27/09/2009 by admin.

Today was going to be 2 halves. A visit to the Dalai Lama’s home and ministry including the temple followed by a 14 hour car trip to Delhi.

The ministry is located in a village of Mcludganj which is just above the main town of Dharamshala. As we wondered through the village, monks went about their business. We strolled through the village towards the ministry taking in all the sights and going into the odd shop looking at Buddha’s and other interesting things.

We went into the ministry and looked around. Monkeys swung in the trees and would run across the corrigated rooves making all sorts of noises. And yet the place was incredibly peaceful. A group of young monks came through as if going to their next class. Others would sit quietly reading. If a monk would catch your eye, they would smile. I felt so peaceful and looking at Ian, he did too.

We made our way into the temple. It was quite a small area. One elderly monk was sat with his back against the wall chanting mantras. A smell of incense filled the air in a subtle way. Not like the incense sticks you buy at Tesco’s.

There is a strong Tibetan community here so locals would be coming into worship too.  We looked at the statutes and in centre stage was the Dalai Lama’s throne. It was covered. I imagine it is only uncovered when he takes his seat and gives a sermon.

I sat near the monk and closed my eyes. I felt at total peace with the world.

After a while, Ian joined me and sobbed. In May 2008, Andy, a friend of Ian’s   from their local round table contracted cancer and died. The bike trip was partly in his memory and why ending here was so important. Ian had carried Andy’s order of service on every bike ride and left it on the Dalai Lama’s throne. As he sat down next to me, he was overcome with emotion.

We sat peacefully with the monk chanting quietly for what seemed like hours.

Eventually, we left the temple and found a small room where people lit a candle. I have never lit a candle in such a place though felt I needed to now. Ankur our guide checked on the protocol and Ian and I went in to light a candle. I would have been happy to light one, instead I lit 100!

We looked around the ministry and entered a smaller temple. Again, beautiful statues. Shortly after we left. We found a coffee shop and had a proper latte.

I came away wishing to explore Buddism far more. I would say that I am not religious though spiritual. This has changed.

We decided we were ready to make our way to Delhi and made a few purchases as we walked back to the car.

Ian and I reflected in the car on an incredible morning. We reflected too on the whole adventure. I was not sure what I would find though I feel I have changed.

We chatted for hours, which was good as we had a 14 hour car journey. Whilst it was long, it was bearable.

Tomorrow was going to be the last day in India and a visit to the Taj Mahal was the plan.

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27/09/2009 by admin.

It was a later start this morning with breakfast being served at 8am. There was a covering of low cloud that kept rolling in and out.

Ian was tinkering with his bike again. We had hired bikes and they weren’t really up to the job. Ian had, had issues with the back brake so decided once and for all to fix it. He stripped down the back wheel and when putting it all back together, the spindle broke, effectively leaving Ian no way of attaching the wheel back to the bike frame. And so our next adventure began.

We were in Jot, where 150 - 200 people live in the summer months and, come the snow, they all leave. Well in amongst this community, there was a mechanic. He had a sweetie jar of bolts, nuts and washers. It was in this sweetie jar we found the one nut that could be used on the spindle to make a temporary repair. In the next town we needed to make a weld so we would have something more permanent.

Off we set. Today was a lighter day in terms of riding. Just 90kms. The first 23kms were down hill. This was very enjoyable and well earned for both of us from the day before. Our team was at the bottom with a cup of tea for Ian and I.

We continued on our ride to Pongdam. The temperature was 35c and we had a cycle up for about 10km. One would sweat even before doing any exercise so water was just dripping from us. At the top we rode along a plateau through some villages for approximately 30kms. This was a beautiful ride and our pace was fast.

In the next town we had a light lunch and had the spindle welded to provide a more permanent repair to Ian’s bike.

For the next 15kms, Ian and I discussed the plans for our last 2 days in India. We wanted to go to Dharamsala, the home of the Dalai Lama and I was keen to see the Taj Mahal. There is also a 12 hour car trip to Delhi to factor in.

We put our thoughts to Ankur and he agreed. Quite unexpectedly on a quite road with a family sitting in front of their house, we had reached the end of the bike ride. We were to drive to Dharamshala that evening so we could have time the following morning to go to the home and ministry (temple) of the Dalai Lama. 

We took photographs of our finish. The family joined in also. The bikes were loaded onto the car and we set of for Dharamshala. It was nearly a 3 hour car journey. With huge smiles of happiness of what Ian and I had achieved over 6 days of intensive mountain biking, we fell asleep in the car exhausted as it started to rain for the first time. It was exactly the right time to finish!

In Dharamshala we checked into a hotel. We went to the wine shop opposite and bought a bottle of red to go with dinner. We were put in the darker corner of the restaurant as its turns out it is illegal to drink wine in restaurants. With the bottle wrapped in newspaper and under the table, the waiters wrapped the wine glasses in napkins, which appeared to be the standard practice. We drank our wine and had a lovely dinner.

We spoke about our trip so far and how special it had been. And which bit had been the best. It had all been superb and had exceeded both our expectations. The next day would be special too we were sure though for different reasons.

Ian and I also spoke over dinner about our visit to the ministry the next day. I already felt very close to this place so was excited about what it might hold for me.

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