

Don't worry mum, I'm not about to go out and climb Everest just yet... but I guess now I can at least understand why you would. The Himalayas - even these little mountains here on the outer rim - are spectacular.



We've been staying in McCleod Gange for more than a week now. This is the headquarters for the Tibetan Government in exile, perched up in the hills above Dharamsala proper with the Himalays in the distance. It is also home to the Dalai Lama, or The Big 'D', as he's affectionately known by Blair and me, in line with the almost rock-star status he has around the world.

I've been reading one of his books while I've been here, and he really is an extraordinary human being; one of my personal heroes. But at the same time, the Big 'D' hype can get a little nauseating at times: Dalai-mania.


photo by Franka Bruns

Big 'D' sightings have been reported among some of the tourists in the past few days, but unfortunately, Blair and I haven't been lucky enough to see him yet. Given that our bus leaves for Kashmir tonight, and He leaves for his North American tour tomorrow, The Dalai Lama may have to remain the most amazing man I've never had the pleasure of meeting...


monks debating (with attitude) at the monastery in McCleod Gange

Posted by Andrew Wallace @ 9:52 AM