The India Adventure Part 3: Dharamsala

After a 14-hour overnight bus trip on winding mountain roads, we finally arrived in the small town of MacLeod Ganj, perched in the Outer Himalayas above Dharamsala. This part of my trip was mostly an internal experience, as I learnt about meditation and Buddhism at Tushita Meditation Centre in nearby Dharamkot. Fortunately, the surroundings were also quite amazing and provided a great backdrop to my internal adventures.

For those of you who aren't aware, Dharamsala (or more accurately, MacLeod Ganj) is the location of the residence of the Dalai Lama, and perhaps 30,000 Tibetans also call it their home. This gives it a very different feel to other parts of India.

After attending a ten-day silent meditation retreat, I was fortunate to attend teachings by the Dalai Lama at his residence, along with many other foreigners, Indians and Tibetans. It is a remarkable place and I am very glad I made the journey there, even despite the long and arduous bus trips!

 Amazing scenery of the Outer Himalayas, near Bhagsu

Chalet-style house, Dharamkot

 Views of MacLeod Ganj

A Buddhist temple in downtown MacLeod Ganj

The remarkable Norbulingka Institute, Dharamsala

A temple in Bhagsu

The forest near Tushita Meditation Centre

Getting to know the locals

My travel buddy, Vicky, and I, after we finished our ten-day silent retreat

More happy post-retreat faces

Rishikesh: Lights on the Water

At dusk people go down to the banks of the Ganges to make offerings. We buy little woven baskets of flowers, incense and a candle. In the darkness all you can see is the offerings floating down the fast-moving river. With the evening wind, some of the candles are blown out as they touch the water, or even before. But the ones that last make a magical journey downstream...

Music: Meditations on Landscape by Delphine Dora (http://www.delphinedora.com)

The India Adventure Part 2: Rishikesh...

Oh I really did like Rishikesh. It is a holy city of Shiva, on the Ganges, the shops and ashrams and other buildings are strung along the two sides of this great rushing river, linked by two suspension bridges. The bridges and some of the streets are so narrow that only pedestrians, cows, and slow-moving motorbikes can pass by. All three wind patiently, and sometimes impatiently, stepping sideways to dodge each other as we go. Monkeys sit on the bridge, spectating, and stealing food if you happen to have it in your hand or a transparent bag.

 Lunchtime on the Laxman Jhula bridge

 The Ram Jhula bridge

 Ashram

 Shiva. This was my favourite statue in Rishikesh!

 The heart of Hanuman

 Another statue of Shiva

Fabric tied to a tree outside the temple - symbol of devotion?

In the old town of Swarg Ashram, beggars and religious men (sadhus) line the roads, begging bowls lined up in front. Religious pilgrims from other parts of India swarm to the temples. In the sister town of Laxman Jhula, backpacker cafes jostle with shops selling harem pants, yak-wool jumpers and hiking gear, and signs for yoga classes, past life regression, and palm reading. Jeeps hasten along the narrow roads, nearly wiping out the pedestrians as they honk their horns insistently.

 Street food, Swarg Ashram

 Our home away from home, the Oasis Cafe

 Street scene, Laxman Jhula

 Donkey laden with bricks, Laxman Jhula

 Sadhus watching a performance, Swarg Ashram

Local children, Swarg Ashram

 Beggar, Swarg Ashram

 The family that followed me, got about 40 different photos taken with me... and then I got one of them!

 Women in sarees, Laxman Jhula

 The glorious Ganges

The Ganga, the day we went for a swim

This is the city where the Beatles came, and the ashram where they stayed is now abandoned, but visitors can still wander through the crumbling buildings and weed-choked surrounds. The vibe is strange, lively, a bit eerie. 

 Entrance to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram, where the Beatles stayed

 Accommodation huts

 A pagoda shaped like a mushroom?

 The yoga hall

More space-age scenes - a pod on top of a building

An abandoned hall

Rishikesh is filled with good memories for me, good experiences and great friendships!

The India Adventure... part one...

India is one of those places that drives you crazy and amazes you all in the same breath. It is the quintessential travel destination - you really know you've gone somewhere when you get off the plane, or more particularly, when you start to negotiate for a taxi to leave the airport.

India gave me so much, so I'm giving you a little taste... this first post covers Mumbai, Kerala and Goa. Rishikesh and Dharamsala will be in subsequent posts.

The dynamic, complicated and fascinating history of India is everywhere you look. It is hard to describe the feeling you get when you're there, all I can say is that whatever India has been, and is today, it is most certainly itself.

I'll mostly let the photos speak for themselves, but I'm happy to take any questions!

Namaste...

Navigating the taxi queue... Mumbai

 Local tourists at the Gateway to India, Mumbai

 Taking a photo of me taking a photo... Trivandrum Zoo, Kerala

An old colonial house, now a museum, Trivandrum

...and then I went to stay at an ashram (view from the apartment block, of the Kali Temple)

 In a fitting ending to my stay at the ashram, I then starred in a 'Mollywood' film in Cochin...

 This little cafe in Cochin became our favourite haunt - tea and cake, how can you top that? At Teapot.

 Gorgeous Portuguese architecture in Fort Cochin.

Boating on the backwaters, central Kerala

A houseboat in all its decayed splendour

More gorgeous Portuguese architecture in the Goan capital of Panaji

Cows... and cricket... on the beach, Vagator, Goa