McLeod Ganj! What will you do there for 10 days? A question I heard many times before my travel to Dharamshala. My answer was I had enough charted out in my mind. But once I was back if I was asked the same question I would have said I could stay there for many, many weeks. Like Hampi, McLeod is another place I could keep going back to just because it is in the kind of place that soothes the mind and lets you be. Such places, especially populated places, that lets a single woman be left to her peace is rare in India.
You realise you have come to the right place the minute the flight lands in Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh with the dhauladhar range, snow-capped at a distance surrounding it. After you are shooed off from the landing strip for staying too long to admire the place and a taxi ride of 45 mins to McLeod, it does make you want to ask yourself, Did I cross the border at any point? Did I miss the immigration office? As you come to this small 2 lane town with His Holiness Dalai Lama calling it home along with scores of Tibetans who crossed the bored with him in 1959 and after that. It is indeed the Little Tibet. You are surely reminded from time to time that you are still in India, when the Tibetan looking hotel owner, the cafe waiter or the shop keeper talks about India fondly in Hindi and yet they all have a little bit of earth carried from Tibet to never forget where they have come from and their parents journey or their own journey has been to get here.
Apart from the warm-hearted people or the monks at the monastery who will offer you a cup of tea just because you said a hello and made a small conversation, there are scores of interesting cafes at all affordable prices. Though the place is predominantly vegetarian with the influence of Tibetan Buddhism and that it is a holy place, one can find restaurants that will serve you what your tongue desires. But my heart and the memory of my taste buds go to the avocado sandwich and apple tea which I had more than once at “Crazy Crepe Pancake” while reading Buddha manga volumes 1 and 2. Other cafes much worth a visit are “Commonground cafe” for its harmonuos and unique dishes , “Snow leopard for its yummy hot chocolate, “Lung Ta” the Japanese restaurant just to sit and stare at its manga collection! But anywhere you go, the most comforting beverage of them all is the lemon honey ginger tea. Warms you up in the chilly air. While you are at it, don’t forget to check if you agree to the Tibetan hot salted butter tea. Oops, and of course the Yak cheese delicacies at the small bakeries by the road.
The little town’s biggest treasure is The Dalai Lama himself and his temple. When you go visit the temple, do make time to visit the museum but with a strong heart. It tells you the story of Tibet’s past and present struggle with China and the journey of the many Tibetan of McLeod. But mostly about how a culture struggles to preserve itself, it’s identity, it’s existence. Maybe after that you will need to calm your mind , so you could try to walk around the temple in small lanes that disappear along the edge of the mountain, very serene with hundreds and thousands of colourful stones with “Om mane padme hum” inscribed on it. You will also find prayer flags fluttering everywhere and plenty of prayer wheels to turn as you walk past. A little further away on the other side and few 100 steps down in the valley is a peaceful, away from the town Tsechokling Monastery.
Want to walk away from the town to explore the places around for a day or two, might as well start off on a trek up to Triund. You can start right from Commonground cafe going up or through Bhagsu. This is a 9 km trek into the pine forest trees, rhododendrons paths and if you are lucky like us the last kilometer or more through slippery snow. This varies depending on the month you decide to visit as all treks in the Himalayas do. It might take you anywhere between 3 to 5 hours to reach the peak depending on your pace. fortunately for us, we were the only people to retire the night at triund peak and enjoy it’s cold night and a clear morning. The trek down was the next day.
Among many treasured moments in Mcleod another one to add to it was a few kilometers away from Dharamshala in Bir Valley. Not only is the drive through Palampur valley beautiful which is en route to Bir, Bir billing village is known for aero sports events internationally. Paragliding from Billing site , running off the cliff in tandem with one of the Bir pilots is a surreal experience. Experiencing the Dhauladhar ranges at that height and spotting the beautiful monasteries down below in the Bir valley is as memorable as it can get.
Once you have landed after this 30 minute escapade in the sky, there is only one thing you want to do. Visit all the monasteries you spotted from the sky. And stunning they are! As it is not very popular among the usual tourist crowd you really get lost among these structures and the inner prayer halls. Hardly anyone disturbs you and the monks who stay there are about their own business as always.
Around Mcleod, at walking distances are St. John’s church , a strangely serene graveyard of the earthquake victims, Baghsu town and it’s waterfall . If you are a cricket fan maybe you would want to go and visit the famous picturesque cricket ground in lower Dharamshala. So, in short a trip to Dharamshala and McLeod Ganj would do anything but disappoint. It leaves you with a feeling that you will come back here soon.
Another thing though, I did not get to see The Dalai Lama. This was something I was asked often once I was back from Mcleod. After my recent travel to Ladakh, I have realised that maybe one gets to see The Dalai Lama only on a wonderful serendipity! (Maybe that is for another blog post!)
Accommodation during the time was at : 8 auspicious him view hotel , Pema thang guest house
Don’t miss : watching a movie in a small screening theater. You will find the posters for movie timing almost everywhere!
Best time to visit : McLeod in it’s summers – Late March to Early June. September to November when it’s chilly. If you are a person who likes snow and very cold temperature then it’s December to February . July and August gets very heavy rainfall.
