Mental Marathon

To living in the moment ..... Shaina and I should have known that once we arrived in the mountains we would not be able to leave them! We have officially cancelled our flights to southern India and have decided to spend the remainder of our time here in the North. In retrospect I feel it was definitely the right decision, as otherwise we would have been spending more time on crazy bus rides (which we definitey do not need more of!) and less time seeing and experiencing. This decision allowed us to have more time in Mcleod Ganj and Dharmsala, and we ended up spending 5 days there. It was quite the amazing place, with a very strong Buddhist presence with many monasteries and nunneries. Dharmsala is the home of both the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government In-Exile, resulting in a very large population of Tibetans who have fled to India from Tibet.

I think the best way to describe Mcleod Ganj is a place for personal growth. The number of courses on yoga to buddhism and everything in between is incredible. Shaina and I took full advantage of this and did a Tibetan cooking course where we learned to make momos (dumplings with various fillings from veg to chocolate - YUM!), attended two courses on Buddhist Philosophy taught by a Lama where we sat on cushions on the floor and listened to the teachings in both Tibetan and English (so intense and very difficult to understand, but extremely interesting nonetheless!), ate way too much delicious and nutrious Tibetan food (along with chocolate cake, borwnies and cookies that mysteriously appeared in many of the cafes - such a rarity in India!) and tried to learn as much as we could about Buddhism, the Dalai Lama and the situation in Tibet. Ironically enough, we ended up sitting down with a Canadian man who has been a practicing Buddhist for 15 years and had "Buddhism 101" course - very enlightening! I have to say that I felt extremely ignorant for not knowing more about this horrific situation, and I challenge those of you who are not aware of it to familiarize yourselves with it. Along with the over 1.3 million Tibetans that have been killed, a huge threat to the Tibetan people and culture exists if action is not taken soon. My learning about this was so much more impactful as every single Tibetan that I spoke with during my stay is a victim of this situation and each has their own tragic story to tell.

I left Dharamsala and Mcleod Ganj with my brain full of thoughts, ideas, and learnings.... I will definitley have much to ponder and figure out during the next few weeks. We have now met up with Leslie Moreleand (my roomate from first year at Queen's!) and a friend of hers and are in Manali. We are leaving tomorrow for a 4 night, 5 day trek in the Himalayas! I am extremely excited to venture further into the mountains. I was thinking today that it is ironic, as I am sure most of you are thinking that I have been basking in the balmy temperatures here. ALthough this may have been true for the beginning of my trip, I now sit here wearing wool socks, wool mittens, a HUGE handknit wool sweater and a furry hat - it is cold here in the mountains! Makes me feel even more at home .... :o)

(For more stories and descriptions, please feel free to check out the blog Shaina and I are trying to keep up together at http://therickshawdiaries.blogspot.com)

Will write more when I return from my trek..... until then, a quote I found in Mcleod Ganj at their Environmental Education Center that I spent some time in, which provoked many thouhgts and questions about environmental issues not only here in India but back home in Canada.

"When the last tree has been felled
The last river has been polluted
The last fist has been caught
Only then, people will realise that money cannot be eaten."
- Cree Prophecy