Dharamsala - धर्मशाला - & Mcleod Ganj

Thanks for coming to visit my blog.

Going backwards on our trip to Leh we are now in Himachal Pradesh, having left Manali. Unable to take the Rohtang Pass to Leh because of snow and a landslide, we set out for Dharamsala, the seat of the Dalai Lama. This was a very special occasion for me and I felt blessed and honoured to have the opportunity to go there.

These photos show some scenes of the very beautiful trip to Dharamsala and then of Mcleod Ganj, the village where the Dalai Lama and the monks live and practice their Tibetan Buddhist religion. Next time will be the last posting of this fantastic trip to North India. I'll show you photos of Manali and an amazing Sikh temple built on the banks of a wild river. The temple is built over hot springs. The river in this first photo is much calmer as it winds its way between the cliffs.















Now why would you want to build here?
















Whatever it is, it is very striking.
















Took this shot as we were driving along
















What a great bridge. Looks a bit scary though!
















The beautiful late afternoon light on the
lovely hills of Himachal Pradesh
















Just gorgeous













Climbing higher now and rewarded by this
lovely view of the Himalayas















Sunset before we reached Dharamsala. We
still had several hours of driving before
we got there
















Early morning in Dharamsala. The view from
where we we stayed
















Very colourful, if a bit chaotic!
















Wouldn't you like to do that!






















Now we are in Mcleod Ganj,
upper Dharamsala





















A street on our way to the Dalai Lama temple
complex


















Tibetan ladies enjoying a simple task






















Morning prayers
















The entrance to the Dalai Lama temple complex
also called the Tsuglagkhang Temple complex.
With my friends Naved in orange and Bob in green
















Very simple in its design












We arrived just after the Dalai Lama had left
to visit Japan. There was a prayer vigil taking
place so the complex was full of people........














......and monks














View of the hills and Mcleaod Ganj from the
temple complex















Mani prayer wheels
















A young monk distracted by the chance of
having his photo taken!













The prayers are long and tiring













Devotional prostrations
















Hidden away in the hills across from the temple
complex



















Battle weary Havinder (left) and Amrit the
wounded (right)






















Walking back to the car






















I leave you with these
glorious chaps

Do come back in two weeks
for those photos of Manali
and a special Sikh Temple

Pangong Lake, Ladakh, India

Hi and a warm welcome (back) to my blog. If you've been here before you'll notice I have changed the template. Hope you like it.

I'm going to take you on a trip up into the Himalayas to Pangong Lake. Make sure you've got your oxygen bottle, you don't want to get altitude sickness, believe me, it sucks!

Despite it, I think I managed to keep the camera still enough to give you a half decent idea of how beautiful it is. So let's go! It is about 164 km from Leh, our departure point and it will take us about 5 hours to get there.

At the beginnning of our journey, a classic scene in "Little Tibet" in India - hugely influenced by Tibet, but free from foreign interference - allowed to remain as it has always been. The more I felt the cultural integrity of this old and historic land, its people, it's religion and its traditions , the more I realised it is a treasure, to treasure. May it always remain so, we are so much richer for it.
















Majestic. It takes your breath away!
















When water is present the soil is rich and
fertile. The lush green is in strong contrast to
the barren land mass rising up from the plains
















In the end the fertile flat is squeezed out by
the enveloping folds of the mountains
















The road is cut into the side of the mountain.
The clouds dance their shadow on the
land that rises to meet them
















There must be a TV somewhere.........
An army rest post
















Amrit gobsmacked by the view. Zingral is the
last Army post at 15,500 feet before Chang La,
known to be one of the toughest passes in Ladakh






















and it does get tougher, colder and whiter













then suddenly there was this little chap, so
unexpected, and so completely at home
in his wonderland environment
















Just before the highest point...



















...which is Chang La It is the third highest
motorable pass in the world. It is named after
the sadhu Chanla Baba
















I wish they'd turn down the air conditioning!














Stalagtites sparkling in the sun
















Through the pass and descending now
towards the lake
















Almost there. Looks like this might have
been part of the lake but here it has
dried up
















The beginning of Pangong Lake
















The lake is at about 4,350 metres. 40% is in
India and 60% in China. It is 134 km long















The territory is disputed by both India
and China















The water is brackish, which means it has
more salinity than freshwater but less than
seawater
















There is no aquatic life in the lake, no plants
or fish. Perhaps a few crustaceans
















But you can find living creatures around
the lake...here's Naved and Bob
















The lake is home to what look like sea gulls
but clearly aren't. I wonder what they feed on?











Ladakh means the land of high passes.
But the Ladakh Himalayas have no major peaks















Enough facts, just enjoy the view!














which is truly magnificent














Next time, before leaving Ladakh to go to
Dharamsala, I'll show you photos of Ladakhi
people that I haven't shown you before.
Hope to see you then.