Day 14 - Friday 8th April 2011- Dharamsala to Shimla

Written by Kate.....How are you today? This morning we left Dharamsala, which despite the ridiculous long journey was the most intriguing place I have ever been. I don't know if you know much about the place, I had never heard of it. Geographically, it is next to the Himalayan mountains, which separates it from Tibet. I'm not too sure on my timings but China had invaded Tibet to try to make it their own and after continually dismissing a peace agreement they had with the Tibetans, eventually, The Dalai Lama, AKA His Holiness, was forced out of his own country, Tibet, or face being captured by the Chinese and going 'missing'. So he escaped and started on a treacherous walk over the Himalayas. He arrived, frost bitten and malnourished, with a few companions  in Dharamsala, where some sparse country folk offered shelter. The Dalai Lama was invited to stay and Tibetan monks in exile soon followed to this place they now called Dharamsala, which, if I'm not mistaken, literally means peace and shelter. In all this commotion, the next in line to the Dalai Lama, at the time aged 6, went missing, taken by the Chinese. No one has seen him since. He should be 22 now. 

History lesson over! Bearing all that in mind though, it does help understand why the area is very peaceful and there is a sense of compassion throughout. Whereas before, in other parts of India we have been hassled, sometimes jeered at, here we were much more accepted. There are a lot more travellers from all over and it helps having the ever calming presence of the monks sweeping thought the streets, made known by their saffron and burgundy robes. 

We got there on Wednesday and I have to say at that point I had totally lost my personality, but after a good rest, I awoke on Thursday raring to go. So after some sightseeing, Mum, Hen and I hit the shops, or should I say stalls. Guess what... Yours truly remembered how to shop! I spent  so much but, my God, I got so much. A fur hat, suede poncho, woollen poncho (which was a shawl but the taylor made it into a poncho for me for 40 rupees! That's so little money it's not even worth converting!!) 2 dresses, presents for Simon, presents for Roomie, presents for Sean, presents for Lily, my brother, Claire, more stuff for me, and a ring that I cannot stop looking at. I LOVE IT!

But it wasn't all superficial shopping, we went on a candle lit walk in remembrance of a young monk who had set himself alight in protest towards the Chinese. We also gave some food to a poor hungry child who offered to fix Hens shoes, saying that if he didn't do a good job, we could beat him (which I imagine the man with a scar from his temple to the corned of his right eye, lurking not to far from him did regularly). We went out after supper, after ordering way to much and making a rubbish attempt in finishing, wrapped up our food and took it out to one seriously disabled guy living on the streets. We wanted to find more people but there is only so far 3 clear foreigners can safely go. 

Mood repot: Hen (understandably) is not over the moon a out the 7hr journey ahead on a good day. So just to make it worse, she woke up in the night with a horrible tummy bug - poor sausage. Picture this: you can't stop being sick and you have to embark on a long ass journey being driven by Nigel Mansel, in a culture where over, over taking is acceptable... On a corner, hair pin turns, bumpy roads, hot.... That's where Hen is right now :s Long. For. Her. Mums as happy as always. Still losing her marbles but aren't we all!? Lol. And me? Happy, calm, worried about Wired, worried about how much work I've missed, but determined to soak up the little bit left of this incredible journey.

So now we are off to Shimla; winding up tiny roads and peering down the mountain side, popping my ears from time to time as we climb higher and higher and the views get sicker and sicker. Shilma is where all the British settled and built their homes so it should be a little home before home! 

Namaste y'all! 
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