It would have been nice to spend more time in the Chamba Valley area, but the weather wasn’t really up to it. We decided on an early hotel check-out after the manager told us that the government had, for some reason, cut power to the whole of the town; took this as sign that Dalhousie just wasn’t meant to be.
There’s a state bus from Dalhousie to Mcleod Ganj, but we decided to cab it after hearing about a recent fatal accident on the route. We had car suitability issues again, which put us back a bit. On the map, Mcleod Ganj doesn’t look all that far away from Dalhousie, but the cab ride took six hours, descending down to the plains, only to have to climb back up the same range of hills. We arrived in Mcleod Ganj feeling totally wiped out from the windy journey and altitude changes.
The hotel we’d booked in advance was terrible, but ‘luckily’ a slightly less terrible one was located next door. Being disorientated from the journey, we didn’t really have the appetite for a haggle, so no big room-rate discounts this time. After a bit of rest, we went out for a walk around the town.
Mcleod Ganj is famous for being the headquarters of the Tibetan government in exile and the residence of the Dalai Lama. The town is all about Tibetan culture, with many Tibetan restaurants, handicrafts shops, museums, and Buddhism schools. It’s very popular with the hippie crew who come here in hope of meeting his holiness. Trekking in the mountainous surrounding area also draws travelers.
We hadn’t eaten all day, so headed straight for the nearest traveler café to fill up. I hadn’t seen quiche on a menu in India before, so ordered it for a change. It wasn’t long after leaving the café that I started to feel very unwell in the stomach region. Shejal wasn’t feeling that great either from the trip, so we headed back for an early bedtime at the hotel. Since Rajasthan I’ve not been 100%, so getting hit again in Mcleod Ganj was a bit crap.
Things looked a little brighter the next day after a good night’s sleep, so we headed out to see the sights of town. Firstly we visited the Tibetan Museum which tells the sad story of Chinese occupation and subsequent population migrations to Himachal Pradesh.
The museum is located in the Tsuglagkhang Complex along with administrative offices of the Tibetan government in exile, the Dalai Lama’s residence, and a large temple.
When leaving the temple, we spotted an official looking ambassador car pulling up to the Dalai Lama’s residence; couldn’t quite make out whether it was the great man or not, but others nearer were very excited about something.
In spite of feeling ill, I was determined to do some walking in Mcleod Ganj, managing a short 8km route around the area in the afternoon. At the highest point I came across a quiet café, stopping for a while to soak up views of the valleys and snow capped peaks. Whilst supping on a chai, I noticed a steady stream of colorful butterflies making their way over my head and then down the valley. Can’t quite make them out in this vid, but it was an impressive sight.
Mcleod Ganj was good fun (despite not feeling at our best). The Tsuglagkhang Complex was very interesting, and the scenery surrounding the town is amazing.
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