McLeodGanj just near Daramshala.

The residence of the Dalai Lama in exile…

This place does not feel like India at all. A brief taster of Nepal and Tibet in a few weeks time.

I expected it to be a place of calm, tranquility and reflection. It isn’t. Car drivers still sit on their horns all day and it’s pretty filthy in parts. Also:

The place has a lot of wanabee zenlicious tourists who seem only able to maintain their karma so long as the “…fricking wifi” is stable, facebook works and the cyber cafe doesn’t run out of caramel latte.

I know what you are thinking – pot, kettle, black. I know I’m a tourist too. I know I’m a fan of the wifi. I know I’m partial to a chocolate brownie and a frappacappacino. But I’m not pretending to be something else and I’ve never kicked off when i’ve been denied it either. I haven’t jumped off the plane, thrown off my capitalist western shackles, read His Holinesses books and bought hemp pants…only to get stroppy with the local help because things don’t move along quickly enough. Calm down people….

My experience of the people I met (not from my trip) who are “travellers” today is that they are either carefully manicured gap year students, who are trying to perfect their homage to Swampy or they are wealthy Eco/Karma tourists. At least till the mask slips.

Ok, I know I’m ranting but I’m wound up after having to listen to one of these tear a strip of the receptionist for something ridiculous. Rant over.

In other news I didn’t meet the Dalai Lama, his people spoke to my people but we couldn’t schedule it.

I’ve been ill with Delhi belly (not even been to Delhi yet so this seems harsh) so maybe this explains my rant above:

The annoying woman bollicking reception stood between me, my room key and my toilet. Unacceptable.