Waterfalls, the Mud Pond and Celebrity Status

Having had enough conversations about getting a guru, how to be your own therapist and techniques to help your dog and cat meditate, I decided to get off the streets of McLeod Ganj and onto the trails.

Yesterday morning I walked to the Bhagasunag temple and then continued on to a waterfall. Wasn't really the serene walk I thought it would be, considering the steady stream of people with the same idea. I came upon a group of Indian school children on holiday and was bombarded with requests for my photograph. Not sure why they picked me out. I'm not exactly an anomaly here; foreign tourists overrun the area. But after they followed me pleading, I decided to indulge them just to shake them.

The waterfall and views from it were lovely, but the whole endeavor took less time than I anticipated so I returned to town for lunch and advice on another day hike. The owner of my guest house suggest Dal Lake and then on to the village of Naddi for the sunset. Sounded good to me, although I decided halfway into the hike that I should bag the sunset. If I watched it set, that would mean hiking back in the dark, not something I was keen to do.

As I paused along the road to capture the scenery, I was again stopped for photographs, this time by four Nepali men on motorcycles. I think they must have me confused with someone.

The lake was a major disappointment. It was nothing more than a muddy pond with boats shaped like dragons and ducks that you could float around in for a couple of rupees. And there wasn't much of a view. It was a good walk, though, and hopefully a warm up to better hikes and treks to come.