People.. From Delhi to the Dalai Lama

I have had the most amazing few days since arriving in Dharmasala, it was definately the right decision to come here. Since been in Delhi where the poeple seem to be always wanting to sell you something it is refreshing to meet people who are genuinly friendly chatty people who want to inform you about there country or practice their English. In Delhi i actually expected more hassle, i only had one Vodafone shop guy give me his number & one guy ask me for my number whilst i was walking down the street! On the bus to Dharmasala I met a lovely tibetan guy called Chamba who was taking his 2 15/16 yr old girls to Tibeten school for a year as they now lived in Canada & he didnt want them to loose their culture & knowledge of Tibet.

For the last 2 days I have been to the temple where the Dalai Lama was giving his teachings. The temple is so small that I didnt manage to get inside but I did manage to get a wave & a smile from him as he was getting into the car outside. I felt very privaledged to basically stumble across the DL totally unexpected when some people had travelled for miles to see him. His teachings were very interesting, with part in English & part in Tibetan. He talked about suffering, impermanence, emptiness & practising through meditation to train the mind to think positvely & focus on other people rather than yourself! This is a tiny part of all he was talking about but it was very inspirational. Also it was interesting to watch all the poeple who were listening, everyone was very focused & calm, even when he came out of the temple poeple were quite & simply kneeling & bowing to him.

After this I managed to find some yoga mats for the volunteers at less than 4 pounds each, bargain! Then I got a lift down the mountain on a motor bike, it was so much fun looking around at the beautiful himalayas & rice fields. I really did have to pinch myself to make sure i was taking it all in. I really love Dharmasala, there is such a lovely energy here & there are yoga signs everywhere, obviously i love that!

I am now about to set off on another adventure, i am going on a 6 day trek into the mountains! I am excited but going with minimal stuff! Its not going to be like the Inka trail when me & Sarah had porters, nope I have my tiny salamon back pack with one warm jumper i just bought, borrowed hat & scarf , thermals & thats about it! It will be fun i am sure & so beautiful. So finally i cannot go near a computer, woohoo........ I am sure i will miss .....