Run

It’s been a long time coming but, finally, here I am in McLeodganj!

I was talking to a pleasant Tibetan chap on the bus last night. He did something of a double take when I told him how many years it’s been since I was here last. But, so much has changed, he said.

Much of the morning was spent in my room, working. But, I did have breakfast on the terrace, which had a lovely view of the valley. There was near perfect silence, except for the occasional whistling of a bird. Oh, of course, there was also the occasional sound of Chance pe dance kar le in the distance.

But, I have since walked around so much that, although it was overcast for most part and fairly cold, I was perspiring through the day. And, my legs are hurting. Yes, much has changed. The place seems dirtier. The roads are far worse now, pitted and furrowed. There’re many more hotels and restaurants. The Dhauladhar range, which wasn’t at its lushest the last time, seems almost completely stripped and bare. The Temple area seemed a little ragged too. And, the lovely St. John in the Wilderness, which was closed when our bus pulled in this morning, looked cold, desolate and uninviting. But, in the end, I’m glad I made the trip.

It wasn’t an easy decision to come here because, although I’m partly here to get away from the distractions that were keeping me from work, and I really do have to finish a lot of work, I’m here just as much to find a new distraction!