46. One happy traveller

McLeoud Ganj – this happy fusion of India, Tibetan culture, mountains, trees and sun – all plastered on the hillside.  In front of here its steeply down to the plains of India, and behind straight up to the Himalayas­­­.  Its noisy, and busy and you take your life in your hands in the streets (very narrow, often just dirt tracks, no pavements and chokka with people, dogs, traders, gossipers and - just stuff) as the vehicles and scooters whizz along, fingers on horns, and just assume you’ll get out of the way – if you can find a space to step into.  The people in the streets are Tibetans, tourists, indians, and tibetan monks and nuns.

I’ve made contact with the people here and am staying in a hotel for the first few days. I have a room with a huge bed, enormous telly, private bathroom and “mountain view” – and that’s Himalayas in the sunshine, not just any old mountains. All for less than a fiver a night.

Everywhere are “Free Tibet” stickers, posters and slogans, and the Dalai Lama’s picture.  There are beautiful temples with paintings, statues,  carvings, gorgeous colours and candles and incense. There are also pictures of 90 young people who have burned themselves to death during the last year in protest at the Chinese occupation of Tibet – they are not allowed to protest, or speak of their beliefs or even show the Tibetan flag or a picture of the Dalai Lama, and feel this is the only way to draw the world’s attention to what is happening.