Adventure!

Rickshaw ride into Upper Dharamsala


If I had to sum up my last 6 days or so with one word, "adventure" would suffice.
Having gone through the incredibly bureaucratic (and expensive) process of reserving a room at a government rest house in Kareri, the village I planned to hike to on my first day, (I won't go into details, but it involved writing numerous letters, and several trips to different government offices) I set off with my heavy pack. I'd been walking for less than an hour when my body decided to pay me back for those dirty samosas I'd eaten the day before at a roadside dhaba. Yeah..... 'nuff said.




Anyways, after sorting myself out, I set off once again towards Kareri. Alas, due to a combination of bad maps, bad hindi (mine), bad english, and bad directions, I found myself in the dark, in the jungle, on a steep ridge across a very large valley from Kareri, on a trail that was taking me a direction that I didn't want to go. Far below me in the valley bottom, I could see a few lights from the villages scattered along the river and what appeared to be an easy walk down a spur. I went for it. I strapped on my trusty headlamp and began my descent.... The nice spur soon turned into a cliff band surrounded by jungle. (It's worth noting that there are 2 trails to Kareri from the village at the bottom of the valley. The one I had just left eventually would have taken me there, but it was more than 10km long. The other path was 1.5km) I seriously considered setting up camp right there under the stars, and I might have done just that had I not booked that @#$&ing room at the resthouse. I PAID for that room, I went to a lot of effort to reserve it, and I was going to USE it! ... just as soon as I found it. I backtracked to a point where I could climb down the spur, turned on my halogen bulb and was enveloped by the jungle. Some time later, slightly scratched and bruised, but undeterred, I emerged at the valley bottom. I knocked on the door of a house, and in pidgin hindi attempted to ask directions to the resthouse. Thankfully, one of the family members spoke english. He said that it was not possible to get to the resthouse that night because it involved crossing the river, and the paths were confusing in the dark. He insisted that I stay the night with him and his family. They were so warm and kind and curious. They fed me, gave me chai, and gave me a bed. We sat by the fire in the kitchen and talked. Very cool. I told them about Canada, and showed them pictures of my family... and they talked about life in their village. They seemed suprised that I was not yet married. It's amazing how differently you're treated by people as soon as you venture outside of the main tourist areas. I was treated warmly and with respect... something I found sadly lacking in Delhi. I've met only wonderful people there.

Kids playing cricket.







After breakfast the next morning I once again strapped on my excruciatingly heavy pack and set off towards my next destination, Kareri Lake (3200m) 13km away if you take the right paths. I'll save you the suspense, I didn't take the right paths. More adventure ensued. The $4 stove didn't make it back. We had irreconcilable differences. I wanted it to boil water, it refused. I thought it best that we went our own separate ways. I spent 2 chilly nights in a sod roofed shepard's hut at Kareri Lake and one more in a clearing beside the trail to the lake. I cooked my food over wood fires. There is NOBODY up there. I didn't see a soul for 3 entire days. Quite a feat in this country.

The pass didn't happen. I climbed to the top with my small daypack and found it to be extremely demanding and tricky. The route is rugged, steep, and not obvious for much of the way to the top. That the north side (descent) was covered with much more snow, coupled with the fact that I didn't have a working stove, had no possibility of rescue, and wasn't absolutely sure of the route down made a crossing with the added weight of my big pack a very sketchy proposition. Holing up for a day or so on a mountain is ok if people know you're there... It's a different deal when you're as isolated as I was. So I turned back.




I found my way back to Dharamsala, had a few more adventures, and a few more memorable experiences. One that sticks out was the village celebration I stumbled across and was invited to join. I stayed for some EXCELLENT food (they literally had piles of it) and shared some stories before continuing along.
All in all, a great hike.

The plan for now is.... well there is no plan. I'll recover a bit here, (Dharamsala's not such a bad place to hang out) then figure out my next move.

Goodbye Dharamsala

So after franticly searching the markets and shops of Dharamsala for supplies (I finally found a clunky POS kerosine stove for $4.) I'm packed and ready to go. I leave bright and early tomorrow morning on my hike over the Minkiani pass. The pack is bloody heavy (5 days of supplies plus my books, fuel, warm clothing, mountain gear, stove, shelter, and all the extra supplies for the 5 months or so I have planned for this country) so going will be slow.

I attended a teaching given by the Dalai Lama yesterday. I'm not going to lie, most of what he said sailed right over my head. The teaching was aimed at "strict practitioners" of Buddhism. However, as cheesy as it sounds, I did feel a connection with the man. He has presence. Our eyes met for what felt like an hour, but couldn't have been more than a couple of seconds... maybe he was just checking out the westerner in the sea of monks. But I felt a connection, and I saw understanding. Like so many other things I have experienced in the short duration of this trip thus far, it is not something I will easily forget.

Buddhist teachings

I'm seeing His Holiness the Dalai Lama tomorrow.
Added embedded videos to the previous post. Enjoy!

More protest in Dharamsala

They were anything but quiet today. I emerged from an early lunch to the roar of angry Tibetans chanting slogans and waving flags as they marched through the streets of Upper Dharamsala in the second day of protests over Hu Jintao's visit to India. Like yesterday, It was an amazing spectical. Maroon robed monks led the march, and were followed by school children, farmers, shop owners.... everybody! including jeeps with loud speakers mounted on them.
It's actually been quite difficult to get anything done in town today because all of the shops run by Tibetans are closed. I'm not complaining though, this is an absolutely fascinating place to be right now. In other events, I've slowly been gathering supplies for a trek over the little travelled Mikianni pass on the way to Chamba.

My video of the march.


My video of the candlelight march later in the evening.

Protest in Dharamsala

When I stepped out into the street of upper Dharamsala this afternoon, I was awestruck. The main street was completely filled with people sitting silently. Tibetans angry with Chinese President Hu Jintao's visit to India were staging a hunger strike. It was quite a sight. These people are so quiet and peaceful, and incredibly strong. The protest felt more powerful BECAUSE it was silent. China's governance of Tibet has indeed been brutal. It was impossible not to feel the longing these people felt for their homes, and their loved ones still in Tibet.
As I sit here in the internet cafe, the man beside me (apparently some sort of protest organizer) is giving an interview over the telephone. The indian police have told him that as long as he stays here, they will allow other protests to continue around India...

Link: Article from Indian daily newspaper on Hu Jintao's visit.

Link: Video of Chinese soldiers attacking Tibetan refugees fleeing into Nepal.

Dharamsala

View from my room in Dharamsala



So I got out of Delhi. Really neat place, tonnes to see, slightly overwhelming, and WAY more expensive than India is supposed to be. I took a night "semi sleeper" bus to Dharamsala (seat of the tibetan goverment in exile and his holiness the Dalai Lama) in the north-western part of the country. Monastaries and mountains... it's my kind of place. It reminds me a bit of places i visited in Nepal last year. I'm staying in a small village about 15 minutes walk from the main bazaar. It's quiet, and very beautiful, although it suffers from the same plague of garbage and cows and dogs as the rest of the country. The bare bones plan at the moment is to use Dharamsala as my base for some short hiking trips, maybe meditate a bit... I'll play it by ear. I'll post some pictures within the next few days.

Delhi

ok, so after 30 or so hours of travel, i made it to delhi alive. i don't have a lot of time for this post because i have tour starting soon, so look for a longer one within the next few days. this city is nuts. one quick story: when i was out walknig yesterday i saw a man shuffling himself along the side of the road on his bum. his feet were wrapped in rags that had been stained yellow by some fluid oozing from beneath them. he was wearing a backpack and carrying a small metal can with a lid. he would set the can on the ground, move himself forward with his hands, then move the can forward, then repeat the process. his progress was pitiful to say the least. all the while, traffic whizzed by less than a meter away. i couldn't believe it... i approached him and attempted to ask him where he needed to go, or if there was a way i could help him... of course, he had not a word of english, and i have no hindi. so i flagged down an auto rickshaw and asked the driver to take the man whereever he needed to go, and told him that i would pay the fare. the driver didn't look too impressed, but eventually agreed to take him... i walked away feeling that i had done some good, while at the same time feeling guilty that i was going to a nice meal and a clean bed.

I fly to Delhi on the 13th of november! that's in 4 days! AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!