McLeod Ganj, India: Home of the Dalai Lama

It is a sad story that started over 50 years ago and continues to this day, although it seems to be thought of as an incident of the past. Over 130,000 Tibetans live in exile in India and throughout the rest of the world. Those that still live in their homeland live in a police state and are forbidden to say the Dalai Lama’s name or carry his picture and the Tibetan flag is outlawed; the penalty is time in a Chinese prison. We met former monks who were tortured in Chinese prison for their beliefs and to this day still suffer from their injuries. While we were in Nepal (stories yet to come), a couple of Tibetan nuns were shot in the back by Chinese soldiers as they tried to escape over the Himalayas, and yet the incident was ignored by the international community. This tragedy of human injustice is still happening and it seems as if the world has abandoned the Tibetans to their fate.

McLeod Ganj, in the Himalayan region of India, is the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan government in exile. For those of you not familiar with the Dalai Lama, he is the rightful spiritual and political leader of Tibet, an area now encompassed within China. China invaded this peaceful Buddhist Kingdom at the ‘roof of the world’ in the early 1950’s, feeling that they were helping a poor nation in need by giving them infrastructure and reuniting the Tibetan and Chinese cultures, when in reality, they massacred thousands of Tibetans and nearly destroyed their way of life with the “Cultural Revolution” where hundreds of monasteries were destroyed, monks were killed and forced to kill each other at gunpoint and forbidden to practice their religion, and the Dalai Lama, in 1959, was forced to flee to India on foot over the Himalayas, in fear of his life and the lives of his people. Since then, thousands have followed him, trying to rebuild their lives and retain their fleeting culture, but many have died trying to make the journey. Each pilgrim that reaches McLeod Ganj is personally greeted and welcomed by the Dalai Lama himself. In 1989, the Dalai Lama received the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in trying to free his country in a peaceful manner. Rion and I were hoping to hear him speak during our visit, but he happened to be in Canada at the time.

Bare Himalayan peaks rise above the green mountainous landscape of McLeod Ganj. Lhasa, the former capital of Tibet, lies in a valley on the Tibetan plateau, at 3800 meters.

The Tibetan Handicrafts Coop is one organization that keeps the craft of traditional carpet weaving alive.

Tsuglag Khang is the Dalai Lama’s temple complex, comparable in function to the Potala Palace in Lhasa. It houses the main temple, the monastic body, and the home of the Dalai Lama.

Surrounding the temple complex is a meditation trail lined with many shrines and prayer flags. Monks, nuns, and pilgrims walk this trail in a clockwise direction, carrying prayer beads and saying prayers.

To see more pictures from McLeod Ganj, please visit the following link

McLeod Ganj, India: Home to the Dalai Lama

Amritsar, India

Amritsar, near the India-Pakistan border, is the spiritual and cultural center of the Sikh religion. Inside the walls of the chaotic old city is the Harimandir Sahib, better known as the Golden Temple, the most sacred site in Sikhism.

Inside the walls of the temple complex, pilgrims pray and bathe in the holy waters that surround the temple. There is also a free kitchen and dorms and all people, regardless of sex or faith are welcome.

A Sikh pilgrim, enjoying some shade inside the temple complex at midday.

Another reason to visit Aurangabad is to see the flag lowering ceremony at the India-Pakistan Wagah Border crossing. It is a spectacle that I think is an absolute must-see and thousands of people, on both sides of the border, show up every evening to watch the pomp of it all.

The audience first gets involved by running to and from the gate with flags from their country, followed by a bit of dancing. Then, the guards steal the show by marching at each other, while showing as much contempt for the other side as possible with their bodies instead of their guns, by stomping their feet, gesturing with thumbs, and getting in each others’ faces, and it is all completely choreographed! The crowds’ excitement surges as they finally lower the flags, at the exact same pace, of course, so one country doesn’t look better than the other, and with a brief handshake the gates are slammed shut one last time. It’s pure, brilliant male machismo at its’ finest.

To see more pictures, please visit the following link:

Amritsar, India

Ellora Cave Temples

About 30 km from Aurangabad, India are the Ellora Cave Temples, a series of religious temples cut out of the solid rock of the hillside during the 5th to 10th centuries. These are truly spectacular to see, especially knowing that each temple is hewn from a single piece of rock, even the columns that appear to be supporting the structures! There are 34 caves in total, and include Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain temples and monasteries. The Anjanta Caves nearby are just as impressive, especially with their beautiful paintings that remain to this day, but unfortunately we did not have time to see them on this trip.

Langur Monkeys goof around on motorcycles in front of one of the Buddhist temples. The Buddhist temples are the oldest, created between the 5th and 7th centuries.

Buddha sits in the middle of other carved figures.

The Hindu temples were carved around the 7th century. This is the Kailasa Temple, which is the largest monolithic structure in the world and took over 100 years to complete. It was carved to represent Mt. Kailash in Tibet, which is the home of the god Shiva.

The Jain temples are smaller than the Buddhist and Hindu temples, but are so beautiful with their intricate carvings.

To see more pictures from Ellora, please visit the following link:

Ellora Cave Temples

Aurangabad, India

Aurangabad, named after the 17th century Mughal Sultan, Aurangazeb, is just a few hours east of Mumbai and is probably best known for being the town near the Ellora and Ajanta Cave Temples (pictures from Ellora in another blog entry), which were carved out of solid rock over 1000 years ago . The town itself is kind of shabby, but there are some great sites.

There are cave temples in Aurangabad, but they are not as well known as those at Ellora and Ajanta. There are 10 Buddhist temples from the 6th and 7th centuries, carved out of solid rock in the hillside.

The Panchakki, or water mill complex, was an engineering marvel of its time. Built in the 17th century by Sufi Saint Baba Shah Musafir, an aqueduct piped in water which was then used to operate a mill to grind flour. On the grounds of the complex is the tomb of the saint.

No, this is not the Taj Mahal (we did not get to see the real deal this time), this is the Bibi-Ka Maqbara (translated, tomb of the lady), which was built in the late 17th century by Emperor Aurangazeb and his son, as a memorial to wife and mother. It is slightly smaller than the Taj Mahal and is less ornamented, but the gardens are beautiful and there are fewer tourists! Locals affectionately call it the ‘Mini-Taj’.

The small mosque has beautiful architecture in white marble.

To see more of my favorite pictures from Aurangabad, please visit the following link:

Aurangabad, India

Mumbai, India

Insane traffic, horribly overcrowded markets, beautiful old buildings that rival any in Europe, yet, they are neglected and dirty from age and pollution, massive poverty and human neglect, gobs of money, Bollywood glamour, people covered in pink tikka powder celebrating in the streets at all hours of the day and night to drums and flutes, and 48 hours straight inside a hotel room drinking electrolytes, nibbling on grilled cheese sandwiches, and watching Indiana Jones movies on the laptop while trying to combat whatever bug I had gotten this time... Welcome to Mumbai.

The Gateway to India, opened in 1924, was built to commemorate the first ever visit of a British Monarch in 1911. This is the spot where a lot of visitors start their tour of Mumbai. It is also a popular gathering place for Indian tourists and a good place to people watch, or in our case, to get watched by people. Westerners are still a huge curiosity in India.

This group of Muslim and Hindu women were fascinated by Rion.

Midday taxi traffic around the train station, to the left. The buildings in the old colonial part of Mumbai really are so beautiful. But, for some reason, a lot of the buildings are in a state of disrepair.

We were there during the week-long Ganesh festival, a celebration of the god's birthday. During this time, people hang thousands of lights and set off fireworks, drive or cart around statues of Ganesh, douse each other in tikka powder, and play music and dance in the streets. It's pure, beautiful chaos.

To see more pictures from Mumbai, please visit the following link:

Mumbai, India

 

First Impressions of India: Pondicherry

From Thailand, we flew to Chennai, India and took a locals bus (that, my friends, would take an entire book to explain) to Pondicherry, one of the few cities in India that used to be a French colony. Think French Colonial atmosphere with a strong dose of jasmine and curry.

Pondicherry is on the Bay of Bengel, and the beachfront promenade is a good place to talk a walk or sit and watch the local kids.

India has it's fair share of religions, but Hinduism is still the most widely practiced. In Pondicherry, Ganesh, the god of wisdom and wealth, reigns supreme.

Although, there is also a small Catholic community and a couple of Catholic churches.


As dirty as India can be, we discovered that there are always splashes of color and beauty.

 

Around Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Kanchanaburi is a very infamous place, due to the fact that the Death Railway made its way through this area of Thailand. During WWII, it was very strategic for the Japanese to have a railway that went from Bangkok to Burma. To get the project done, they enlisted laborers and forced Allied POW's to build to the tracks. They worked long hours under horrible conditions; many were beaten to death, others died from disease and starvation. All in all, over 100,000 men lost theirs lives.

Part of the Death Railway

The bridge on the River Kwai was made famous by a 1957 film of the same name.

Other reasons to visit this area:
Erawan National Park has a hiking trail that takes you to 7 different tiers of beautiful falls. The lower few have good pools for swimming.


One of the main reasons we wanted to come to this area was to visit the Tiger Temple. It is esentially an animal sanctuary on the grounds of a Buddhist Monastery. Many different kinds of animals live here, but there are 17 Indo-Chinese tigers at the temple and they are the main reason to come. Many were brought here as abandoned cubs due to poaching, some were born and raised here. Since the tigers have been hand-raised by humans, they are easily approached and you can have a picture taken with them. The goal in having tourists come and pay money to have this interaction is to raise enough money to build a large, natural habitat sanctuary for these tigers who have nowhere else to go. Once this happens, future generations will be raised without human contact for release back into the wild.

I need to rant here for a moment, if I may. There are many misinformed people out there spreading rumors that these tigers are being drugged (by Buddhist monks, nonetheless) in order to make a buck off the tourists. I had my doubts about going because of this rumor, but I had to know for myself. Yes, the tigers are very calm. Yes, the tigers are sleeping for most of the day. No, they don't move much and hardly ever open their eyes. But, if you know anything about tigers, the fact that they are nocturnal and sleep 20 hours a day (especially in the heat of the day, when the tourists are there) and spend enough time there, more than the time it takes to stand in line and have your picture taken, and then leave, then you know there is no truth to this lie. The tigers have been hand-reared and have had contact with humans every day of their lives; tourists are there interacting with them everyday of their lives. When evening comes, and it is time to walk back to their encosures, they are wide awake and playful, even.. If they were drugged, there is the potential for more danger because of the disorientation they would experience. We spent many hours there, talking with the volunteer staff that comes from all over the world, and asked many questions about the program. These people are genuinely trying to do the right thing for these animals and there is no foul play.

To these ignorant people, I ask: If you truly believe the tigers are drugged, why would you support such a horibble program by coming here just to have your picture taken with a tiger?

To see other pictures from Kanchanaburi and the Tiger Temple, please visit the following link:

Around Kanchanaburi, Thailand

Koh Phangan, Thailand

Koh Phangan is the second of three islands just off the Malay Peninsula in the Gulf of Thailand. It is now most famous for its' Full Moon Parties on Haad Rin Beach, but there is another reason that young, budget-types flock to the island: beautiful beaches surrounded by dense jungle and inexpensive accomodation. Rion and I went to the island for a little beach time, and to meet up with Emma again, who had skipped out on us for a couple of weeks to go volunteer at an elephant sanctuary in Northern Thailand. Unfortunately, while we were there, our laptop computer broke and Rion had to head to Bangkok to get it fixed, leaving me on the island (what bad luck for me) with Emma and a couple of her friends for a few days of R&R.

Rainbow over Haad Rin Beach after a rainstorm


Koh Phangan literally means "sand bar island", referring to the many sandbars that surround the island, creating perfect, shallow waters to wade and swim in.


Coral heads exposed at low tide


Our bungalow, on the cliff overlooking the beach, was easily reached via this walkway out over the water.

To see more pictures from Koh Phangan, please visit the following link:

Koh Phangan, Thailand

Koh Samui, Thailand

Just off the coast, in the Gulf of Thailnd, are a group of three islands easily reached by ferry. Of these, Koh Samui is supposed to have the most beautiful beaches and it used to feel like a getaway. But, resorts have taken over where budget guesthouses used to reign, so more and more, the island has become overrun with people. Still, the island does retain some of its peaceful atmosphere - you just have to search a little.

Locals still wade out into the water off the beaches haunted by tourists to pracitce traditional fishing techniques.

A local net fisherman bringing in his evenings catch


This Big Buddha was built in the 1970's to give visitor's a place to show their respect for the Buddha.


The 18-arm Buddha at Wat Plai Laem sits in the middle of a man-made lake where you can go and feed the thousands of fish.

To see more pictures from the island of Koh Samui, please visit the following link:

Koh Samui, Thailand

Phuket, Thailand: A Little Luxury

After breaking my wrist in Cambodia, and being sick for over a week in Thailand, Rion and I were feeling the need for some pampering (Rion because he was the one putting up with me!). Our friend Travis has a friend who manages a resort on the island of Phuket (Phuket Pavillions, www.phuketpavillions.com). Enough said, we were there. We really had no idea what to expect, but what we found was a delightful surprise! Thanks, Travis.

The entrance to our private villa

We didn't even have to leave. Everyday, breakfast would show up at our door at the time we requested, then someone came back to pick up the dishes. When we were ready to have lunch or dinner, we ordered and it was brought to our door!

Water lilly blooming in one of our relflecting pools

Rion relaxing in our private infinity pool

Koh Chang Island, Thailand

Koh Chang (literally Elephant Island) is an island in the Gulf Of Thailand, near the Cambodia/ Thailand border. It was the first stop for Rion, Emma, and I after leaving Cambodia. Our goal? To soak up some sun, relax on the beach for a few days, and possibly do an elephant safari. Unfortunately, I had caught some sort of bug our last few days in Cambodia and it caught up with me while we were there - so no elephant rides for me. I'd have to say, however, there are worse places to be condemned to bed rest...

A view of our beach bungalows at White Sand Beach


There are a few little fishing villages on the island. This is Bang Bao, where the village itself is built on stilts far out into the bay.


Hanging out on the beach as the sun goes down


The sky turns brilliant colors at sunset with the threat of a monsoon rain

To see more pictures from Koh Chang, please visit the following link:

Koh Chang Island, Thailand