Dreadlocks, Robes and the Half Lotus

I was feeling a bit under the weather and fatigued from my bus trip today so I decided to spend my first day in Dharamsala taking it easy and giving myself some shopping therapy. In the end, I think I did too little of the first and too much of the second.

After taking a short morning nap, I ventured out into the town for some breakfast. Dharamsala, part of the Indian state of Himanchal Pradesh, is where the Dalai Lama and the Buddhist government were given asylum after the Chinese occupation of Tibet, and many Tibetan exiles have relocated here. The town is surrounded by jagged mountains and then opens up to a valley. Every time I look at the craggy peaks, I imagine what it must have been like to climb over them in order to live freely. Dharamsala is a lively town with a vey international crowd milling about, all here for a variety of reasons. The streets are filled with a mix of Buddhist monks, dreadlocked hippies, grungy trekkers and chilled out yoga-heads from virtually every corner of the planet.

It's obvious that tourism is the major business here but not in a tacky way. The people who move through here take deep and genuine interests in the Tibetan culture and Buddhist thought. There are fliers everywhere for yoga classes, Tibetan and Indian cooking classes, Sitar lessons, and Ayurvedic massage. Even though there are so many people around, it manages to be relaxed (probably because many of the people are zenned out, high or monks). Everyone is really nice and friendly, and it's been great chatting with both fellow travelers and the locals. I haven't even been here 24 hours, and I can tell it's going to be hard to leave, which I don't think is uncommon. Some of the foreigners who are here seem to be either long term visitors and frequent returnees.

I checked out a Buddhist Temple and turned a few prayer wheels, which is supposed to bring me the peace and happiness promised by the mantras written on them that I couldn't read. I watched some of the monks debate at the temple, a process that involves lots of clapping and stomping. I'm not sure yet if those signs mean they agree or disagree. I spent lots of time admiring the mountains while walking along a footpath that connected upper and lower Dharamsala (the upper part is called McLeod Ganj...that's the main tourist area). I came back up to McLeod Ganj and weaved in and out of the countless shops and stalls.

Shopping here is, in my opinion, better than Jaipur. While shopkeepers still encourage you to buy, it's not in the same harrassing way. Instead of trying to run away from high-pressure shopkeepers, I chatted with many of them about their lives, Dharamsala, Tibet, Buddhism and my travels. They're so friendly and welcoming. I'm also more keen on the jewelry, clothing and decorative items. The clothing is stuff I could see myself wearing in the states without people looking at me like 'why is that white girl wearing a sari?' Instead they'll say, 'when did Lindsey become a hippie?' I have a weakness for bookstores, and I'm especially into books right now about spiritual thought and anything realted to India/Tibet/Nepal/Himalayas. Needless to say, I could spend months in these bookstores. I'm trading in a few of the books I've already read while traveling for some new ones.

I tried to go to a yoga class, but it was cancelled so tomorrow morning, I'll see if I can still bend myself into the Lotus position. It's been a while since I've exercised and even longer since I've done yoga. I'm afraid if I get into the position, I'll be stuck there for the rest of the week.