McLeod Ganj: A Typical Day in the Life of a Tourist

So, even though McLeod Ganj was two weeks ago now...I figured I'd fill yall in on what we did up there (and what made it such a special place to be)

Wake up around 8:00 or 8:30 am to the sound of Abu and Babu screaming, yelling, and laughing as they get ready for school. Swami, the owner of our guest house, lives downstairs with his wife, Lelu, and three small children: Abu, Babu, Shabu, with dog Tapu...(seriously....NOT making this up). Pop on over to the guest house next door, Evergreen's, for a delicious 90 rupee (about $2) "SPACAL(special) BREAKFAST": four little triangle-cut grilled cheese and tomato sandwiches, a spinach & cheese omelet, big ass bowl of mixed fruit, fresh juice, and coffee...this meal will keep me full all day. We eat outside on the balcony, amongst the pine trees, under the bright blue cloudless sky, with a view of the valley below. Chat it up with our Israeli neighbors, discussing anything from serving in the Israeli army, to American movies, and the latest yoga course tried in McLeod Ganj.

After breakfast, either take off on a 20 minute hike up to Dharamkot to the Tushita Center for a morning Buddhist meditation...or go back to bed. :) The Tushita Center is a center for the study and practice of Buddhism from the Tibetan Mahayana tradition. They offer meditations, courses, and silent retreats. If I had more time up north...I DEFINITELY would have participated in one of their 3- or 5-day silent retreats; super easy to be silent when you're in such a beautiful space!http://www.tushita.info/ The meditation room gets packed fast, so if you want a spot on the wall to rest your back during the 1 1/2 hour meditation...you've gotta get there early. One morning, Brandon & I were running a little late (whoops, slept through the alarm), so we literally had to RUN up the steepest mountain street EVER...phew, I'm thankful for my quadriceps!

Usually the mid-afternoons were spent eating at our favorite restaurant, Evergreen, or trying a smoothie at one of the many organic, healthy, eateries...even if we weren't hungry, we might grab four yummy little momo's (a Tibetan dumpling) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momo_(food) from one of the street vendors, or perhaps just grab a chai. One day, we shared some chai with a Nepalese guy and a couple of Indian guys in their apartment. They just invited us up...as if we were old friends. It was great to finally talk to some locals and learn their perspectives on Indian culture, health care, politics, travel, and Bollywood! However, one afternoon we actually skipped lunch altogether, to make room for the food we were going to learn to prepare ourselves!! Thanks to Lindsay Kohn, and her wonderful recommendations for things to do/see/try all over India...we got connected with a friend of her's for Indian cooking classes! It took us about 2 hours to learn how to make Yellow Dal, Malai Kofta, and Bangin Bartha. Yum, yum, yummy!!! Afterwards, we enjoyed our food alongside the master chef, Bhimsen, and chatted away the afternoon with him over chai.

Another favorite afternoon activity: two hour yoga sessions (the minimum time for yoga in India!!!) The first day we did a straight-up hatha style class, where we held each pose for up to 5 minutes (whoa...shoulder stand for 3 minutes is INTENSE!). The next few times we tried more of a hatha-flow class with a (apparently) world famous yoga teacher, Vijay. All of the Israelis swore by him...and every local you ask, knew how to direct you to "The Universal Yoga Center for Vijay Yoga"...so Brandon & I thought we'd give him a try. After two hours, we pretty much hit each and every yoga pose under the sun. Honestly, I enjoyed it...but I won't lie, I missed my Dharma Yoga! Plus, half the time I couldn't really understand his accent...however, by the second day it was a little easier to decipher.

The highlights of my yoga in India experiences so far:
1) 100-200 rupees per class = $2.25-$4.50 (god, I love India...the question is: why are we charging up to $20 in the US?!?!?! HELLO!!!)
2) I got up into headstand in the middle of the room...all by myself! HUGE progress for my yoga practice...and something I definitely a proud moment for me! :)

As for the late afternoons/evenings/nights, well we'd hit up the internet cafe with our new Indian friends, Dav and Nik...who must have invited us to join them in a million and twelve activities (meals, drinks, tours, etc...SO friendly)...or shop around in the Tibetan market: some of you will be receiving some VERY cool gifts from there! Like hand painted tankas or handmade yoga mat bags! One night, we went to check out the Tsuglagkhang Complex: the official residence of the Dalai Lama, the Tibet Museum, and the Tsuglagkhang (which is a Tibetan temple...the exile's equivalent to the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa)...such a POWERFUL place to walk around and absorb. At any given time, you can see monks praying, give offerings to the beautifully intricate gilded Tibetan Buddhas (some are 3 meters high!), or spin the gorgeous gold Tibetan prayer wheels to send healing prayers out to the world (got some good pics of them...and was my recent facebook profile pic). I felt the calm, steady, and peaceful energy throughout the complex--it's the kinda place to take a journal and write about the meaning of life.

Then we'd be off to enjoy a falafel dinner or group meal with our Israeli neighbors. Watch the sunset from the roof of Swami's Guest House with a nice, with a hot cup of chai or fresh mint tea (both 10 rups each)...or hang out with some of our local friends to chat the night away.

All-in-all, McLeod Ganj/Bhagsu was the PERFECT way to spend a week...and I was beaming the entire time! And sooooo sad to leave...(apparently, you can experience feelings of grief & loss for a place you've been only 6 days)...but alas, there were more adventures to be had. I definitely want to go back there (especially for my birthday: to hear the Dalai Lama speak!!) sometime during my stay here in India.