This entry is stolen from my friend Sarah. Some of it may be repetative as I am on the way out and did not get to readd it


FREE TIBET!!
Traveling is still absolutely fantastic. We have continued to receive the royal treatment for the past week! Just so happened that when we went out for drinks with Vikas and his buddies that night, one of his friends is the owner of the major resort line in Manali. So...we were directed to go to Manali and stay in his places. It was amazing! Manali is a little hippie village in the valley between part of the Himalayan mountain range. It's set on a raging river that runs through it and has naturally hot sulfur springs. The people are fantastic! I'd say there are 50% Indian and 50% Isreali who have traveled here and never left! The town is fantastic, so many friendly people who just pull up some chairs, order some Chai and will spend hours chatting with you about your life. We have met so many amazing people. Also, on our second night there, a huge amount of travelers came into town and we met them out at the bar we were at. After chatting for a while we discovered their story....the were part of an NGO called "rickshaw run" where they raise a bunch of money, are given a rickshaw (a tiny local vehicle that doesn't go much faster than a bike) in Calcutta, and are told to find their way to Manali in 2 weeks! They had some hillarious stories about running out of fuel, picking up random locals and driving them around, and running through road blocks in Nepal! It sounds like a real adventure! So we joined up with a couple of English guys we met there and the next day we all decided to go repelling off a massive rock! We hiked up to the top, harnessed ourselves up, and essentially jumped off a 100 ft ledge, just hoping for the best =) Very thrilling indeed. I also had an Indian dress sewn for me, which is very beautiful and makes me fit right in! Actually no...but i do get stopped about every 10 ft and asked if I live in India or how long I have been here and comments about my 'lovely Punjabi dress'! I've also picked up quite a bit of Hindi, so I have the locals tricked into thinking I've been here for years! Really helps with the barganing technique.....
So....after repelling we took music lessons and Jess and I very poorly attempted to learn the India drum. It's sooo much harder than it looks! But met some great locals who were amazing musicians! The next day we went to the village of Nagar, where Roerick used to live (for those of you who don't know...he's a famous Russion painter). We saw his house, a museum of his paintings, and a castle nearby where the Indian Gov used to reside before the British rule. The villages along the way were the best part, so many small little streets and markets all around! That night we got a night bus with our hotel manager and his family to Dahramasala. The bus is crazy...it's a bunch of bunk beds that we lie down on and try to attempt sleep while being thrown back and forth, crashing into each other and our luggage. Quite an experience though! Rathore (our hotel manager) and his family were lovely. We had dinner with them at one of the stops and I gave his children some of the toys I still had from the hospital. They loved them and we had a great time all playing together!
So....now we are in Dharamasala! This is where the Tibetan government is in exile. The town is a small little city on top of the hill which is approximately 85% Tibetan. The Dalai Lama and his gov is also here which is very exciting! The first day we got here we just milled around town and met a bunch of locals and travelers, getting to know the area. We also saw the major Buddhist temples in town and the Tibetan museum, which tells all about the Chinese invasion of Tibet and the cruelty they have practiced against the Tibetan people. Also many stories of the refugees feeling to India and Nepal, taking months to cross the snowy Himalayan mountains, many dying of cold and others loosing limbs to frostbite. It's really very tragic. The city is also covered in beggars who have lost limbs during their treacherous journey. And there are 2 major orphanages where parents send their children to safety, probably never to see them again. It is all very sad and needs to be stopped. Free Tibet!!!!!!!
So....that was my political rant. We have really met many amazing people here and feel deeply for their plight. Yesterday we went to see the Dalai Lama!! He is such a lovely inspiring man! We went to his talk about unity, world peace, and learning to reduce suffering through coming to terms with his 'self'. He made a great analogy about medicine and religion. Saying that there are many medicines in this world, and each are great for a certain disease. However, you can't use a medication for a headache to treat cancer. Likewise, we can't say that there is one religion that is right for all the world, we just have to accept people for being unique and love them for the differences they possess. He's such an amazing man and I have loved learning more about him and his teachings. I am also reading his book "My Land, My People" which is more about the Tibetans and their struggle to survive despite the opression. After the teachings we went to a Tibetan cooking course. It was great fun! We learned how to make Momos, which are like dumplings. We made spinach and cheese, mixed vegetables, and chocolate ones! They were fantastic! I can't wait to get home and cook them for people! =)
After filling ourselves up on momos, Jess and I met up with 2 American guys we had met the day before and went to the Tibetan orphanage 9km away. We brought toys and stickers for all the kids and had the best time playing with them all afternoon! We mostly played in the 'baby' room, which was about 1.5 years to 5 years. They were so much fun and were so happy to see us! We had the best time there with them, singing and playing. The orphanage has about 3000 children from 1 to 17! Such fantastic people and such a great time! When we got back we went to see a movie called "Playing for Change" about outdoor musicians across the world playing to encourage peace and love everywhere. Really a very well done documentary with musicians from New Orleans, Spain, Italy, South Africa, Nepal and India. The way they could meld people's music together and make them sound unified was really fantastic. Then we saw one of the bands, The Exile Brothers perform at the cafe we were at! It was such an amazing day with so many fantastic activities packed into it!
Dharamasala is an amazing place and we've had such an inspiring time here. Can't wait to tell you guys more about it when I get home! Leaving to Rajastan tonight on another night bus....yipee!!! Supposed to be about 120 degress there! Ah

final thought I just taught a Tibetan man English for an hour and I think it is safe to say that I am the best ESL teacher in all the land.