2: Dharamshala

Our next destination is Dharamshala, home of the Dalai Lama and seat of the Tibetan Government-in-exile.

This is in the state of Himachal Pradesh which is a young state; its territory having once been part of the Punjab it was designated as a state in its own right in 1971.

As we leave the Punjabi plains behind and cross over into Himachal Pradesh, the scenery changes, we notice hills in the distance and eventually we start to climb.

The journey is about five hours by road and matters are not helped by the many, many miles of roadworks we encounter.

The Government is undertaking massive road improvements - creating flyovers, tunnels and widening vast sections of this route. Instead of bypassing communities they are using the existing road and literally chopping the fronts off of people’s houses to make room.

What effect this will have on the small towns we pass through is impossible for us as outsiders to gauge but for good or bad the impact will be huge.

There aren’t any traffic jams - if need be we just switch to driving on the other side of the road against the oncoming traffic, which doesn’t seem to cause anyone else to bat so much as an eyelid! By the time we reach our hotel we are well and truly shaken about.

The town is divided into two parts, Dharamshala itself and one thousand metres above it, via a very narrow but two-way road which twists and turns alarmingly, is McLeodganj.

McLeodganj was originally a British hill station but now, as well as being home to the Dalai Lama it also provides safe haven for members of the Tibetan diaspora fleeing Chinese oppression in their homeland - there are more Tibetans in this part of town than Indians!

Our hotel is right in the centre of things and the views from our room of the Dhauladhar Mountains (part of the Himalayas) are spectacular. We watch eagles circling a few metres from our balcony, in search of some unsuspecting tasty morsel.

We venture out on our first evening and wander up the main drag with its numerous tourist shops… cows… stray dogs… all the usual things!

We find a bar which brews its own beer out the back so we stop for a pint and then find a restaurant with a balcony overlooking the street.

It’s as chaotic as we expect - mopeds, cars, people, dogs and cows all vying for position on a single track road - very entertaining to watch!

…and as for the electrical set up!

Our first day is mainly given over to sightseeing in McLeodganj.

We visit Bhagsunag Temple in a nearby village. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and the local deity Bhagsu Nag.

This is an ancient shrine renovated in latter years with money raised by the elite Gurkha Rifles.

There are two pools here which are reputed to have healing powers, they look more like fun time swimming pools for local lads than holy sites!

We walk up to the nearby waterfall which at this time of year is more of a trickle than a cascade but it is pretty enough.

An interesting sight is the Christian church of St. John in the Wilderness. An Anglican church of very English design standing all alone in a deodar (a type of cedar native to The Himalayas) forest, it’s not what you expect to see in this setting.

A former Viceroy of India, Lord Elgin, is buried here having died in Dharamshala in 1863. This is not the Elgin of Marbles fame but a descendant, his son we think.

We’re then taken to a popular viewpoint and enjoy an amble in the fresh air… all we could manage as the air’s a bit thin at over 2000 metres above sea level!.

…and of course no visit to Daramshala would be complete without a visit to the Dalai Lama Temple - officially known as the Tsuglagkhang Complex.

The complex itself is best described as functional and the building structure is certainly not ornate. We are glad we visited though as it’s such an important site for Tibetans, for their faith and their culture.

If we’re being truthful we’d have to say the temple is a disappointment although in fairness that’s probably down to a lack of pre-visit research on our part.

We then go a bit off-schedule as we’ve seen a cable car which we discover connects the two parts of town. We get our driver to drop us down in Dharamshala town and we take the cable car - The Skyway - back up to McLeodganj where we’re staying.

It’s lovely to sail peacefully along out of the hubub looking down at the beautiful landscape below.

This evening we venture into a tiny (three tables) local restaurant, certainly not a tourist destination! The food is delicious, we have two dishes plus rice and bread and Nick is delighted when we get the bill, the equivalent of £4.80 all in!

Today we are going to explore Dharamshala proper. The guides we’ve read are really dismissive saying that there’s little to see here, but we have a great day.

First stop is a surprise. As we leave the hustle and bustle of the town, our driver turns down a small road and after a short distance the landscape transforms into gentle hills carpeted with tea bushes. We arrive at the Himalayan Brew Tea Garden.

After exploring the plantation we learn about the different types of tea produced - and decide to sample the rather delicious White Tea.

Our next stop is the War Memorial Gardens.

A neatly manicured and very impressive memorial to those who have died in India’s various wars.

The language on the information boards is unashamedly nationalistic and the vanquished Pakistan in particular is shown no mercy.

We move on to Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium.

This is an international stadium with a crowd capacity of 21,200 and sitting at 1,457 metres above sea level it is the highest cricket stadium in the world.

With the soaring mountains as a backdrop, it is also widely regarded as the world’s most picturesque cricket stadium.

A highlight of our visit to Dharamshala is, unexpectedly, the Norbulingka Institute which is dedicated to the preservation of Tibetan arts and culture.

This place is a revelation, leafy and peaceful it’s a joy to wander around. There’s even a chance to stop for tea and buns!

The buildings are in traditional Tibetan style. In addition to the lovely temple (no minimalism here!) there are workshops where masters teach their apprentices ancient, Tibetan crafts such as statue making and thangka painting.

We then make something of a blunder. Nick has seen photos of the Rock Temple at Masrur on the wall in our hotel and it looks interesting. Our driver tells us it’s 40 km away and that we have time to do the trip.

Things however clearly get a little lost in translation and what we didn’t understand was that the route would follow steep and winding roads and would take an hour and a half each way!

It must be said that much of the route is beautiful. We travel through dense forest inhabited by monkeys while the skies are the domain of huge eagles. It is remote and really lovely.

This temple complex dates back to the 8th century and is dedicated to the Hindu deities Rama, Lakshmana, and Sita.

The complex is carved out of a single, sandstone rock and once consisted of numerous temples arranged around a rectangularbpond.

It was very badly damaged in a devastating earthquake in 1905. Much of the complex now lies in ruins but what remains demonstrates the skill of these early stonemasons as the intricate carvings are exquisite.

We arrive back at the hotel exhausted but need to venture out once more to eat and we find a really great restaurant.

Janette tries a typical Tibetan dish called Chow Chow and Nick has a pizza and a very welcome pint of Kingfisher (or two)!

Tibet is on Nick’s bucket list of places to visit and he really enjoys the Tibetan vibe of this place. Janette likes that too but she finds the narrow streets of McLeodganj a bit claustrophobic and feels it's a bit too touristy for her.

We’re now heading to the capital of Himachal Pradesh and the former summer capital of British India, Shimla.

This will involve an eight hour, 174 mile journey by car. Wish us luck!