Pizza & Momos

This is it. I'm done teaching at Tibet Charity. Final exams were held yesterday; most of my students passed (a few of them have the extra credit to thank for that) and some did exceptionally well. 

Today Gusti and I took them out for a pizza party in Dharamkot. The students brought some momos, we ordered ten delicious pizzas, and everyone had a lot of fun.

They kept telling me to sit down and relax, but I can't help it -- I enjoy entertaining and if I'm in anything resembling a hostess position, I tend to get into it. I asked them if they have winter holidays coming up in Tibetan/Bhutanese culture aside from New Year's. They said no, but asked about what we've got in the US. I told them all about Thanksgiving (Happy T-day to my friends in the States!), which most of them seemed quite interested in, and they asked all kinds of questions about turkeys. I don't think they have them here. I told them how most Americans prepare a big meal for this holiday so the fact that we were all out having food together was, in a way, quite similar. It's like they'd gotten together to make a Thanksgiving-away-from-home for me, and they seemed pleased that they could do this.

They insisted on doing everything. The students wouldn't let Gusti or me cut the pizzas, they wouldn't let us serve the food, and they always gave us the first slices when a fresh one would come out. Tibetans can be very bossy, but when it's in the context of such hospitality, how can you get upset?

After finishing our lunch and taking a bunch of photos on a dozen different cameras, phones, and tablets, they instructed us to follow them "up to the mountain." When I asked how far they answered "not far," but pointed to some indefinite area wayyyyyyyy off in the distance. I joked that it would take so long I'd miss my flight home. I hadn't worn the proper shoes for a real hike; I knew we'd be taking pictures so I opted to wear my red jutis that I got in Jaipur. People have been telling me they're more like house shoes. This bothered me at first, but then I remembered: I don't wear shoes in the house. If they're shoes, and I'm wearing them, it's going to be outside.

I pointed this out to them, that I wasn't wearing anything that could possibly pass for hiking shoes. Jampel, the one monk, told me "the Bhutan guys are very strong, they'll carry you!" to which the "Bhutan guys" responded that Tibetans were stronger (it's true, they tend to be tall and tough in general), but one way or another they'd get me where we were going.

This is Dolker. She's super sweet, and a pretty good student, too.

The view just never gets old.

Eventually we came to a Hindu shrine where we took some more photos and then backtracked just a little to a grassy spot where we could chill, sing songs, and munch on snacks for a while.

When we finally headed back down to McLeod Ganj, they insisted on taking a shortcut -- the same shortcut that Kalden, Brij, Marie, and I took when we went up to Triund that one time. At one point my foot slipped a bit and I heard a chorus of "Ohhh!" from the students who were in the lead and down below us. Lobsang Dolma, one of my quietest but most thorough students, insisted on holding my hand the rest of the way to make sure I didn't fall, even though she had also earlier insisted on carrying my bag as well as Gusti's, even though she already had her own. "Tibetans are very strong," I observed. They asked me if the roads were "like this" where I live; I told them no, only in the forests in some places. Generally they are in much better condition. They seemed to take this as a perfectly good explanation as to why they could navigate the rocky, irregular path so much more easily than us westerners.

Regardless, we made it down with no casualties. What we had originally planned to be a 3-hour event turned into one that lasted all morning and into the afternoon. It was fantastic. I love the comfort level that you reach with people after seeing them nearly every day for weeks or months, and when the official business or class or whatever is done, everyone can just relax and have a good time together. This evening we had our last staff/volunteer dinner at TC, tomorrow morning we have our closing ceremony for the semester, for which I still have to put together a speech of some sort, and after that.... we're all done. I just have to tie up my loose ends around town as far as last-minute gift obtainment, pay my bill at the hotel, eat at my favorite restaurants once or twice more, pack up all of my stuff -- and decide what's not coming back with me -- and that's it. Get on a night bus to Delhi next Tuesday or Wednesday evening, make sure I tell my students ahead of time because I know at least a couple will want to see me off, and go. Exactly one week from this very moment I'll be somewhere in Indira Gandhi International Airport, maybe waiting to go through security, maybe chilling at my gate with a book, but I'll be having my final few hours in India. 

Four months sure flies when you're having fun. I knew it would.

Where should I go for my next trip? I've got a couple of places in mind, but I'm interested to see what kind of input I can get from my dear readers......

TRIUND

If you recall, last weekend we went on a hike. One of our party wanted to go to Triund, but the rest of us weren't feeling up for it as a spur of the moment thing so we kept it local that day. Well, earlier this week we planned. We planned on pulling out the big guns.

Today, we would go to Triund.

Triund is the trekking destination here. It's up on a mountain and getting there is quite an adventure. It's a name that carries a lot of weight around here – “'Where are you going?' 'Triund'” is usually followed by an awed “ooooooh,” whether it's audible or not. From what I understand, it's a hike that many people can – and do – make, not just the seasoned professionals and hardcore hikers. I guess it's kind of like collecting your family or friends and going to the beach for a day... except there's a lot of work involved in getting there.

The hike generally takes about 5 hours to complete if you are a group of mildly experienced hikers moving at a reasonable pace. Most of the teachers at Tibet Charity tend to fall into this group. We thought it would be fun to invite the students to come with, because a few weeks back Brij and I and some students went for a hike to Naddi and had a picnic, and it was all kinds of fun.

So that's what we did. We invited our students to trek to Triund this weekend. We haven't had much rain all week, so we figured it was pretty safe to say the monsoon wouldn't be giving us much trouble. The temperature has been fantastic – comfortably in the 70s – and we've had a lot of sun. We made plans to meet in McLeod's main square at 7:30am (yeah... it's the whole 5-hours-to-get-there thing), have a picnic at Triund, chill for a bit, and be home in time for the Liverpool game at 7.

Last night as Brij and I sat out on our balcony finishing off a bag of sunflower seeds, the fog rolled in. Then we saw lightning. We heard some thunder. The clouds passed after a bit with no real rain, but we were a little concerned for the morning. Regardless, we got up and got ready to meet everyone bright and early (just in case).

A rather poorly taken photo of us failing to look like badasses, on our way to the main square to meet the students.

We got to the main square a few short minutes after 7:30. It's nice and quiet in the main square at 7:30 in the morning.

This guy kept sweeping garbage at me. I was not amused.

At 8am we finally decided that nobody else was showing up, so we had some decisions to make. The Reader's Digest condensed version is that in the end we decided we'd trek up to, or at least toward, Triund after all, just the 4 of us teachers.

Off we went. No more than ten minutes in this dog decided to join us, and she stayed with us for the first hour or so of the hike. According to the guys, every time Tibet Charity teachers have gone to Triund, at least one dog has decided to tag along.

Spontaneous dog acquisition complete, we were on our way.

See that? That's where we're heading.

The rather run-down little altar just before the first tea shop.

These young trekkers went missing during their travels around Trind. It's been around a month now, so everyone assumes the worst, unfortunately.

First tea shop = first break: 1 hour in. I'm really glad I have these shoes. They are badass.

Marie getting ready to head up after the first tea shop and the temple.

Where we came from.

Brij pointing out landmarks. Us saying "omg."

A few hours earlier we were waaaaaaaay over there.

Donkey delivery service! Second tea shop, about halfway to the top.

We met some new friends. These guys are university students from Punjab.

Marie taking a much needed break at the third tea shop.

The fog rolled in from time to time...

One last break before the final stretch!

Oh, what's this? Could it be... the end??

Five hours and three tea shops later, and we finally made it.

TRIUND.

(Don't forget, all photos can be clicked for a better view.)

The photos really don't even begin to do it justice. It was breathtaking.

It reminded me of the Calm Lands.

Or of any starting newbie zone in an MMO.

Of course, shortly after lunch it started raining.

Waaa, rain is cold in the mountains.

We decided to try to wait it out because you can never tell how long it'll rain here, and so when it let up a half hour or so later, we set off.

Five minutes in, it started hailing.

Not to be deterred by a little bit of ice falling from the sky, we kept moving. It's quicker going down because you've got gravity helping, but it can also be hard on your knees and you've got to be careful not to twist an ankle or something.

About halfway down our canine companion rejoined us, and brought a friend.

Look at this view. LOOK AT HOW FAR YOU CAN SEE.

I'm serious.. LOOK AT IT. It's insane.

Oh, and on the way through town Marie and I stopped to buy some fruits. I asked for parsley and when the language barrier proved to be a bit too much, the guy wound up showing me into their storeroom. I didn't see any parsley, but I did see garlic, so I asked how much it was. The key here is I asked for it in Hindi: I may not know much, but I do know a few words and phrases, and I made sure “lahsun” was one of them. I never did find out how much it costs, but he gave me a bulb for free so I'm going to consider the transaction successful.

And now, my friends, it's bedtime.

Beauty in Simplicity

It's been almost a solid month now since I came to India. Time flies, eh? It seems to have for me, at least. There have been new people to meet, new customs to figure out, and plenty of work to do. Brij, another teacher, showed up earlier in the week and so I got to hand over the Pre-Intermediate class (the one I got asked to teach “for a few days”) and get a little time back in my mornings. It looks like I've already got the half hour before class filled with individual tutoring for one of my students who is having some trouble keeping up; I hope it goes well.

Tibet Charity seems to be one of the more organized, decently outfitted establishments of its kind here in Dharamsala. Even so, it's a charity and there's not a ton of money to throw around. For example, we do have white boards and markers, but this is what our erasers look like:

Yes, it's a white t-shirt. An increasingly dirty white t-shirt.

Until today, at least. I came in to my Elementary class to find these

:D

resting on the ledge under the board. Little pillows of handstitched cotton. I thought to myself “Were these here earlier, and somehow I missed them?” Maybe 20 minutes into class one of my students, Karma (the one who informed me that the typical Tibetan mother drives a yak), pointed them out and told me she'd made them. How sweet! And how resourceful, too. That is one thing I've noticed about the people in India: they are resourceful. You have to be when you don't have much. Food is all made from scratch. If you need new clothes you go to a tailor so he can take your measurements and make you something. There is a fair amount of construction going on around town but there is no heavy machinery to be seen. Everything is done in a very oldschool fashion, with donkeys hauling loads of dirt and bricks, and people shaping metal with very basic tools. Rain shelters are often made of a tarp held up by a long stick with a bottle on the end so the fabric doesn't get punctured. In the stores there are no prices on anything, you have to ask and then haggle it down from whatever the shopkeeper tells you. It's not elegant, but it works.

And to be honest, there is beauty in its simplicity. In a way it feels more real. It's not as safe and structured as life in the US: the roads are shitty and sidewalks don't even exist, one of the main streets in McLeod Ganj has a steep drop off down the mountain behind the shops lining it, it's not at all unusual to see people washing their clothes or themselves with any available water source, and nobody seems to notice that there are dozens and dozens of dogs, cows, and goats just roaming wherever they damn well please. Somehow it all works.

The other day I was just getting ready to take a nap when Kalden knocked on my door and asked if I wanted to go for a hike. I whined for a few minutes and then conceded, mainly because I'd chosen to indulge in some potato chips and a Snickers bar earlier in the day and I was feeling guilty about the calories. We went up (and up, and up) toward Triund. Triund itself is much farther away, but from what I understand the path we took is the first leg of the trip. We stopped at a tea shop just in time for a tremendous downpour (monsoon season, yo); we waited it out, headed back down, and the whole thing took 3 hours or so. The road was pretty:

In other news, there are some guys who have taken to chanting incessantly somewhere outside my room in the evenings. I thought it was something for when HH was in town teaching, but that ended yesterday and they're still at it. I guess it could be worse, but I still wouldn't mind if they'd go to bed.

Wednesday evening we went out for dinner at one of the local restaurants. Om Hotel is home to the Namgyal pizza place, and omg do they make good food. We had a pizza with Roquefort cheese, walnuts, chiles, tomatoes and... I don't even remember what else. It doesn't matter. It was really. Damn. Good.

Amazing, even. Who knew?

Indian chiles are pretty spicy; Bhutanese food uses them quite a bit as well. Back home I used to take a certain pride in enjoying spicy foods. Here, though, “spicy” takes on a whole new meaning. These chiles are really tasty, and they add a healthy dose of straight up flavor to whatever they're in. A lot of times I'll pull them out of the food before eating it, because just having had them touch the rest of it is usually enough. If you bite into one and you aren't expecting it, all I can say is you might want to order a couple of pieces of naan, and fast. It's a little humbling.

Oh, and an appeal to my techie friends: my iPod Touch won't turn on. This has happened before and I was always able to get it going with the whole hold-down-both-buttons-for-a-really-long-time trick, but I've done that a few times now and it hasn't gotten me anywhere. I'm getting really sad about it. Any suggestions? (I suspect that if Apple stores even exist in this country the closest one is no closer than Delhi, which is 12 hours away. Therefore, that is not an option.)