April - May 2011
Home of the Dalai Lama. The trip here was long and at times scary. I hired a taxi from Rishikesh to Dharamshala. The journey involved a one lane road that traveled through mountain valleys. Several times we came face to face with a large bus and narrowly avoided a car crash.
Dharamshala is a town unlike any other I've seen in India. The people here speak English with almost an American accent. Often times I heard the locals saying "dude" "bro" and "wazzup." It was surreal. The town itself is also one of the cleanest towns I seen throughout India. At no time during my stay here did I step into cow poop or trip over trash in the streets. That's not to say the streets are spotless but they are very clean compared to cities like New Delhi or Rishikesh.
The town has a population consisting of Tibetans, Indians, Koreans, and Japanese. It's an interesting mixture that gives it a lot of culture and varieties of food to eat while staying here. My favorite restaurants were The Peace Cafe, Exile Brothers Tibetian Cafe, Panda Cafe, and Japanese Cafe. All these places serve cheap and tasty food from different parts of the world.
Besides food there is also Tibetan temples, Yoga Studios (everywhere), internet cafes, and plenty of places to shop for souvenirs. The town is located on what looks like the edge of the Himalayan Mountains. I found a room in one hotel with an amazing view of the mountains. I will definitely be planning future vacations to this town.
