McLeodGanj

Our first destination was McLeodganj.."Ganj" is a typical north India (Uttar Pradesh) Raj era term for locality..
and named after the British officer who discovered this once idyllic spot. It was part of a British officer's characteristic in the early19th and 20th centuries to "go beyond" the known territories and discover and name..


Today though the quietitude is sharply torn by the sound of cars and bikes raring past the very narrow and limited streets of McLeodGanj (2 streets in all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)
The nearby city below is Dharamshala, now famous as the highest cricket ground in India(official) ...
I have not heard of Richard Gere coming here recently..to meet His Holiness The Dalai Lama..The Tibetan community is well established and structured...and its various institutions provide an excellent cultural insight.
In the adjoining hotel I saw young ladies dancing and singing to Tibetan song and rythm..one more strand in India's multiethnic weave....

From The Mountains To The Sea..An Indian Traverse

We have just completed a quite incredible journey actually!  The miracle of the modern jet engine playing a significant role.

For the last few years we have been taking elderly German clientele (it is the elderly who are now young enough, and wealthy enough to make such journeys something unthinkable in earlier years.

The journey began with a second (and most fortituous) audience with His Holiness the Dalai Lama in his mountain fastness (the security amidst tranquility) is incredible, in McLeodGanj. Ganj is a typical Indian word signifying "locality", and the British Officer of the Raj is immortalised after his discovery of this "hill station".
...

Over the next few days and weeks I will aim to lend you vicarious pleasure ..and also give an update on the way you should explore the places we visited....Happy hunting IJ      IJ SINGH

follow me also on TWITTER at    ij_himself and FB on Inder Jit Singh   or TigerPaw Adventures