Sidenote Entry: Mcleod Ganj

Hi all. I know I've not updated since Varanasi and I will, very soon, but I wanted to write about my first impression of Mcleod Ganj before it escapes me.

Mcleod Ganj is the exile home of the Dalai Lama and it's the main community of exiled Tibetans. It has a monastery, temple, stupa, and prayer wheels and it's often called Little Lhasa. The town is absolutely gorgeous, set on a mountain, and has amazing views of the valley below. I'm glad I saved it for last because I would have stayed here the entire four weeks.

But...there's a sadness to the town. It's important not to forget that this is basically a refugee camp. I went to the Tibetan museum this afternoon and it was so sad. Tibetans have had the country stolen from them and for the people who escaped to India, they can never go back.

Now, I was thinking about this in personal terms. My great-grandmother grew up in San Francisco and for Americans, having four generations grow up in the same town (and really, the same neighborhood) is very rare. San Francisco is my home and my family has deep roots, is my point. I can't imagine being exiled from the city, having my children or grandchildren never see the place our family grew from. It would be heartbreaking.

Now put that in to terms for the Tibetans and it makes me so deeply sad for them. It's incomprehensible.

I've always been a supporter of the Free Tibet movement (who remembers me gathering signatures to start a chapter of Students for a Free Tibet in college?) but now that I've seen first hand the results of the invasion....ugh. I don't see myself going to China any time soon.