The next chapter – Dharamsala has had some changes since my last visit, and not just the weather. The monsoons can start any time now, and most evenings about sunset, though it is fine and sunny, the thunder starts. It is quite eerie – it sounds like the mountains are on the march – quite different from thunder at home.
The tourists are a different breed too since February – mostly young and dressed straight out of the 60’s/70’s – that is, the girls who are not wearing the current fashion of low slung skirts or jeans and shoestring tops, tatts and, of course face jewellery. Some of the deadlocks are amazing. The young male Tibetans are out in force, looking for the girl would could make it possible for him to get a foreign passport. They are fairly trendy dressers in a hip/hop or rap style, most have motorbikes and speak good English. The girls love them, and I must admit some of them are gorgeous with almost American Indian brave looks – long hair and headbands.
Shops are springing up everywhere – just the plywood, 3 metre square building with a small glass window which is the usual here. There are also 3 cinemas – rooms which show videos, about 4 or 5 shows a day. The videos are all recent. I haven’t tried that entertainment yet. Two Western-style coffee shops have also opened. Well, the coffee is Western and very good, but the service and decor not quite!
There are also more computer rooms snd ISD/STD phone booths located in them. The computers I’ve found so far are so old, the keyboards have the lettering worn off, and apart from the snail pace of connection, every exercise seems to take a million different buttons to press. Maybe the experts can sort it out, I can’t. I see there are computer lessons available so maybe I should take a course. I might have to learn Hindi too, as there seems to be a number of keyboard with Hindi script. I changed to Yahoo as it is more efficient here. I also got an Indian Intel card for the mobile – it is much cheaper than Global Roaming. Text messages are cheap.
Of course, like all authorities and their impeccable timing, it has been decided to do up the roads. This consists of throwing a layer of gravel over the dirt, then spraying bitumen willy-nilly over the top. The pot holes are left and sometimes I think the the bitumen spraying is not so indescriminate when tourists are trying to get by. All this work is done by hand. The men load the gravel into baskets, which the women carry on their heads. They have amazingly graceful walks. The bitumen is also sprayed by hand (by the men) with a gadget similar to a weed sprayer. The Indians do this work and have their children with them. They are so good, playing quietly for hours with whatever is available, stones, a plastic bottle, a piece of string.
There are heaps and heaps of classes – language and cooking, meditation and massage apart from the teachings at the Temple and the more esoteric stuff at the Library and Archives. That is a little bit out of town so I have yet to go there.
As I write, 2 young Indian women are picking over the garbage below. At least they are not sitting on their bums begging. I only give to the lepers or the blind – sometimes to ‘my sadhu’. The others come up with a string of kids, begging they are hungry. I’ve never seen such a well-nourished lot and the women all wear jewellery (gold). Begging is well-organised business. I hear they even have a union.
So far I haven’t got any regular volunteer work. I have my name down for a medical centre opening soon. The office was closed when I went to see the ex-prisoners group. So much for appointments! Blackfella time is nothing to here. I am helping 2 girls with conversation English, but they do a lot of giggling and I think it is the novelty, rather than a real desire to learn. But they are nice and always give me something to eat, if I want it or not. Went to one of the ‘poor’ schools again. It seems to be only English help they want everywhere. The kids were infested with head-lice and fleas and I saw maggots crawling allover the verandah, I decided my altruism was not strong enough. I really don’t want to teach English. I rather use what nursing skills I have.
Love you all.