The overnight bus from Manali To Dharmashala was pretty uneventful, we actually had leg room so i slept almost the entire way. The only exciting thing was the cute but very muddy puppy at the bus station in Manali.
The bus got us to our destination at around 6 AM in the morning, bleary eyed we made our way to the hostel hoping to be able to stow our bags while waiting for the check-in time. Trudging up 3 flights of stairs with our heavy bags to the reception (that was on the roof?) to find no one there - despite the claims that it was a 24-hour reception. Okay, so there was people in the reception area, they were just all asleep. They stayed that way for the next hour and a half while we waited on the roof in rain that was getting heavier and heavier. Eventually they woke up and we left our bags to go and get some breakfast. At 1 pm that day we were finally checked into our room, then another room because the first one was full of rubbish and the shower head wasn't attached. It's easy to say that we weren't overly impressed with this hostel and left a rather brutal review, despite the fact it did have monkeys come visit the balcony. We only stayed at this place for 2 days before deciding to change accommodation.
Rather than stay in the main town we opted to spend our time in Mcleod Ganj, an area set higher in the mountains about 10 km from Dharmshala town centre... well at least where the cinema and bus station is. Dharamshala isn't a typical town or city, its more a series of villages with their own high streets and markets that happen to be close to one another. The entire time it was either raining or we were completely in a cloud that rolled up the mountain, not able to see further than a few feet ahead of you. This meant that we didn't actually get a whole lot done while we visited.
St. Johns in the wilderness was our first sight seeing stop, located around 3 km from the Mcleod Ganj. We walked from our hostel, climbing up 100 stairs (yes, we counted!), through the high street, past some cows occupying a half built building and then down through windy mountain roads. It was strange to see a English church in such a wild setting, with the old trees creeping up to the graveyard. It was even stranger having to take off your shoes to go inside. The church itself was fairly small and had seen better days, the roof at some point being replaced with corrugated metal. There was a sign advertising a weekly congregation but apart from that it seems like its more of a tourist spot than anything and a place for some very fat dogs to get attention.
Another popular spot we visited was the Tsuglakhang Temple, better known as the Dalai Lama Temple as he visits to teach at least 3 times a year. Of course on our way into the temple complex we got lost, but this time it was actually to our benefit. After wandering down a steep hill and following a few monks when they branched off onto a dirt track we found The Kora; a prayer wheel circuit that surrounds the Temple complex. You walk the circuit clockwise with the prayer wheels to your right spinning each as you walk along. While walking (and spinning the wheels) we passed families of monkeys sitting in the trees nearby, then Ben got a good fright when spinning a wheel; a monkey on top of the rain-cover protested and ran towards him, Ben swiftly darted back down the track. We skirted along the next few before resuming our spinning. The area either side of the path is draped in prayer flags, there are large stupas and shrines dotted along the walk also.
Opposite a collection of stupas and shrines is a memorial to 130 Tibetan protesters who have self-immolated since 2009. These protesters were against Chinese rule in Tibet and believe that the Dalai Lama should be able to go home without fear of arrest. When we made it to the Temple Complex there was more information on why many Tibetans are refugees in Indian, how it is the only way they are allowed to practice they're beliefs in safety.
The temple itself has two main rooms for preaching and meditations, with large statues of Buddhist gods, paintings of past Tibetan rulers, and strangely piles of packages of biscuits. There are monks going about tasks, filling bowls with scented oils and making sure the small candles in the room filled with candles stay burning. There is another series of mini-prayer wheels that circle the room which houses the statue of the Buddha. Unfortunately at the time of our visit the adjoining Tibet Museum was closed.
The last thing we did was visit Bhagsunag Falls in the neighbouring village of Bagsu, which is about 3km away from Mcleod Ganj. The walk to the village took us on a mountain road where we saw amazing views through the trees into the valley below, seeing all Dharamshala laid of before us. Once we arrived at the village we walked through a small market then past the Bhagsu Temple, a Hindu Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva which has two bathing pools outside which claim to have healing waters. Plenty of locals were testing out that claim when we passed by, having a dip in the hot weather.
To reach the waterfall from this village is a bit of a climb, the path is very steep in places and occasionally there isn't a path at all. When we reached the first waterfall there was a queue to see it, so we decided to follow the path a bit higher, stop at a small tea shack and see the next waterfall up. We could have gone higher up the path but by this point we were both sweating and the cloud was starting to flow over the area, so we decided to head back.
There is lots to do in Dharamshala, yoga classes, classes on Buddhism and many trekking routes to explore but as the weather was pretty rubbish and Ben had caught a cold we decided to move onto warmer climes.
Next up - Amritsar
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