Mini-update 3

some snapshots before a longer post

03.02.2012 - 04.02.2012

We've been pretty busy--I'm thinking of posting about classes, daily life at Sarah, and last Friday's trip to the Tibetan government-in-exile (the CTA, Central Tibetan Administration), but I'm just going to roll those into a post about tomorrow's trip to meet the Kalon Tripa--the "Prime Minister" of the exile government. We just spent about two hours coming up with a list of questions to ask him... exciting!

For now, here are some pictures I took in McCleod (Upper Dharamsala). Nothing too special, just felt like posting them:

Sadhus, holy men (usually men), are a common sight throughout India, though I'm sorry to say I'm rather deficient in my knowledge of all things Hinduism. I liked this fellow's trident, a sacred symbol of Shiva.

Fundamentally, even McCleod is a part of India, so its streets are a messy jumble of all sorts of things, and it's pretty dirty too. But turn a corner through an alley, like this one behind the TCV Café (profits go to the Tibetan Children's Village schools), and you get a rather pleasant view:

Also, this was the sight that greeted us on our way down that day (Friday). So may wonderful sunsets here.

And rainbows too! This was Saturday. The lower grouping of buildings is Lower Dharamsala, and the upper line of white-looking structures is McCleod Ganj, through which the rainbow passes perfectly. The Dalai Lama's residence, temple, and monastery should be in the right-hand-side of that line. Just before this was taken, there was a clearly visible double rainbow stretching across the whole sky, but my camera couldn't quite capture it all.

That picture was taken from the top of one of our buildings at Sarah. So yes, we can (and do!) see McCleod every day. It's kind of unreal, even after having gone there four times, to think that I'm currently within sight of His Holiness' town, and the center of the Tibetan exile world.