After 40+ hours of traveling; a 4500 ft elevation gain; two trains, four auto rickshaws, two jenky buses, and good ole feet... We made it to Dharamsala/McLeod Ganj. Wow. It is NOT what I expected at all. I had pictured a large Indian city crammed tight with crumbling cement buildings, in a dry Himalayan valley, with slightly less trash on the ground and relatively clean air. But THIS... Is incredible!!! I feel more like I am in Switzerland than India.
The town is actually located smack in the middle of gigantic snow capped mountains, with it's buildings cascading down lush green slopey hillsides. There is fruit and fresh vegetables (hallelujah!); cute little Tibetan shops and restaurants; little homes and villages dotting the hillsides; and no auto rickshaws... Which means way less honking! Did I mention the air is crisp, cool and fresh (ah, breathing feels like a luxury)? There is a significant difference in the people here... Their skin is radiant, their eyes sparkle, they laugh animatedly, and they bounce down the street in a healthy gleeful state. Gone are the long, zombie-like, sunken faces of the south; the lethargy; and sullen, hopeless attitudes. Is it the fresh air? The Buddhist mentality? The access to fresh fruits and vegetables? The magical Himalayan mountains and cool air?? Most likely all the above. We feel it too. We have pep in our step again; new inspiration, and we are no longer gagging on hot dusty pollution... I am experiencing shock and amazement and I feel as though I fell down the rabbit hole in "Alice in Wonderland". I have been transported into some kind of blissful dream...
We were met by a few men at the bus station on arrival, the typical swarm of hotel employees wanting you to choose their hotel. This usually evokes feelings of irritation, when you have just gotten off a bus, in a strange land, and there is such pushy energy. Today, however, I saw it from a new perspective. In a country where jobs are scarce and money is little, how can you blame them for wanting your business? It's actually a lovely service coming right to your "bus door-step" when you are travel weary, unfamiliar with the town, and just want to a place to drop your pack and rest. Today, I decided to humor this little tradition and just see what happened. We were only approached by 3 men. One representing an expensive hotel; one a cheap hotel; and one middle range. Seemed easy enough... We chose to walk with the young man from the mid-range hotel. Their slogan is always..."just come see. If you don't like, you don't have to stay. Looking is free." so what the heck? Why not?
He was very friendly, spoke great English. We hiked through the streets, winding around little shops and Tibetan ladies cooking up momos in the streets. (momos are Bens and my favorite food here, they are little vegetable filled dumplings, either steamed or fried). We walked for quite a ways and we both started to wonder if we should just break away and look for a place on our own... But the young man kept us engaged in conversation, and we were riding the wave of trust....
We eventually made it his hotel, and as he took us down the steps and around to the front, we were over-swept by a stunning view of a green valley backed by snow-capped jagged peaks off the balcony of a brand new beautiful hotel. It is spring here and there seems to be a butterfly migration happening; clouds of fluttering fairies fill the gaps between forested hillsides. We looked at each other with wide eyes and broad smiles. He showed us the most expensive room first (a brilliant sales maneuver) at $12 a night, and we fell immediately in Love. The other two rooms were nice too, one at $10/nt had a view but nothing like the first; and the $8 night had no view. It was an easy choice. $1 each more a night for the most breathtaking view I have ever had from a hotel room. We went big. Our balcony wraps around 2 sides of our room and gracefully hovers over the whole valley. It is just on the edge of the small town, and far enough away from the road to be unfamiliarly quiet. Birds of prey circle the skies and the sun rises behind the mountain peaks within view of our bed.
Guided by angels, we have unexpectedly stumbled into heaven...
No comments:
Post a Comment