But........................... here I am observing the wonderful mix of people around me and can't help being fascinated by the travellers..............not to classify them, you understand, just telling what I see!!
There are the volunteers; the hanger outers (usually bigger, to be found in cafes); the self developers (loud. walking purposefully down the street, or in cafes, often either wearing, or in the company of somebody wearing, monks' robes); the gone natives (this is to do with dress, and attitude - and presence - they seem to take up more space with their big baggy clothes, scarves and blankets and enormous number of bags and bundles and have an air of knowing they belong in a way that the rest of us don't); the been-everywhere-seen-it-all-done-it-all-know-it-alls (and if you are very lucky they will give you the benefit of what they know, often at great length. Most people are lucky); and the academics (pale, earnest, delightful, leave parties early). You don't seem to get the tour groups here, they must exist as somebody has to keep the growing number of extremely posh hotels in business, you do see the very occasional Great White Explorers - older, rich looking, usually couples who must stay in these posh hotels, but I don't know what they do or where they go. They certainly don't hang out in cafes with the rest of us (of course, here I must point out that I do not hang around in cafes, not being a hanger outer, I go strictly to eat. And meet my friends. And bask in the sun on rooftops.)
And of course you get volunteers who know-it-all-etc, and academics who volunteer (extremely interesting and good company), and hanger outers who volunteer (not successful) and muddy boundaries - a friend accused me gently yesterday of a going native trend, referring to my trousers (cheap, a little bit baggy, cotton.........they are only a very little bit baggy, and she was joking. I think. Half the western population of McLeod wears them). Then there was somebody I immediately classified as a gone native, only to find he WAS a native, but gone western, but gone western to look more native than the natives..........
Interestingly, there are other sub categories around: for example, the Tibetans who have come from Tibet seem to be a separate social group from the Tibetans who were born here.
What a glorious jumble of humanity! I enjoy their company, one and all, and have made real friends, and love my time with the Tibetans, and when I can find them, the Indians. I am enjoying a virtual acquaintance with an awesome Indian woman who is works for the Hindustan Times and is giving us some advice on Contact. She has me laughing til it hurts!
Another fabulous day yesterday, walking up to Triund to see what I didn't see last time when the cloud was down: we basked in the sun, reveled in the space and the mountains and the forests.............and enjoyed the company of Indian boys from Delhi (“we usually come to McLeod get stoned but thought we’d come up here this time”); Tibetan boys in trainers and street shoes with smooth soles, bounding around like mountain goats on slippery, compacted snow; some westerners; and monks with sunglasses and smiles and very nice aftershave. For the last bit, we took a short cut down a steep path and teamed up with the monks who made sure we found our way before stopping off at the best café around to finish off their day out.
Feet OK!!!! Hooray!
And if you’d like to see the new Contact, its here: http://issuu.com/lha_office/docs/contact_feb_2013
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