Prayer wheels at the Tsuglagkhang Complex, the Temple of the Dalai Lama.
Our View from the Bunksters Hotel in Mcleod Ganj
A Quiet Retreat
Into our second week in India and we have reached the mountains of Himachal Pradesh. It was a much needed retreat from the hustle and bustle of Delhi, Chandigarh and Amritsar. Our drive up to Mcleod Ganj was a little harrowing but we have faith in Garmeet, our driver from Northern India Trips. Mcleod Ganj is in the Dharamshala district of Himachal Pradesh and is home to the Dalai Lama. This was one of the main reasons we wanted to visit here. The place definitely had a great sense of spirituality from many different perspectives. We not only visited the Tsuglagkhang Complex, temple of the Dalai Lama but we also visited a Hindu temple, did some yoga, meditated at a temple by Dharmkot and shared tea with some Israelites on their 6 month travel hiatus next to a beautiful mountain stream.
We arrived at our hotel just outside of Mcleod Ganj, the Bunksters. We chose this because of its location but also because of the funky name and the photos showing lots of people having a good time. It was a great location and our room was upgraded to a mountain view but there were not many visitors as it was off-season, just past monsoon season. A short side note on that: the Himachal Pradesh experienced significant rainfall and flooding during this years monsoon season and that was very apparent with the damage on the roads. Our upgraded room was worth the trip up the damaged roads, however, solely for the view (you’ll see that in the images below).
Walking Adventures
After arriving at the Bunksters, Cindy and I went for a walk up the mountain and ran into the small town of Dharmkot on the other side of Mcleod Ganj. This was the first village where we saw many tourists, most from Israel but this is probably what gave the town a certain charm. There were many trinket and clothing shops, as usual, but also some fun cafes and yoga studios. We walked back to the town the second and third nights to have dinner. The first was a place called Morgan’s Place which served very good Italian food. The third night we went to Trek and Dine that had a menu with a big variety but really good Indian food. (There will be a blog post about our food experiences.)
On our second day in the mountains, after going to do a yoga session in Dharmkot, we hired a taxi driver (Garmeet wasn’t allowed to drive around because of a taxi union there) to take us to the sites around this area. First, we were taken to the Bhagsunag Falls where we had to hike to the top to see the waterfall. Before the waterfall, we visited a small Hindu temple to feel the spirit of the place. It was a steep climb of about 2k but worth it to wade in the cool mountain river and see the waterfall. After, we went to the temple of the Dalai Lama where we quietly walked around the place, participating in some meditative practices including the prayer wheels. We then went even further up the mountain to the top top view.
Our final day in Dharmkot was spent with no real goal in mind, except to just be chill. We walked down to Mcleod Ganj and again to the waterfall, lower on the river. We wore our swimsuits this time so we could fully bath in the cold mountain water. We hung out at the stream, bathing, watching some Tibetan monks wash a large rug in the stream and having tea with some young Israelis. After, we walked back to the hotel and then back up to Dharmkot for our final meal there. This place was so needed and very magical.
Outside a Tibetan Buddhist temple near Dharmkot.
