Nick and Jackie with their students at Lha in 2019
In 2015 my wife, Jackie, and I had the most wonderful year travelling the world. We saw spectacular sights such as Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and the Iguazu Falls in Argentina; visited desolate wildernesses in Patagonia and Namibia; enjoyed fantastic wildlife in the Galapagos Islands and Botswana; and marvelled at iconic sites such as the Taj Mahal, the Golden Temple in Amritsar and the Moai on Easter Island. We met some wonderful people and made some great friends – we saw desperate poverty and we witnessed heart-warming compassion. And yet, in the longer-term, the most memorable time in the whole expedition was the six weeks we spent in McLeod Ganj, working with Lha.
Of course McLeod is set in a gorgeous landscape – our modest room looked up at the peaks of Triund – and the climate is pleasant compared with the heat of the plains below. Of course the temples and monasteries are charming and evocative – and, as the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Parliament in Exile, the town is fascinating. But two aspects really helped make these some of the happiest days of our lives. Firstly the simplicity of our existence was a real change from the frantic lives we seemed to live at home. A basic room, one case of clothes, few possessions, good food, hills to climb, fresh air (and yoga classes!) gave us a different perspective on life. No car, no mortgage, no career ladder, no “keeping-up-with-the Joneses”. But of course the second thing was the people and the culture. The Tibetan / Indian / traveller mix was enlightening. Learning something of Buddhist philosophy and about a disenfranchised nation; sharing stories with such gentle, appreciative folk led to precious relationships with smiles and laughs aplenty.
We had a happy and fulfilling few weeks tutoring Tibetan refugees at Lha, doing English Conversation classes and helping to promote Lha Fair Trade – selling their bags through Amnesty International’s Christmas catalogue.
And so, it was with a mixture of trepidation and anticipation that we decided to return to McLeod in the autumn of 2018. Would the place be the same or would rapid development have continued apace and spoiled the town? Would the Tibetans’ culture still prevail or would it be swamped by their Indian hosts and the visitors from abroad? Would the experience be the same without the great friends we made – fellow travellers and volunteers at Lha – three years previously?
With their students
As we arrived on the bus from Delhi in the early morning, places looked reassuringly familiar. Yes the hotels had spread down the hill but the centre of the town was largely unchanged. Many of our favourite restaurants – Common Ground, the Snow Lion, Black Tent, Peace Café and others – were still selling their wholesome, tasty, inexpensive fare. We signed into a homestay below the town for a few nights before moving into a new but chilly hotel down the Jogiwara Road – then finally settled happily into Om Hotel – looking out to the valley enjoying the afternoon sun.
Our students from 2015, Youdon and Thinley, had moved on from McLeod and our yoga teacher, Shiva, had gone to Hampi for the winter.
But what about Lha? Well our Volunteer Co-ordinator from 2015 – Rabsel – had moved on but he was still as friendly as ever, running Common Ground. My friend from Lha Fair Trade, Sherab, had taken his place as Volunteer Co-ordinator and Deputy Director. How nice to see his smiling, welcoming face again! Samten, Assistant in 2015, was now running the Contact magazine (although sadly she was away visiting her homeland throughout our visit). But new staff such as the delightful Choeyang, the Director, Dorji Kyi, Nyima and others made us welcome. The class timetable – and even one or two of the students – were the same as three years before. We were quickly taken into the fold and assigned students to tutor one-to-one (or one-to-two in Jackie’s case). I worked with a fine young monk, Karma, every day for five weeks and Jackie worked with two lovely young nuns from Spiti , Tashi and Yangdon, forming a close and fond friendship. We were soon asked to teach daily English classes – Intermediate to start with and then Advanced, as well – and we joined English Conversation Classes most days. I was invited to do some research and writing for Tibet Nature, the Lha environmental website, with Lobsang and for Contact magazine – interesting and absorbing tasks.
Nick and Jackie in 2015 in Dharamshala
This in due course led to an introduction to Tong-Len, a charity supporting displaced people, where we helped write up their documentation and script their video productions (this has continued since we returned home to Scotland).
We were busy with our volunteer roles every weekday and went walking in the hills at weekends. We climbed Triund with our dear friend, Maryanne from Australia, trekked up to Kareri Lake and walked to Naddi. Yoga on the rooftop, meditation classes and strolling the Kora added to the sense of wellbeing.
So of course our Return to McLeod was different – development is inexorable (the cable car will add a new element to the town!), people move on – but the ethos of Lha is the same; the oppression of the Tibetan people and the exploitation of their land continues; Buddhist culture is compelling; and working with the lovely people of McLeod – whether residents or there for the season – was just as rewarding as ever. Happy, happy days.
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