Genesis - soumya.org

Little Tibet

After fleeing Tibet, the Dalai Lama set up residence in McLeodganj, a small town nestled in the hills of Himachal Pradesh. Today it is a sleepy hill station with an eclectic mix of serene monks, blissful Tibetians, white folks in search of nirvana, grungy backpackers in search of the occasional mushroom and a few tourists from Delhi thrown in for variety... After 3 days of 2 hour walks, breathtaking scenery, exquisite monasteries, steaming momos and good conversation over endless cups of tea, it is easy to see why people keep coming back year after year...Here are a few glimpses of this magical place many people call Little Tibet...

Jews Germans and Buddhists

Bhagsu and Dharamkot are two small villages outside McLeodganj. Fairly nondescript with a few small hotels, an ancient Shiva temple, 3 Buddhist meditation centers, 5 roadside tea stalls serving tea, eggs and parathas and  4 German bakeries serving home made bread and croissants, fairly passable Italian and very good Israeli food. Eating in these bakeries were white people with beatific expressions who spoke very little English. Their stories were very similar...After a few years of compulsory service in the Israeli army, they (and there were easily more than 50) come to this place to chill, relax, rebel, pontificate and meditate sometimes for well over a year...Welcome to nirvana ...