At last I meet my romantic picture of the Tibetan people, it is just a shame it has to be here in Dharamsala, the exiled home of the Dalai Lama, and not in their rightful home in Tibet. The peopleI described as cold and vacant on my departure form the roof of the world could be from a different planet compared to the 5000 strong community of exiled Tibetans currently n residence in the surounding mountains. The monks here are amiable and talkitive, one recounting his march along with 14 compatriats across the Himalayas, risking being shot on sight by the chinese to escape their beloved country. I have tried to keep as open a mind as regards the tibet issue since the start but talking to the exiles it is hard not to become the most radical of partisans. The rape of their country has been done with such clinical british colonial techniques that one can see no return for these people to the land they lust for. Tibetans historicaly had never let foreigners in to their country due to a prophecy forseeing the destruction of their land and culture by foreign invaders, this goes somewhere to explain the natives unwelcoming nature towards us whiteskins.
On a lighter note Miss Tibet 2007 has just been concluded last night with a firework spectacular, Indian style. Unfortunately due to the 4euro entry fee I stayed away from the grand finale but on my arrival here a very excited Delhi man accosted me to show me with delight on his camera shots from the swimsuit section of the competition, 5 beautiful scantily clad Tibetans frolicking about at the side of a pool. Reaction from the monks is one of disdain towards the competition, but seeing alot fileing towards the event last night reinforced my opinion that blind devotion to religion or not men love to see semi naked women!
Unfortunately the Dalai Lama is not in town at the moment so my main reason of coming here and attending some of his teachings will not happen, but with mountain trails galore around these parts i will not be short of distractions.
Rishikesh was everything that I needed and more and kept me settled for three weeks, the longest i have stayed in one place for 7 months, quite a thought. It offered a combination of religious India, jungled mountains, bathing in the Ganga, tropical waterfalls and some much needed companionship from some of the best charachters I have met so far. The highlight being sleeping on a deserted beach on the Ganga for a few nights with a great bunch of people. After camping alone so often of late it was nice to share the outdoor experience with others.
The five days cycling from Rishikesh to here were uninspiring at best. Hot, busy roads combined with expensive hotels made it the least enjoyable of all the legs so far. The realisation that it will be the last time being alone gave me the feeling of concluding the first stage of my way home. I am delighted to be gaining a companion for the rest of the journey but it is also with some trepidation to see how my deeply embedded solitary ways will incorporate an extra personality. I believe there is only so much time a human being should spend alone being such sociable creatures and for the moment at least i have filled my quota.
Sitting here on my balcony looking west over the Punjabi plains soaked in early morning sunshine I realise this is my last stop on my himalayan voyage which has brought me 5300km from Kunming to here, which is really rather emotional. What lies in wait until northern Iran will be very flat, very hot, very cold, very dusty and very different. They say a change is as good as a break but I will enter the next stage of my trip with hesitation due to the political situation in Pakistan. That all seems a long time in the future as after passing a week here I will leave my bike here and venture forth to Delhi where I will meet my parents for a 10 day holiday in Rajasthan. Then after waving goodbye to them i will welcome Kieran and will begin the preperations for the middle east, most importantly to try and persuade the Irish embassy to allow me to go to Pakistan. What kind of world do we live in where my country decides where I can and cannot go.
