19/10/2018 – 27/10/2018
After our time in the Indian state of Rajasthan awash with rich culture, bustling city streets where men boasting colourful turbans and women dressed in exquisitely detailed traditional sari dress carry out their daily errands and where cities are overlooked by the grandeur of their imposing forts and palaces it was time for us to leave the intense and roaring noise of the cities and make our way North on a fairly uncomfortable 10 hour semi-sleeper overnight bus to the hippy, Buddhist and yoga obsessed city of Dharamshala situated 1475m high in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
Surrounded by rich green forest right on the edge of the Himalaya mountains this place was a far cry from the hectic cities of Jaipur and Jodhpur we had just come from mainly due I think to the absence of annoying Tuk tuks hounding us for lifts. Other than yoga this picturesque little hill station is home to the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government-in-exile and where one can find incredibly rich Buddhist culture and of course beautiful mountain views. We stayed in a friendly little hostel with an even friendlier street dog that came by at night time for some warmth in Bhagsu on the outskirts of the city.
There was lots of hiking, views, Tibetan Buddhist culture, Bhagsu cake (which is like a shortbread and super delicious) and maybe some yoga if I could get up early enough to immerse ourselves in for the next 3 days and we couldn’t wait to get started.
One of the most popular natural sites of the city is the Bhagsu waterfall , a short but steep 20 minute climb up lots and lots of steps offering sprawling views between the Tibetan prayer flags blowing in the wind down into the valley and surrounding Himalayan mountains (and plenty of goats full of curiosity to be seen along the way!) which was the first activity we did on arrival to this cute little town. To rest our tired feet we walked up some more steps (yes, the irony) to a hippy little café called Shiva and enjoyed a drink overlooking the waterfall, goats and town below.
The next day we paid a fascinating visit to the Tibetan museum and Dali Lama temple of Dharamshala and on the way passing groups of Tibetan monks and nuns in their red robes and shaved heads. We really were transported to the Buddhist world of Tibet but unfortunately the Dali Lama was out of town that day! The small museum tells the story of Tibetan history, the Chinese occupation and the continuing Tibetan resistance through photographs, videos and English-language display panels. A visit here when in Dharamshala is definitely a must but be aware that you may leave with a very heavy heart as you are invited to experience the struggles of the Tibetan people and the decline of their culture and identity. Many of them (mostly monks and nuns), out of protest, often resorted to self immobilisation, an act of setting oneself on fire as a sort of self sacrifice against the 'cultural genocide' of the Tibetan people and as of 2017, 148 monks and nuns have carried out such extreme acts of protest. The main Dali temple was also an immensely intriguing place to roam through the serene and vibrant prayer halls with the opportunity to observe monks who remain indulged in their devotion to Buddhism.
On our way back to our hostel after a morning full of rich cultural learning we noticed a few murals painted on the walls for an organisation called 'Waste Warriors' who every week do local clean ups in the surrounding areas and because of my great disgust at how dirty everywhere in India seemed to be this seemed to be something right up my street and something I could definitely get behind. We signed ourselves up for a trek the next morning at 10am to the hilltop of Triund, a beautiful spot offering stunning snow line views of the Himalaya Dhauladhar range which starts just 5 kms from Triund. We would hike there in the morning with waste warriors, enjoy the scenery (and cold!) of Kangra valley, spend the night at the top and the next morning we would hike back down and pick up litter on the way down which I presumed would be a lot of litter going by previous Indian experiences! The next morning we trotted off in our green waste warrior t-shirts (representing!), new ghastly coloured mittens for the cold night ahead, three other members from the organisation, waste bags, litter grabbers and some adorable mountain dogs that apparently always come along for the fun and rubs (bonus!). After a fairly easy (mainly because our waste warrior guides had to stop at every little shop on the way up to give out fresh trash bags) we reached the top of Triund and on one side of the valley we were rewarded with impressive views over the green plains and towns below where the sun was beginning to set and on the other side, like stepping into a vastly different landscape was the breathtaking views of the snow capped mountains where simultaneously as the sun was beginning it's descent, the moon had started it's ascend to brighten the nights sky. We managed to get a bed in the only 'guesthouse' (I use the term 'guesthouse' very loosely) at the top. There was no electricity or showers to be found and when I asked to use the toilet they spread their arms as if to indicate that the whole surrounding area of mountains would be our toilet....So yes, a lot of peeing alfresco was done which actually wasn't so bad once a good big hiding place could be found! The only food we were offered was the good old fashioned Indian staple of Dal which was eaten in the haunted looking siting room with old rickety wooden chairs all of which were lit by the slow burning of just one candle. The sleeping arrangements consisted of Paul and I sharing a single bed size mattress on the floor, each given our own sleeping bag which I'd rather not think about how many people had slept in previous while the other three volunteers shared a double sized bed in the same room. It was all a very cozy set up and luckily nobody snored as I had forgotten my earplugs! The next morning after a not so great sleep with Paul taking up most of the mattress and after a breakfast of instant noodles we were ready to start our day of litter picking. On the way back down the trekking trail, the 4 of us volunteers filled one big bag each of litter, an incredibly rewarding day especially with local people and tourists thanking us with genuine gratitude for the work we were doing but I must admit at the same time it made me feel incredibly sad at the fact that this was only a drop in the ocean as to what needed to be done to combat the huge litter problem not only in India but in the world. But, hey it was a start and boy was I glad to have a decent western toilet and bed when I came back down!
After our very culturally rich and purposeful time spent in Dharamshala (which didn't leave much time for a spot of yoga after all) we were to leave the beautiful mountainous surroundings of the Himalayas and make our way back to the screaming sounds of Delhi to catch an over night bus to Varanasi, the spiritual capital of India where hundreds of Pilgrims descend to bathe in the Ganges River's sacred waters and where fascinating funeral rituals are held for Hindus. Varanasi was by the far the most intriguing and compelling place we have visited on our trip in India. From the immensely holy aura of the city to the river which, despite its huge pollution problem, many people we saw bathe and wash their clothes in it all the while cows swim in it and the ashes of the burning bodies and whatever remains that have not burned (usually rib cages and pelvic bones) are swept into it. We for one were definitely NOT going to attempt a dip with the locals despite the ideology that it would rid us of our sins of which we certainly have plenty!
Within the space of a 20 minute walk along the Ghats of the Ganges we saw a lifetime worth of travel experiences and a diverse range of sights around every corner and just like India in general, there really are no words to accurately describe Varanasi. At times it was truly shocking and disturbing witnessing the bodies laid out on wooden pyres and set on fire in the open air for all to see but at the same time I found it completely thought provoking in that death is not something that is hidden here and shied anyway from but rather in fact something that is openly celebrated. Cremations happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week which uses up a huge amount of wood and as a result the city is eternally clouded by smoke. If you really want to test your ability to be disturbed, you must come to Varanasi to witness this truly shocking yet strangely fascinating ceremonial act. You cannot photograph a cremation and even if I could I think its very disrespectful to do so but trust me when I say that walking by an open fire pit in which a body is burning is really an experience like no other. We sat and watched the burning for quite some time, not in anyway judging the Hindu ritual but rather in just complete awe and allure of something so foreign in every way to us.
Not only are the Hindu funeral rituals completely fascinating and mind boggling but every night and morning during sunrise and sunset on the sacred Ganges there is a beautiful Hindu prayer ceremony complete with chanting, clapping, flaming torches and plumes of burning incense. It's a spiritual event which infused a marvellous holy intangible aura throughout the Ghats. I lit a traditional paper cup on our boat during sunset filled with flowers and a small candle to float down the river but after a few minutes of placing it in water mine of course got caught under the barrel of a passing boat and got wiped out fairly promptly... but hey it was the thought of lighting one for my family back home and letting the flame twinkle merrily on the water that counts right! The sunrise in the morning during the morning prayer ceremony was totally worth the 4.30 am wake up call and to top it off they offer a free yoga class complete with deep breathing and weird body positions of which I was totally alien to but it was fun to be among the locals doing their thing.
You can really feel the spirituality here in Varanasi and so much of life here is linked to the river from the death ceremonies to washing, bathing and boating. At times I found it hard to love or even like India but I learned while spending time in Varanasi that it is an incredibly colourful and vibrant country to witness and the culture in these parts is so insanely rich that one can only open their hearts and minds to it. All of India is a juxtaposition of poverty, filth, colour and beauty but no place I feel is it as evident as in Varanasi. I will never forget my visit to India for all that was good and bad about it and most importantly I have learned that there are no words to accurately describe it.
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