McLeod Ganj

After Amritsar our next stop was McLeod Ganj. We planned to make the trip in one day, but this turned out to be a little too ambitious. After all, we were taking four different methods of transportation to get there. For starters, we took a train to Pathankot, which was late by two or three hours. From there we would switch to a smaller train which runs on a narrow gauge track (nicknamed the toy train). We met a local on our first train who informed us that instead of taking 2 1/2 hours like the guidebook said, the toy train actually took 5 hours. This new bit of information combined with our late arrival into Pathankot meant we would stay the night there instead of continuing the journey that day. We didn't know anything about Pathankot, it's not really a tourist town, so we were afraid it might be another Gorakhpur. On the contrary, it turned out to be a really nice place and we were happy to stay a night there.

The next morning (New Years Eve) we got up at 5 AM to get to the station by 6 so we could grab a seat before the train left at 7. There are no reservations on the toy train and everyone told us we had better get there early or risk standing the whole way. We actually got there at about 5:45 and the train pulled away at 7 with about half the seats empty. We learned a very long time ago to be flexible and just go with the flow and it's a good thing too, otherwise we'd probably be a lot more frustrated.

The toy train was really great. We had imagined a tiny little train, like at Disney Land, that takes the kids around in circle. The reality was something between that and a regular train. It was about 2/3 the size of a normal train with very narrow rails because it takes passengers into the mountains. The views were spectacular and we were glad we took this route even though it took a lot longer than expected. The end of the line for us was in Kangra.

We loved this little train station. Because there is only one route on these tracks and the train is petite, the stations were much smaller than we're used to. Just a little building to buy tickets and snacks and then there is nothing else around! Less than we had hoped for, in fact. There wasn't even a major road within sight and we didn't know where we had to go to catch our bus. That's okay, we're used to asking directions by now. We walked for about a mile, still uncertain about where we were going. People are always happy to give us directions, but sometimes they all give us different directions. Eventually we found a bus that took us to Kangra bus station where we had a quick lunch and caught the bus to Dharamshala.

I've been on a lot of buses these last few years, but this may just be the most terrifying ride in memory. I was standing, holding onto the rail and the bus driver just swung the bus from left to right as he navigated up the twisting mountain road. I could hardly even hold on and almost fell over several times! It's not a good feeling to have as you're looking out the window at the steep drops and almost complete lack of barriers. My stomach was in knots and I cannot tell you how happy I was when we finally pulled into Daramshala. From there we had to catch another shorter, calmer ride up the rest of the way to McLeod Ganj. It all really would have been too much for one day.

This is especially true because just as we arrived there a hailstorm began. So we trudged on with our bags and started our hotel search. We found a good one eventually and after a short rest went back out to find something special to do for the New Year. There were lots of dance parties and things like that going on. Most of them didn't interest us that much and cost anywhere from 2-7 days budget. There was some live music that looked good, but it was already completely booked. We finally found a nice little restaurant that had festivities and wasn't completely beyond our price range. So we went back to our hotel room for a little rest before going back out again and promptly fell asleep. We woke up around midnight to hear everyone yelling and cheering for the New Year. We let out disappointed groans and went back to sleep.

We were really happy to be in McLeod Ganj, but it turned out our timing was not so good. Because we were there on a holiday weekend, there was really nothing happening. All the excitement happened on New Year's Eve and after that it was time for the town to take a break. We spend most of the day going from place to place to find out that they were closed and wouldn't open again until Monday when we would be leaving town. Heather was really excited about doing yoga, but there was just no way it could happen. There was also no live music, no astrologer, and no museum during the weekend. The Dalai Lama was away too; he has been traveling around India for the last several weeks.

I'd like to say that we just moved right on and didn't let the disappointment affect us, but we were kind of depressed. That is, until we put things in perspective. We sat in a cafe and reminisced over some hot tea. We remembered all the times we were in Ukraine and would have given anything, to be anywhere, doing nothing, except being together. And here we were. But we were really much better off than we would have settled for. We were in McLeod Ganj! We were enjoying Tibetan food and culture all around us! And, most importantly, we were together.

We felt better and things quickly improved after that. We went to see the main temple and the home of the Dalai Lama. The next day the museum did actually open, even though it was Sunday. The museum was excellent, it detailed the history of the Tibetans since the Chinese invaded and before. We go there just at the right time to see a film about the uprisings in 2008. The Tibetans have had (and continue to have) a very rough time. We made a small donation and left better informed and better educated.

I'm very happy to report that our exit from McLeod Ganj was much less eventful than our entrance. We took a long bus and a long train, but that's all we had to do! Sure it was still 30 hours of traveling, but if there's one thing we've learned, it's all about perspective!