Saying Goodby to Bhagsu

I had a really good time in Bhagsu. I took my first ever yoga classes from Pankaj, my surprisingly photogenic yoga teacher who got who got 4th place in a national Yoga competition:

If you go to Bhagsu (or Mcleod Ganj), check him out at Buddha Hall. Through that class I met Michal, my best Bhagsu friend:

who was kind enough to introduce me to her circle Israeli friends. Goodbye Bhagsu!

Teaching English

I've been volunteering teaching English conversation to Tibetan refugees in Mcleod Ganj. In the pictures here I'm talking with a Tibetan Buddhist monk and two young Tibetans.


They crossed over the border from China without their families over 40 days through the Himalays, traveling only at night to avoid the Chinese police. Had they been caught escaping, they would've served 4 years in Chinese prison.

The IDF Effect

What do you do at the tender age of 22 after being drafted by the Israeli Defence Force, and seeing combat in the West Bank? You go to India to party. A lot. Anyway, that's the story of everyone around here. After our morning Yoga class (my first was yesterday), my new Israeli friends and I went to a cafe to drink chai tea and eat breakfast.

After that: nothing. We sat and talked and played cards for hours. That's the day. For them, this goes on for months, often years. Occasionally we switch cafes. At night they throw parties. I'm learning more about Israeli youth culture than Tibet right now, but it's still fun and interesting.

The guy sitting to my left was really interesting. It turns out he's none other than Michael Hanegbi, the famous Israeli TV host and actor. Just hanging out with the kids in India.

I'm cool because he's my Facebook friend now. Pictures of other Israelis I've been hanging out with:

Bhagsu

I'm staying in Bhagsu--a 20 minute walk from Mcleod Ganj--where there's a great party vibe among the huge young population. I booked a deluxe hotel room at the charming Buddha House:


For $8.75 a night, my accommodations are much nicer than most of the backpackers here. I even have my own bathroom:


and beautiful views from my balcony:

Those are Tibetan prayer flags strung between the mountains.

Mcleod Ganj

Mcleod Ganj is home of the Tibetan government in exile and mecca for both grimy backpackers seeking enlightenment and Israelis going crazy after their military service. There's a huge monastery here, where Monks chant incantations while turning prayer wheels:


Tibetan Buddhism is redicuously photogenic. Here's a monk checking his cell phone:


Two children monks:


This monk is cool:

Going Down Blazing over Daramsala

I booked a flight to Daramsala on Deccan Air--an airline so ghetto that Zach didn't even mention it under his list of "Indian Airlines to avoid." To my astonishment, the plane left on time, but 10 minutes before landing in the midst of an unfathomably thick cloud bank, they announced that visibility was too low and that we would return to Delhi! Why couldn't they have figured this out earlier? I haven't the foggiest.

There was practically a revolt on the plane and this flight attendant patiently explained to each passenger (in a multitude of different languages) that we would be booked on the next flight that evening:


I felt bad for him until I realized later that he was just making stuff up to pacify us.

After some complete insanity at the airport to get a refund:


Stranded in Delhi late at night, a bunch of travelers and I got dinner at a restaurant:

We hired a taxi to drive us 11 hours through the night to Daramsala:


The ride was cramped and harrowing and nobody could sleep--except for the driver who kept nodding off! At 4am, Tamdin (the Indian in the plaid shirt) silently signaled to me that he was worried about the driver. We pulled over, let him sleep a bit, bought him a Coke, and sat Tamdin in the front with him.

That dude is amazing! I have no idea what they were saying in Hindi, but Tamdin heroically kept our driver up all night with an endless series of jokes and stories. Listening to the hum of conversation and laughter up front, I finally felt safe enough to nod off for a few hours before arriving exhausted in Mcleod Ganj--a few kimometers north of Daramsala and the home of the Tibetan government in exile.

I think Tamdin saved my life.

Thank you Melissa and Zach!

Melissa and Zach were my wonderful hosts for 5 days Delhi. I'm prepared to state that their apartment is the best hotel in Delhi. I had a frigidly air-conditioned room, wireless internet, a house cleaner, cheerios for breakfast every morning, and they gave me missions like buying 4th of July fireworks from a dodgy Muslim merchant deep in the choking maze of Old Delhi.

Here they are relaxing on their magnificent rooftop deck:


Melissa and Zach: your apartment is so many good and different. Thank you!