Dharamsala

Set among Himalayan foothills, Dharamsala proved an excellent place to take a load off and catch up on sleep and creature comforts. Also, it was there I was able to delve into an exotic culture scarcely appreciated in the West, apart from the odd bumper sticker.

Dharamsala is home to the Government of Tibet in Exile, and, when he's not spreading his message of enlightened peace around the world, to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. (No, I didn't! He was in Israel during my six days in town!)

Days were spent exploring neighborhood shops and temples, evenings at the cinema, taking in a documentary on Tibet. Then on to Chuky's, a candlelit reggae dive, serving wonderful spiced chai and even tastier conversation. Some are ex-Western hippies pontificating on the pantheistic iconography of their rainmaker sticks. Others are Tibetans born and raised in India, weaned on Bollywood. Others still were born in Tibet, but have made the fateful trek through the mountains to this place, where they are suddenly free to post a photo of the Dalai Lama in their home and utter the phrase, "Yes, I am Tibetan."

One of the later type I spoke with, named Wangkyo, was a monk when he left Tibet. The cropped head, the maroon, the benevolence. Something in the Indian water made him change his course, however, so in Chuky's Wangkyo can be found with a great mane of black hair and armfuls of bangles, "experiencing life," as he puts it. Do examples like this denote the Tibetan monastic order's demise in the glitz, glamour and stink of India? Don't think so; there are swarms of maroon to be seen, many boarding buses to one of the many pockets around the country in which Tibetans are free to celebrate and perpetuate their culture.

Another highlight came when my three wonderful hotel neighbours, Katerina, Andera, and Julia of Germany, suggested we spend a day hiking up to a famous Himalayan viewing plateau, known as Triune. The thinning air took a bit out of us in the four hour trek to the top, but when we got there and saw the snow-capped panorama, our energy surged as we decided to stay for sunset and stars. The 'only-gig-in-town' guesthouse charged a bundle, but we fit an impressive five people into the room after we met Thomas, a Czech with a tent who didn't want to sleep outside for an adorable fear of tigers!

Time sure flew in Dharamsala. I was sad to leave, but hey! It's not every day you get to descend from the Himalaya to meet one of your best friends in a sweaty world capital! More on Rob's and my 'experiences' to come!