| We left Delhi Wednesday night & took an | | | | were guided to another TMC where we both saw a |
| overnight trip to the Dharamsala area on a 'deluxe' bus | | | | lovely doctor with incredibly soft, healing energy. She |
| w/o air-conditioning (fine at night), no washroom & | | | | & her husband, also a Doctor of Tibetan medicine |
| a crazed driver. The bus broke down 2/3 of the way | | | | both work & live at the clinic, along with their 3 |
| through the trip. Luckily they put us on another bus, part | | | | young children. We felt she was the one we were |
| of our entourage of four heading for Dharamsala. | | | | meant to see. We can continue treatment after our |
| McLeod Ganj, 10 km north of Dharamsala, is the home | | | | initial 3 months of herbs by e-mailing her. |
| of the Dalai Llama & the Tibetan government in | | | | After going to the clinic, we went to the Dalai Llama's |
| exile; it's in the foothills of the Himalayas. It's a very | | | | complex, an amazing place on the edge of town...a |
| gentle, mellow-feeling place. The air is very clean, | | | | huge yellow temple with courtyard where dozen of |
| although 'thin' as they say; you have to be careful | | | | monk-trainees were practicing a marial-art based |
| walking too far at first. | | | | discipline (we thought). |
| Although there are still beggars, they're a bit less | | | | The public is allowed in the temple & it is beautiful, |
| intrusive than Delhi & the only touts were the ones | | | | many statues & much colour. Beside the temple is |
| who met us at the bus stop (difficult as we'd had no | | | | a white building where the monks live. The whole thing |
| sleep on the bouncing buses & the air made me | | | | is indescribable really! The Dahai Lama is away in N. |
| dizzy after I climbed just 1 flight of stairs). Re the | | | | Am. When he's here he gives public talks every 2-3 |
| beggars, it's hard to know what 'policy' to adopt. I'm | | | | wks for several hundred people. But his doctors & |
| now giving small amounts of change to women with | | | | others have advised him to cut back on everything |
| small children & some people with disabilities (e.g. a | | | | (there was a notice on a bulletin board re this). He's 72 |
| woman who appeared to have leprosy in both legs | | | | now, I spoke to one of the budhist students. |
| & likely couldn't walk). | | | | Two months later I can still feel the energy of McLeod |
| Today we searched out the Astro Tibetan Medical | | | | Ganj when I look at pictures of it, or even when I think |
| Clinic to see a monk for herbal treatment, but instead | | | | about it. It is a very spiritual place. |