Trip Duration: 24th Aug — 5th Sept 2015

Welcome to Part 3 of our amazing journey through North India!! If you haven’t read Part 1 & 2 don’t worry, here’s are the link’s to bring you, up to speed:

Part 1:

 

Day 3: Dharamshala / Mcleod Ganj → Manali (26th Aug)

Bhagsunag Waterfall

 

It’s Day 3 of our Journey through North India, as we wake up to a beautiful morning in the misty mountains of Mc Leodganj. Our first stop….Chai! After a quick shower, we head down to the local tea shop for some tea and light breakfast, to get our early morning kick, and jolt our brains awake!

Strolling down the lanes, we reach the beautiful Bhagsunag Water fall, where I bought my first pair of John Lennon glasses. 😎

Needless to say, I lost them before the end of the trip but hey, what the hell right? Anyhow we continue onward to our car to meet our driver “Surender” who would show us around Dharamshala. So we make our way to the first sightseeing destination, Dharamshala’s own Dal Lake (not the Srinagar one), where you get the most amazing Bhutta (Corn on the cob).

The lake is  completely surrounded by Deodar trees and is quite a relaxing spot, where one can see the mist rolling down the trees tops, into the lake below.

Dal Lake @Dharamshala

Our next stop was the “Church of St.John in the Wilderness”, which was unfortunately closed at the time. The church was built in the honour of St. John the Baptist and is the most ancient structure of the town. The 165 year old church is like a Gothic stone shrine, made completely out of grey stone. Lord James Bruce the Viceroy and Governor General of India, who passed away in 1863 was also buried near the church. His wife Mary Lousia built a memorial in his remembrance.

Left :Church of St.John in the wilderness, Right: Memorial of Lord James Bruce

Next we headed to “The Tibet Museum” and “Namgyal Monastery” which are adjacent buildings located on Temple road. The Museum was established in 1998, and has a collection of 30,000 photographs, a travelling exhibition and a permanent exhibition that documents the Tibetan journey into exile across the Himalayan ranges. The Namgyal Monastery which is a place of worship is also the personal monastery of the present Dalai Lama, and was founded in the year 1565. We were asked to remain silent throughout our tour of the Monastery, so as to not disturb the others who had come to meditate & pray. It was an amazing experience for me personally as I have always been fascinated by Buddhism.

Top: View from Namgyal Monastery  Bottom Left: The Tibet Museum, Bottom: Right: Prayer at Namgyal Monastery

After the much needed peace and quiet we got back in the cab and made our way to the “Norbulingka Institute”,  but before we entered we made a quick stop at a nearby Tibetan restaurant down the road called “Taste of Tibet” which had good music and even better momos. 😋

Norbulingka Institute @ Dharamshala
After we demolished our share of Thukpa’s, Thenthuk’s and Momo’s, we made our way back to the “Norbulingka Institute” – which is a self sustaining community ensuring the preservation of Tibetan Art & Culture, where we witnessed some status making, Thanka sketching, wood carving, wood painting and many more amazing things. A definite must see if you are ever in Dharamshala.
Art at the Norbulingka @Dharamshala
After all the sightseeing we headed back to our car, feeling a little blessed and a lot more enlightened. Finally making our way to the next destination – Manali. 😁


Stay tuned for Part 4 of our exciting journey through North India! See you later! 🙂