I never knew that India has some amazing places that are distinctive to each other. I rarely read any international news before. So, I didn't know that some population of Tibetans have migrated to India due to their conflict with the Chinese government. It is McLeod Ganj, the place where those Tibetans have been staying all this time. I was surprised because Dalai Lama's residence is here too.
I and my friends rent a car to go to Dharamsala at night. It took a couple of hours to get there (I'm not sure, 4-5 hours perhaps). One thing I remember is the driver was quite crazy. He drove like a madman (rough and fast speed). Because of him, we arrived too early (even before dawn) in McLeod Ganj, Dharamsala and no hotel nor hostel was opened yet.
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| Had this street food in Amritsar before we left to Dharamsala. |
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| Our backpacks just after we arrived in McLeod Ganj. |
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| Everyone was very sleepy. |
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| I couldn't stand still any longer. Haha.. |
McLeod Ganj is such a nice place to stay for a while. It was enjoyable to be there as we were not in rush. The atmosphere was peaceful. It is very different from some places we visited before.
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| A bull on the street. |
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| Walking was the only transportation we had. |
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| Pat were taking a picture of the misty McLeod Ganj. |
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| The way that connect the center of McLeod Ganj and our hostel. |
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| McLeod Ganj from our hostel. |
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| People were queueing for the gas. |
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| Buddhist temple in the middle of McLeod Ganj market. |
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| The scenery of McLeod Ganj. |
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| The Himalayas from McLeod Ganj. |
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| Helen on the street! |
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| A McLeod Ganj goat with its tick fur. |
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| A street dog with its tick fur. |
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| Cute kid in Tibetan suit :) |
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| Some unique items from Tibetans. |
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| A lot of bong here. |
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| I was excited when I saw this. Unfortunately, I have already quitted smoking. |
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| This bong reminds me of my passed away friend. |
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| Austin using this unique scarf looks like a local monk. |
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| Helen was trying a fur hat. |
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| Pat was trying a creation from Tibetan. |
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| Walk around this place was our habitual here. |
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| A poster we found in McLeod Ganj. |
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| The signpost of Tibet's stolen child-the 11th Panchen Lama. |
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| The Tibetan National Martyrs Memorial monument. |
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| The Tsuglagkhang Temple's stupa. |
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| The MANI prayer wheel at Tsuglagkhang Temple. |
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| Scenery from Tsuglagkhang Temple. |
It is very fortunate when you travel to somewhere and at the same time, there is a big event that you can witness accidentally. It happened to me when I was in McLeod Ganj. There was an international conference right after our arrival day. I witnessed delegation from some countries including the famous Dalai Lama. The conference was about the Tibetan biggest issue nowadays, the conflict with the Chinese government.
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| People gathered in the place where the conference was held. |
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| People were watching the parade which was escorting the Dalai Lama. |
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| The Parade arrived at the place. |
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| The raisings of Tibetan flag. |
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| People were watching the raisings of Tibetan flag. |
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| Tibetan performances. |
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| Selfie in the middle of the crowd. |
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| Dalai Lama was leaving the event with this car. |
Beside of the Tsuglagkhang Temple, there is another attraction that worth to be pictured because its fresh weather and nice view. It is Bhagsu waterfall that placed near McLeod Ganj. Tourists usually visit this waterfall because it is near from most hostel in McLeod Ganj and it is free.
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| The Bhagsu waterfall from the distance. |
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| Locals have their own 'jacuzzi' to warm their body. |
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| We have our own way to warm our body. Hehe |
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| What are we doing, guys? Haha.. |
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| Having some coffee for breakfast was our habit in McLeod Ganj. |
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| Tibetan Chop Suey for our last day dinner. |
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| It was an honor to talk to the monk in personal before we left McLeod Ganj. |
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| Our amazing days in McLeod Ganj was complete since we were very happy with the place and the people. |
There are many places in India that might be more famous than McLeod Ganj such as Hampi, Ellora caves, Ajanta caves, Taj Mahal, and so on. I have been to those places and it was undoubtedly fun. But, when I came to McLeod Ganj, the atmosphere was different. I felt like it was not a part of India because most of its people are Tibetan (I don't mean that Indian is bad. I just felt it was different). They are very welcome and very warm to foreigner like us. The place and the people combined makes McLeod Ganj to be more fascinating attraction. So, how is it? Wanna visit this place?
