off to dharamsala !

after an hour flight from kathmandu, i reached delhi to meet up with jac. luggages on top of our car, we are ready for the 12 hour drive up to the dharamsala. passing through 2 states, haryana and punjab. i remembered seeing the sunrise at 6am when we start off, and then seeing the sunset at 6pm, thinking we would be there soon. 12 hours they said... however it wasnt until about 9pm that we finally reached dharamsala, home to HH the Dalai lama and the tibetans in exile. the next morning, dharamsala greeted us with her clear blue skies and a little peek of the snow peak himalayan range. i love it high up in the mountains. i feel so at home. the tibetan settlement is at mcleod ganj, a suburb in dharamsala. outside namgyal monastery, dalai lama's monastery, also the place where we would be receiving our 3 day teaching on the '4 noble truths'.
the crowd getting ready, waiting in anticipation for his holiness the dalai lama to arrive. people from everywhere. tibetans, so many westerners, 1000 from taiwan, and a few more hundreds from hong kong and singapore.
so cool his bodyguards.
i love this photo. HH is always of good natured and like to crack a joke here and there. but he is very serious when he is teaching. oh i miss his very contagious laughter. haha
ok i will talk a bit more about the trip later. now i need to go catch the 12 noon ferry out on a buying trip! it is very cold today. i am going to wear the leather jacket. hehe...