India. It can come on so strong. But I’m finding that if I look at the details I can better understand the country. A billion people live here. How can one comprehend that? If you talk to one person at a time, notice the kids playing on the road, the flash of a safron colored sari in the market place, it gets easier.

Today we are in Shimla in North India. When I opened my curtains at the amazing Oberoi Cecil Hotel there were monkeys scampering all over the roof top. There are signs everywhere not to feed them! today we’ll explore this North India town. the weather is blessedly cool.

For the past two days we were in Dharamsala – the Tibetan government in exile. I was surprised at how small the town was and how unassuming the Tibetan offices were. Sort of a hodgepodge of official offices nestled into a small square. The town is bustling with activity and we saw more tourists and travelers here then I’ve seen in other places. I really enjoyed the shops and walking the streets. I did find some goodies to bring back to the shop including  singing bowls and dorje bells.

The Tibetan influence felt light here – I was only really on the streets for a day, but the only place we saw prayer flags was at the complex where Tibetan handcrafts are made. We met Tangka painters including a man named Tashi who explianed this fine, precise work to us. I’ll have picutres to post when I get back.

So I’m going to take a swim in the in-door pool here at this amazing hotel before we set out for a day of exploring. So far no site of any Bollywood stars here. We were touched by the excitement of Bollywood in Amristsar where superstar Sha Roukh Khan was staying at our hotel. It really was exciting and fun to be caught up in the chaos of Bollywood.

more soon!

susan