Mcleod Ganj...Amritsar... Delhi...

Ooops, it's been a while since I last wrote! Am now in my last few days of travel before my new adventure begins (work as a health professional back in Melbourne). I spent a full month in Mcleod Ganj and witnessed the amazing onset of the monsoon. High in the hills, the monsoon officially arrives on June 15th, however a few days before there was an incredible downpour of rain (like, not just buckets, but full truckloads of water dumping the streets, buildings... everything). I walked the streets of Mcleod then up to Bhagsu and was drenched... even my brand new umbrella couldn't cope as I received a fine mist rain through the material! As I walked, I saw part of the hill adjascent to the road fall in a small landslide. It's amazing how quickly the road itself began to disintegrate. The stairs up to my guest house in Upper Bhagsu were pretty much a waterfall! In the week after this first fall, Mcleod became better known as M-Cloud... the entire town shrouded in mist most of the time. We all started to miss the sun fairly quickly.

On the 17th, a small group of Tushita people took a taxi out past Tashi Jong to meet Ani Tenzin Palmo. She is an amazing woman, a western nun who spent 12 years in meditation retreat in a cave in Northen India (you can read her story in Cave in the Snow - Vicki McKenzie). She welcomed us warmly and spent an hour with us, answering questions and giving spontaneous teachings. I feel so much gratitude to have had this opportunity to meet someone whom I deeply respect and admire. I am very inspired to continue to practice meditation and to go into a longer retreat sometime soon.

The following few days I spent assisting the 'Israeli Friends of Tibetan People' in promoting an awareness-raising event; Tibet- Now and Tomorrow. We put posters all over Mcleod, Dharamkot and Bhagsu and handed out many leaflets to travellers. The evening was a success, with over 120 people hearing about the recent history of Tibet (since 1949) and the story of an ex-political prisoner. The evening concluded with some volunteers chatting about the work they are doing to support the Tibetan people - Chris, Kinh and Sylvie rocked and Niv did an amazing job pulling it all together!

Next day, I travelled to Amritsar where I spent time at the Golden Temple... an amazing place of worship - even when I woke at 4am to catch the train, there were hundreds of pilgrims walking about the temple. I stayed in the tourist dorm and just outside there were hundreds of Indian pilgrims sprawled on the floor for the night. Dinner was an astoudingly efficient event... handed a plate, bowl and spoon, I was directed upstairs where I joined a long line (among many long lines) of people sitting on the floor. Fellas with massive buckets of dahl, chappati and some coconut stuff went by slopping food straight in the bowls. It was great!

The train ride the next morning to Delhi on the Shantibadi Express was the best ever... breakfast, heaps of room and arrival on time!! Amazing!! Have completed my gift shopping now and am just about out of cash so will probably just wander the streets of Mumbai tomorrow after my flight and get some relax time in!

See you all soon!!

Love Chelle