McLeod Gang - A second hike to Triund

November 15th, 2008

So, with my very close friend, Sandra, we decided to take another go at Triund. We decided to head up much earlier this time and so we met up at 0600. It was very cold so early in the morning, and even with our hoody's on and scarfs all tied up, we still felt the bitter wind biting through the air. After chowing down an omelette on tibetan white bread at one of my favorite local breakfasts stands, we headed for the long 3-4 hour hike up. It was great this time, as we could see the dawn beyond the mountains, as it painted faded colors of yellow and orange in the sky. Just observing this for a few minutes filled my heart with peace and joy. Dawn

The hike up was wonderful as we conversed in different topics and enjoyed the beautiful scenery. This time, we reached the top much sooner (we didn't stop to take pictures as much as the first time, and we didn't take many breaks either). Once at the top, it was all worth it, as there were no clouds, and the Himalayas were seen with such clarity than before.

The view from Triund on a clear sunny day :D

After reaching Triund, we wanted to go a little higher, and so we started to climb again. This time, the path wasn't as easy, and one wrong step could lead to a fatal end as the paths weren't as wide and you started to feel the effects of high altitude (slight headaches, lack of balance and lack of breath). So we continued cautiously, making sure to rest when needed. Even though it wasn't that high at the end, when we stopped, at probably 3200-3300 m above sea level. The view from this point was even more spectacular, and being sourounded by nature with no one around you at all was a great feeling. As I stared at the Himalayas, which seemed within hands reach, a sense of joy filled my heart again, and I was truly happy to be here, at the moment, to be able to experience nature in all it's glory, a sight more beautiful than anything man made, and to be able to be a part of it, was one of the highlights on my trip. A moment never to forget. I bow humbly at nature, at mother earth.The extra climb up on the narrow paths


The view from 3200m

Dahl Lake and TCV (Tibetans Childrens Village)

November 15th, 2008

There is just soo much to do here at McLeod. It's not like the rest of India, and you can easily spend a large portion of your trip here. There's plenty of volunteer opportunities, teaching English to Tibetans, women, men and children. Going to concerts, watching the Monks meditate at the temple, catching a movie at a cafe, or just browsing the streets talking to shop-owners or tourists you meet. It's such a great place with a wonderful atomosphere. There plenty of good food to be tasted as well, and great bakeries (chocolate cakes are just super!).

So, today, Sandra and I decided to visit Dahl lake. According to the guidebook, it's supposed to be a nice place to see so it sounded like a good idea. We were to meet up with two to three more of our friends there once we arrived. Having time to spare, we decided to walk the few kilometers there, and it's always nice to get some exercise hehe. We didn't know exactly how to get there, but Sandra was confident that we would find the way, and you could always ask the locals you bump into for directions. It was a pleasent walk, and with the right company, it always makes it that much more enjoyable. Finally arriving at Dahl lake, it was nothing what we expected, to be honest, we didn't know what to expect, but this wasn't it. It seemed like a regular man made lake. Dahl lake....uhmmm....

We ended up laughing at ourselfs, what a moment. But there's always something good coming out of unexpected occasions. As we turned around we saw a sign posting, "Tibetans Childrens Village" - TCV. And, as it turns out, TCV was more than what we had expected.

This is a complex of schools, from pre-school to high school. And you have loads of children, both orphans and non orphans. It was great to interact with them, and play some basketball, look around their class rooms and school grounds. Set in a quite location, and surrounded with expressions of love and sharing on the school walls, it's no wonder the tibetans are such caring and compassionate people. They're thought from childhood to share and put others before self. The time spent here brought back many memories of my own childhood, and schooling. A feeling of nostalgia filled the air.Sandra and I

As we walked through the alleyways, and entered a few class rooms, we observed the posters, and writings on the walls. The children here are thought all in English, and we even passed by a recycling center, and there were garbage cans all around the grounds - they're thought to throw garbage properly, which is something I havn't observed in parts of India, sad as it is. It turned out to be a great day, an interactive day with the children and we got to see them play some football :D It all felt like a big summer school - lots of positive energy floating about.

McLeod Gang - Hike up to Triund at 2900m

November 13th, 2008.

After meeting some great people at the Vipassana course, a bunch of us decided to take a 9km hike up the moutain to Triund, located at 2900m above sea level. The hike up was beautiful, it was soo peaceful to get away from all the noise, as this was a foot trail after a few km, you couldn't hear any sound of a vehical, no horns, or people shouting. All you heard were the birds and the wind brushing against the trees. The air was soo much fresher too, and you can breathe in as much air without polluting your lungs.

The hike up

The company was great too, and made the hike even more intersting as we conversed and discovered more about each other. The scenic hike was fairly easy, and as we approached the end of the hike, it got tiresome as there seemed to be endless amounts of steps to be climbed. But the result was simply stunning. A view of the himalayas lay ahead of you, in all it's glory. I have wanted to see them before coming to India, and to have this opportunity to witness its beauty was heart warming, and to witness it with soo many wonderful people was incredible. Unfortunately, it started to get cloudy, and the view was blocked by the clouds after about a half hour after our arrival. And with the sun hiding it's face it started to get real cold. Even with all my clothes on, I could feel the cold air gracing my skin.The view from Triund

After snapping a few pics, and eating lunch at the top, we started our decent. It was cold, and it started to get misty. For some reason, we had taken the wrong path and before we knew it, the road seemed very different. We decided to continue on that path, and as this is India, it always works out one way or another, and we did arrive back to McLeod Gang, and before sunset as it gets real dark. Tired as we were, the hike was well worth it.

The Power of Silence and the look within Part II

It's been a long long time since my last post. It's hard to believe that more than three weeks has gone by, where has all the time gone. Soo much has happened, that I havn't had any time to sit in front of the computer for a strech of time to update it. For now, I will be posting some short summaries of some of my experiences and will be updating it when I have the proper time to write in detail.



The name of the meditation is called Dhamma Vipassana. It's a ten day course streched into 12 days, the first and last days don't count for meditation. The schedual was very tough, morning call is at 0400, but the wake up call which is a bell being rung by a helper is rung at 0350 (hey, those ten minutes make a difference...or so I thought...) You're supposed to be ready and gathered at your personal seat at the meditation hall at 0430, and meditation commences until 0630. You can then enjoy your well deserved breakfast of what I call Indian porridge. A very sweet dish with some salty thin crackers. I found it amazingly delicious, and very filling. Excellent for a cold fall/early winter morning. And yes, it was very cold. Meditation then starts again at 0800, and would break for lunch at 1100, where you can enjoy a great thali, different indian curries with rice and indian bread. To be honest, it's was the best thali I have tasted since I arrived in India, and very filling (you could go back for seconds hehe). Meditation would then start again at 1300 (so you have time after lunch to shower), and chai would be served at 1700, where once again, meditation would commence at 1800-2100 where you would have a video discourse of the new techniques thought for about 1.5 hrs. So, a total of 12hrs or so of meditation sounds pretty intense. I thought getting up in the morning and the no dinner part would be hard, but boy oh boy, it was the constant sitting with aches and pains that proved to be the toughest.

to be continued...







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