The road from Ladakh to Delhi or Amritsar passes Manali and Mc Leod Ganj the part of Dharamsala where the Tibetan government in exile is situated. Also on the way are surprising little gems Mani featuring some pretty colorful temples. And on the road you might stumble on a wedding or two.

Manali

Manili is a hill station in Himachal Pradesh. A hippy hangout once. Some of them are still there. The town is still a holiday retreat for Indians. There are some interesting temples to be seen and we did a long walk in the surrounding area. Despite the rain it was very worthwhile. In one of the villages there was a big (are thee any other kind in India?) wedding where the bride was carried by the groom as if she was abducted. And we were asked to stay for lunch.

Dharamsala and Mc Leod Ganj

McLeod Ganj is a suburb of Dharamsala and the official residence of the fourteenth Dalai Lama. He was actually home when we were there and gave a lecture to a group of Taiwanese Buddhists. Just as the locals we could sit outside and watch him pass by and follow the lecture on TV. Since it was Tibetan translated in Mandarin vv. I did not get much out of the lecture. However it was nice to observe the people watching and the body language and the familiar sound of the voice of the Dalai Lama. There is a television station that is almost completely filled with footage of the Dalai Lama with commercials for dental surgery and washing machines at the bottom of the footage.