Home of the Dalai Lama

Dharamsala (in North India) is the home of the Tibetan government in exile (after China's invasion). The Dalai Lama escaped by climbing over the Himalayas and settling here.

There are buddhists monks everywhere you look. I went to see the residence of his Holiness, but was not lucky enough to meet him in person. Within the main temple at his complex, monks were meditating and having ethical debates which consisted of hand clapping and foot stomping to make their points. It was quite a spectacle to watch.

A protest against the Chinese was being organized while I was there (photograph to left - Tibetan flag in background).

I spoke to a few Tibetans who had themselves escaped across the mountains. It took them 25 days to get across the border and the temperatures while climbing were extreme (many don't make it). When I was in Nepal, there was a report by tourists near Everest that 2 Tibetans were shot while trying to cross the border to Nepal.

It was very heartbreaking to hear about their journeys and hardships while in Tibet. The Dalai Lama is working hard to make an agreement with China to give them back their country.