Mcleod-Ganj

When the Chinese Government invaded Tibet and His Holiness the Dalai Lama was forced to leave, he made his way over the Himalayas to India and settled in the tiny village of Mcleod-Ganj. As a result, what would have been nothing more than an ordinary village became one of the top destinations on the Indian backpacker circuit.

It is, a backpackers town. The main streets are full of gift shops, restaurants, hotels, travel agents, and coffee shops. But it feels very Tibetan, and has a great laid back feel about it.

After crashing, I woke up the next day and headed for breakfast – and ran into Annie from America, and Vikki and Kate from London. For the next three days we met somewhere for breakfast, and again for dinner to catch up on the things we'd done during the day.

Mcleod Ganj, appearing out of the mist:



The main draw here is the temple complex - it's a bit of a surprise – because it feels very modern – although it's obviously a Tibetan temple. But it feels new – almost temporary.

The main courtyard of the temple:



Wall painting at the temple:



While the world waits for Tibet to be freed – monks continue to debate, keeping their traditions alive:



Yak butter lamps at the temple:



Sadly – there's another side to Mcleod-Ganj. There are still political refugees arriving here, forced to cross the Himalayas in secret – on foot – through dangerous mountain passes – often in the worst possible of weathers.

Before last year's uprising, between two and three thousand Tibetans a year would be forced to flee the persecution and torture in occupied Tibet.

This year - only 500 have made it so far.

The Chinese Government are now actively trying to stop the flow of refugees who arrive in free India and share their story with the world.

Each week, an organsisation in Mcleod invites refuges to share their story. The week I was there, the refugee was (in his own words) a simple, illiterate farmer, who was forced to flee China after being involved in last year's uprising.

Having never had any interest in political action, he decided that he couldn't remain silent when he saw a 70 year old being beaten, arrested, and taken to prison for eight months simply for having a picture of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his home.

After making it to Lhasa, and witnessing the army opening fire on a group of monks and nuns, the farmer rushed to help one of them and was himself shot.

Unable to go to a hospital for fear of arrest, he was forced to cross the Himalayas and become a political exile. More than a year on, and he is still suffering medical complications from the bullet wound and may never be able to use his left arm properly again.

The one thing that really stuck in my mind about the evening was how, when asked, the farmer said he held nothing against the Chinese people. He actually feels that it's all Chinese people who are being oppressed – not just the Tibetans.

When it comes to evidence against the Chinese Government and the human rights abuses being carried out in Tibet – there's plenty here. It's pretty shocking to see and here of some of the horrifically dehumanizing things being carried out routinely in China.

But Tibetans still hold out hope for liberation - and just down the hill from Mcleod is the complex of the Tibetan Government in Exile. It's like a small country all wrapped up into a tiny village. There's everything you'd need here to run a country: a parliament, and various departments including finance and health.

Hopefully one day the exiles will be able to return home.

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And now for something completely different...

I decided to grow a beard in Pakistan – here's a pic the day before I went and had a shave:



Normal service has now been resumed in the facial hair department :-)