Tashi Delek and No Losar

The signs and posters were up everywhere: "No Losar! " and "No Losar Celebrations to Our Solidarity with Tibetan Martyrs." Really no New Year's celebrations? At first Michael and I were a little dismayed but it soon became clear that this effort was drawing much needed media attention and this was an effective way for communities both in Tibet and in exile to express their horror and protest the ongoing human rights violations occuring under Chinese governance.


(Locals walking by the huge No Losar posters on the front of the Tibetan Youth Congress building down the street from our guesthouse.) 

(A poster hung from barbed wire on the walkway through the woods around the Dalai Lama's residence- an enlarged photograph of a bare chest pierced by a bullet hole. The caption reads: "A Ngapa Amdo person was killed under Chinese force March 16, 2008.")

The violence continues in Tibet with Chinese soldiers gunning down a protesting monk as he set fire to himself, just last week. And needless to say the tone in Dharamsala / McLeod Ganj, the Indian site to the Tibetan Government in Exile was sombre. Nonetheless the place is fairly indefatigable, lively and bustling and Michael and I had a great time for the almost two weeks we were there.

There was much relaxing, meeting of fellow travelers from around the world (including a regular mealtime companion in his 80's from New Orleans named Tom), and long walks on mountain roads in the area. One of the highlights was making friends with Tahir and Raj, young Kashmiri brothers running the rug and shawl shop next to the fast internet spot on Temple Rd. Tahir's idealistic sweet kindness was well matched by is younger brother's playboy good looks and flirtatiousness. Many hours were spent drinking tea on their stoop and in the shop taking about the difficulties and charms of life. We got a broad history of challenges that Muslims have faced in the area, a series of insistent invitations to visit Kashmir, and a lexicon on inspirational mottos about love and friendship delivered by Tahir with a sparkle in his eye. The redheaded fiesty and funny Carrie Marks was with us for much our time in McLeod and was the object of much attention from the Kashmiri brothers and all their friends! 

(Carrie and me in Tahir's shop- Raj in the mirror taking the photo.)

(Michael and slow moving path-hogger on the Dalai Lama residence kora path that we liked to walk.)

There is a lot more to report from our stay in McLeod, like probably most significantly Michael's meeting with H.H. the 17th Karmapa and, maybe less importantly, my love of veg momo soup. But I will leave this post as it is, for now, and only say that we left McLeod happy and well-fed, took a local bus (actually 3 buses) to the little village of Bir Tibetan Colony a few hours away, and are now contentedly and busily engaged in tasks great (preparing to document a massive conference translator bigwigs) and smaller (hanging art in the dining room) at the beehive of activity called Deer Park Institute. More soon...