Cows, Monkeys, and Hot Water Bottles!

I'm glad that I decided to stick around for another 2 days, I've purchased an overnight bus ticket to Shimla, my next stop.

I forgot to mention (the bus experience overriding any other memories) that i saw my first "holy cow" when we stopped at the Tibetian Village north of Delhi. I was almost disappointed that I hadn't seen any in Delhi. After arriving in McLeod Ganj I can tell you that there are plenty of them and they all look healthy and fat, which I wasn't expecting. When I walked out of the restaurant after dinner I almost screamed because there weren't any street lights and standing right in front of me was a huge bull! Yikes those things are big in person! It didn't help that it was a very small narrow street so I had to avoid both the people, bikes and cows to make my way back to the hotel.

Another surprise was to see monkeys up in the mountains. It's rather cold here and I guess I always figured monkeys to be tropical, but they seemed happy enough!

This is a great place to be I just wish that it were a bit warmer - thus the hot water bottle reference. The hotel I stayed in didn't offer heat as part of the price, but they did offer a free hot water bottle, which I would have not survived without! It's amazing that by warming my feet the rest of my body was fine! I think I'm going to have to use this when I return to the states!

I've enjoyed tasting Tibetian food - definitely go for the steamed Momos, they're great! And I've fallen in love with hot lemon juice with honey. Sounds gross but when you are weary of the water and it's freezing outside it really hits the spot and warms the stomach.

After visiting the Tibetian museum I was surprised to learn that China invaded Tibet in 1949!!! It's amazing to think that this conflict has been going on that long. It is also gut wrenching to learn that refugees are still forced to make the trek through the Himalayas on foot to escape the persecution they are under. Such a peaceful nation has suffered so much loss. China has basically wiped their religion off the map - or at least any history of their country. It definitely is worth your while to see this place to gain a greater understanding of the situation. After experiencing the history of the Tibetans I had a new appreciation for their situation and seeing the people visiting the temple and using the prayer wheels almost made me want to cry.

I wish I had more time to explore all that this small city has to offer. People here are very into learning about Buddhism and meditation and yoga so everywhere you go you hear discussions on these topics. Alas, my time is limited...