We arrived in India on 30th May.
Apparently we then left and arrived in Little Israel on 31st.
Or so it felt for a couple of weeks.
We were in Dharamkot, a mountain village in the Himachal Pradesh District of northern India, along-with what seems to be most of the population of Israel.
For the kids, that's quite a plus as there are plenty of children to play with.
For Shoshi, well, she's pretty ambivalent.
For me, it's definitely a reason to leave.
There's Ivrit writing everywhere, Ivrit in the air at every turn. Our guesthouse ('Anil's') had 7 or 8 Israeli families, pretty much 100% Israeli occupancy. Some nice guys but it did feel a bit too much like a Tel Aviv 'Shikun' for my liking.
Restaurants serving Israeli food. Jewellery shops. Coffee shops. Yoga. Meditation. Craft courses. Music classes. And of course Charas.
Seen through the haze of Charas, I reckon Dharamkot is the best place in the world. Cheap, relaxing, plenty of munchies on hand.
Little Israel.
But take that away, then in the cold light of day, I don't think the place has much to offer at all. Certainly not for me.
I've written before about not wanting the familiar when travelling, I want to experience the different. But despite this being my first time in India, Dharamkot doesn't feel different at all. All too familiar.
There were some highlights.
We got very close (10m or so actually) to the Dalai Lama at his temple in McLeod Ganj, that was definitely a great experience to see someone so revered by so many people. He certainly had a special aura around him and seemed to spread calmness just by his very presence. Unfortunately no photography allowed but this seemed to add to his magical presence.
Eyal had guitar lessons, booking his lessons under the pseudonym Jimi Hendrix. Guy did some woodwork classes while Mili and Shoshi took Indian cooking classes and are now proficient in momo, samosa and curry making.
Eyal and I went out on a 2 day trek, to Triund and the Snowline, where we got to do some amazing glacier walking.
We took a day trip to Amritsar in the Punjab, visiting the Golden Temple, the holiest of hollies for Sikhs, and then had a brilliant afternoon at the Indian-Pakistan border, for the wonderfully unique 'Changing of the Guards' ceremony. This is a cross between a local derby football match, set on the border crossing between these two nuclear enemies, and a Broadway musical. Think Rangers v Celtic with costumes by Elton John and music by Andrew Lloyd Weber!
There were over 15,000 Indians and 3,000 Pakistanis on either side of the border, going absolutely bonkers, music, military symbolism, dancing, high-stepping soldiers, ice-cream sellers...all under the 45 degree afternoon sun.
Absolutely bonkers, absolutely brilliant, definitely something not to be missed for anyone in the north of India.
That was definitely the highlight of our first 2 weeks. It took place in Amritsar, around 200km from Dharamkot, I guess that says it all about our feelings for this little piece of Israel in the Indian mountains.
Apparently we then left and arrived in Little Israel on 31st.
Or so it felt for a couple of weeks.
We were in Dharamkot, a mountain village in the Himachal Pradesh District of northern India, along-with what seems to be most of the population of Israel.
For the kids, that's quite a plus as there are plenty of children to play with.
For Shoshi, well, she's pretty ambivalent.
For me, it's definitely a reason to leave.
There's Ivrit writing everywhere, Ivrit in the air at every turn. Our guesthouse ('Anil's') had 7 or 8 Israeli families, pretty much 100% Israeli occupancy. Some nice guys but it did feel a bit too much like a Tel Aviv 'Shikun' for my liking.
Seen through the haze of Charas, I reckon Dharamkot is the best place in the world. Cheap, relaxing, plenty of munchies on hand.
Little Israel.
But take that away, then in the cold light of day, I don't think the place has much to offer at all. Certainly not for me.
I've written before about not wanting the familiar when travelling, I want to experience the different. But despite this being my first time in India, Dharamkot doesn't feel different at all. All too familiar.
There were some highlights.
We got very close (10m or so actually) to the Dalai Lama at his temple in McLeod Ganj, that was definitely a great experience to see someone so revered by so many people. He certainly had a special aura around him and seemed to spread calmness just by his very presence. Unfortunately no photography allowed but this seemed to add to his magical presence.
Eyal and I went out on a 2 day trek, to Triund and the Snowline, where we got to do some amazing glacier walking.
We took a day trip to Amritsar in the Punjab, visiting the Golden Temple, the holiest of hollies for Sikhs, and then had a brilliant afternoon at the Indian-Pakistan border, for the wonderfully unique 'Changing of the Guards' ceremony. This is a cross between a local derby football match, set on the border crossing between these two nuclear enemies, and a Broadway musical. Think Rangers v Celtic with costumes by Elton John and music by Andrew Lloyd Weber!
There were over 15,000 Indians and 3,000 Pakistanis on either side of the border, going absolutely bonkers, music, military symbolism, dancing, high-stepping soldiers, ice-cream sellers...all under the 45 degree afternoon sun.
Absolutely bonkers, absolutely brilliant, definitely something not to be missed for anyone in the north of India.
That was definitely the highlight of our first 2 weeks. It took place in Amritsar, around 200km from Dharamkot, I guess that says it all about our feelings for this little piece of Israel in the Indian mountains.
No comments:
Post a Comment