November 2008: What's in the breeze Developing India-centric content for a new web portal targeted at NRIs Editing and enhancing a corporate presentation for a German bank Research and content generation for client's website on a pay-per-month basis Repackaging and writing travel content for a client's website Developing content for a new motor vehicles website - delivering 500 articles per month Creating daily reports and summaries in the alternative energy sector... and more
Check out sample articles written by writers from our network.
Writers, use the writers' contact form to get in touch with us.
Download an e-book
The World of
Indian Murals and Paintings BUY this 100+ page e-book.
It is packed with interesting bits of information, lovely pictures and little known facts and figures.
Travel McLeod Ganj, Dharamshala, Dalai Lama, Tibet
A breathtaking view of glistening, snow capped mountains; lots of color; a bustling Tibetan settlement; valleys and slopes covered with lush green coniferous trees—these are a few snapshots, which come to my mind when I think of a hill station called Mcleod Ganj. Nestled in the foothills of the Western Himalayas, Mcleod Ganj is the upper area of Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh. It’s the home of His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, and the Tibetan Government in Exile. Choc-a-bloc with cozy little shops and restaurants, this is an interesting place where you can spend your vacations shopping, sightseeing and trekking.
The vibrant little marketplace is bustling with tourists, rosy-cheeked Tibetan children and women in traditional ‘chuba’, and monks in maroon robes. This place has something for everyone—movie buffs, music and book lovers, travelers and shoppers. An assortment of colorful trinkets, most of which are handmade, vie for you attention—jewelry made of beads and turquoise, bright woollies like caps, ponchos and mufflers knitted by the Tibetan women, lamps, and paper products made by the children of the Tibetan Children’s Village—a school for Tibetan children in Mcleod Ganj . You can even buy one of those exquisite Thanka paintings, which are sacred, Buddhist paintings made with gold and gem stone paints, at one of the many handicraft shops.
If you love music, you can get CDs of Tibetan chants and monastery music composed by the monks and even guitars and flutes to create your own music. If you live for movies, catch the latest English blockbusters in the ‘home made cinema theaters.’ These might be small and dark and a world apart from multiplexes, but it’s a lot of fun. This is also a haven for booklovers because there are many small but well-stocked bookshops here. Book Worm is one that you may like to visit. You’ll even find shelves of books to browse through in many of the restaurants and hotels.
Speaking of restaurants, this is a place where you can treat your taste buds to an array of cuisines. From Tibetan and Chinese, to Korean, Israeli and Continental, you get it all. Don’t miss the non-vegetarian momos that you get in restaurants and the vegetarian ones, which you get in roadside stalls. For a delicious, hot meal and mellow ambience walk into Malabar, Friend’s Corner, Nick’s Place and Jimmy’s Italian Kitchen, while for coffee and breakfast there is Moonspeak Expresso and Lhamo’s Croissant. And for desserts do try one of the melt-in-the-mouth pastries at Pastry Den.
Well, now that you’ve had your fill of food, books and shopping, a dash of trekking in the serene mountains will be a wonderful way to explore this pretty place. There are packages offering five hours to seven day treks, which take you to the snowcapped Dhauladhars and other scenic places around this place. Contact High Point Adventure at Kareri Lodge (01892-221132) to find out more.
As for places to visit, Tsuglagkhang , the Dalai Lama's Temple and Residence, is the most important Buddhist monument in Mcleod Ganj. Situated here is a beautiful monastery with a huge, gilded statue of Buddha as well as the Dalai Lama’s residence. If you want to know about the Chinese invasion of Tibet, do visit the Tibetan Museum where photographs and words fuse together to show the heart wrenching history of the place.
Dip Tse - Chok Ling Gompa, is another must-see. The main prayer hall houses an image of Shakyamuni, as well as two enormous drums covered in goat skin and painted around the rim, which were made by monks at the gompa. Another place that you can visit is the Bhagsunag Temple—an ancient Shiva Temple. Though, the tranquil walk through the winding, hilly road to the temple is more attractive than the temple itself, which is a noisy hub.
The best months to visit Mcleod Ganj is in the months of April – June and then again in October. So pack your bags/haversacks, book a train or flight to Delhi and then take one of the many overnight buses plying from there to Mcleod Ganj. There are lots of hotels that you can choose from according to your budget. You can book a room in Om and Green Hotel for Rs 200 per day; Rs 500 – 990 for Friends Corner, Kareri Lodge, Hotel Tibet and Pema Thang and Rs 1200 – 1800, and above, for The Club House, Chinar Lodge, Hotel Bhagsu, Surya Resorts and Him Queen Annexe.
So here’s wishing you a safe trip and ‘Happy Holidays’ as you set course to explore this cozy little hill station called Mcleod Ganj.
Chillibreeze's disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the views of Chillibreeze as a company. Chillibreeze has a strict anti-plagiarism policy. Please contact us to report any copyright issues related to this article.
Out of 5 “chilies”, our editorial team gave this article...
—About our writer:
Chandana writes for chillibreeze.
>> Read more articles written by our chillibreeze staff and writers network:
more services at a glance
.gif)
