The reason why I wanted to go to Ladakh was because I wanted to meet 'the happiest people of the world'. I saw a documentary about these people by Helena Norberg - Hodge called 'Ancient Futures', and I wanted to meet Helena and the people from Ladakh. Then I found out that Helena just left Ladakh for Bangkok! Luckily I managed to meet her here. What I was told wasn't a happy story.
I did some research about Ladakh, but Helena told me that what I might find on internet isn't really the true picture. These days Ladakh is corrupted by western influences, and the idea of the traditional mountain tribe is gone. Before it used to be the families running the villages together. Now the young people has moved to the suburbs, and usually it's one woman alone left in each former village to run the farming with a few emploees.
Instead, Helena told me firmly to go to Dharamsala. This is where Dalai Lama and a lot of Tibetan refugees are based, and it's a lively scene for spiritual seekers. So at the moment I'm trying to book a train ticket from New Dehli to Dharamsala. I've traveled by train in India before, so I know that it's not excacly like you book a ticket online and just go...everything is a long and complicated bureaucratic proces in India. Leaving Bangkok tonight (Thai time). Any advice would be appreciated.
The adventure continues!
Oh boy! This is real adventure!
ReplyDeleteYes indeed...any train tips and tricks...? ;)
ReplyDeleteO wow! Seems like an amazing journey! Looking forward to hear about buying train tickets in India and your experiences on the train...
ReplyDeleteThis is what to do in Dharamsala according to my Grand Indian Traveler Mom:
Go to McLeod Ganj. Don't hang out in Dharamsala itself. Mc Leod Ganj is the tibetans' part of Dharamsala. A lot of things are always going on there.
Get a room with a terrace and a view over the beautiful mountains.
Sit in the cafés and talk with people.
Meet with tibetan doctors and get funny little black smelly balls that are extremely sanely healthy.
Go to theDalai Lama center.
Attend puja with the monks.
Lot's of Love from Sosostar and her Grand Mother
Great!
ReplyDeleteAlways expect the unexpected to change 3 or 4 times!
Also, like it said on my Yogi tea cup paper thingy this morning: "The road to wisdom is changing everyday"
Don't expect, don't suspect, like Maharishi Mahesh Yogi said. ;)
ReplyDelete