December 2018 - Sam Travel Magazine

Dharamshala and McLeodganj places to visit: After our last year’s trip to Varanasi and Bodhgaya, my friend ‘Smiling Buddha’, Deepak, and I were back on the road again; this time to the abode of His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet in Dharamshala (Dharamsala – also known as ‘Little Lhasa of Tibet’). This is my Dharamshala travel blog.

We researched places to visit in Dharamshala in December and developed a four-day itinerary.

We looked for cheap places to stay in McLeodganj and chose a small room through Airbnb – https://www.airbnb.co.in/rooms/14228545 – one overlooking the Mighty Dhauladhar ranges in McLeodganj.

McLeodGanj houses the Tibetan government-in-exile and is the political, cultural and spiritual hub of the Tibetan diaspora in India.

This is a brief picture story of our trip and covers places to visit around Dharamshala and Mcleodganj.

Flight from Bengaluru to Dharamshala

We took an early-morning flight from Bengaluru to Dharamshala. I slept through a significant part of the journey but woke up to a grumbling stomach. Slurping down a masala-filled cup-o-noodles seemed like a great way to satiate my morning hunger, so I went ahead and ordered one.

Just when the 200 rupee cup-o-noodles that I consumed for breakfast onboard my flight to Dharamshala began wreaking havoc in my stomach, the pilot announced our descent. I looked out of the plane window to see the beautiful sight of colourful houses basking in the early morning sunlight with mountains in the backdrop.

The pleasant conditions outside seemed to be in stark contrast to the stormy one building inside of me.

Cup-o-noodles on an empty stomach never again; I scribbled a mental note as I stepped out of the aeroplane.

Stepping out to a cold December morning in Dharamsala

Dharamsala in December

Just as I stepped out of the aircraft, I froze. I mean: I froze.

I can take a bit of cold, and I enjoy cold weather. So even though I knew that it would be cold in Dharamsala in December, I hadn’t packed any winter clothing.

Here I was, in my tees and shorts, stepping out into a cold, near-zero degree December morning in Dharamsala.

What was I thinking?! (Whoever finds my peanut-sized brain, please return it. Thank you.)

Dharamshala to McLeodganj by road

We hired a prepaid cab from Dharamshala to McLeodganj (one of the best places to visit in Dharamshala). After looking through some of the best places to stay in McLeodganj, we had chosen a basic bed-and-breakfast place through Airbnb, one that had a beautiful balcony with a view of the majestic mountains.

The prepaid cab that I had hired from the airport was driven by a young maniac who drove at top speed through the winding roads, blaring his horns almost non-stop, playing remixed Punjabi songs at high volume and taking calls along the way.

I was thrown around quite a bit but clung to dear life.

Triund Trek

Triund camping near Dharamsala — Triund Camping near Dharamshala. *Picture courtesy: Deepak*

Deepak, meanwhile, had reached Dharamsala earlier and had decided to do Triund camping (Triund is a small hill station in the Kangra district). He did the Triund trek (an easy Himalayan trek near Dharamshala) and camped there at night.

McLeodganj Street Photos

Walking through the streets of McLeodganj is a great experience (once you learn to ignore the honking vehicles).

Street vendors selling merchandise, eateries, coffee shops and cafes are all cramped up along the narrow streets.

Watch your step, and don’t stumble over cows and sleeping dogs.

mcleodganj city square — McLeodganj city square

Food and prayers go well together – McLeodganj is testimony to this fact. You will find numerous Momo stalls along the streets and in front of monasteries in McLeodganj’s city square.

Street vendors in mcleodganj — The kind of items being sold on the streets

dream catchers mcleodganj — It looks like Dream-catchers are popular among shoppers. They add a lot of colour to the streets.

mcleodganj street photo — I don’t know what these are, but they sure look lovely.

mcleodganj graffiti — Watch out for some awesome graffitis on the walls. Here’s a beautiful painting on the wall of a rundown house that I stumbled on.

dogs of himachal — If I am reborn, I would like to be a Himachal dog in my next life. Sleeping and eating are all they do. (come to think of it, that’s all I do in my current life. But dogs are cuter.)

Bob marley merchandise mcleodganj — Hmm. Bob Marley merchandise. Hmm.

Restaurants in McLeodganj

You will also find some small restaurants in McLeodganj serving great food. I tried out one of these during my stroll through the town – a little place named Tibet Kitchen.

Tibet kitchen mcleodganj — The first restaurant I visited in McLeod Ganj. Tibet Kitchen.

Thukpa from Tibet kitchen, Mcleodganj — Thukpa (Tibetan noodle soup) from Tibet Kitchen restaurant. What an excellent way to beat the cold!

Interiors of Tibet Kitchen restaurant Mcleodganj — Interiors of Tibet Kitchen restaurant

McLeodganj Street food

It is difficult to restrain yourself from trying out the different foods on offer when you stroll through McLeodganj. I tried out some tikkis too.

tikkis mcleodganj — I couldn’t resist this tikkis. But I think he took me for a ride. Rs 80 for two *tikkis*. What do you think?

mcleodganj pastries — Try some of these pastries from the tiny bakeries in the town square.

Famous cafes in McLeodganj

McLeodganj has some great coffee shops, cafes and eateries. I managed to try a few of the famous cafes in McLeodganj.

Cafe Budan – centrally located.

Cafe Budan Mcleodganj — I spent quite a bit of time in various eateries and coffee shops. They all offer decent coffee and free wi-fi. Here’s me in **Cafe Budan**.

Illiterati Cafe – Awesome ambience

The Illiterati cafe in McLeodganj is trendy on Instagram – in fact, I found it while I was surfing through Instagram. It is also a rooftop cafe in McLeodganj. I had to wait to be let in and wait for some more time to get a balcony seat that offered a great view of the mountains.

illiterati cafe mcleodganj — **Illiterati cafe** has a nice ambience, tons of books, a beautiful balcony view and great food.

illiterati cafe mcleoganj images — We had a 15 minute wait time before we were shown our seats in the Illiterati cafe.

Cafe Ri – Korean food

Cafe Ri Mcleodganj — **Cafe Ri** was another small place that we went to. They serve tasty Korean food.

korean food mcleodganj — Japchae with rice from **Cafe Ri**.

Lung Ta – Vegetarian Japanese food, anyone?

Lung Ta Japanese food Mcleodganj — This is a Japanese restaurant we wanted to try but found it closed both times we went. Maybe next time.

Nik’s Italian Kitchen – Good food

niks italian kitchen mcleodganj — Nik’s Italian kitchen. Another lovely place with good food and ambience.

Namgyal Monastery Dharamsala – Dalai Lama’s temple

Namgyal Monastery is the personal monastery of the Dalai Lama. It is also known as Namgyal Tantric College and plays a crucial role in assisting the Dalai Lama’s rituals.

Dalai lamas temple shopping — Hand made dolls for sale.

gyuto monastery mcleodganj — Gyuto Monastery

McLeodganj departure

Interiors of St. John In The Wilderness, McleodGanj on Christmas eve, 2018. Constructed in 1852, it is one of the oldest churches in the region.

mcleodganj road trip — My partners in crime: Smiling Buddha (the one trying to board the truck) and Deepak.

dharamsala airport — Parting shot from Dharamsala airport.

In parting: McLeod Ganj has a chilled out vibe that will calm you down and help you look at life from different perspectives.

McLeodganj is a place to come if you want to slow down and reflect on your life and priorities. I have heard many stories of creative souls who have come here and stayed back for many years, some for life.

Read about our previous adventures here:

https://sampathmk.com/visiting-boracay

https://sampathmk.com/maha-bodhi-temple-bodh-gaya

https://sampathmk.com/varanasi-travel-blog

If you liked this post about Dharamshala and McLeodganj places to visit, please share:

Is Mexico City safe to visit – This was the question on top of my mind before my trip to this beautiful city. Here are my Mexico City travel tips (for Indians) that can help you with your trip to Mexico City. This is my Mexico City travel blog.

November 2018, Mangalore: I was to travel to Mexico City for work, and truth be told, I wasn’t feeling exactly comfortable about the proposition.

For, up until that point, the imagery I had in mind about Mexico (based on what I had read and heard) was that of a heavily populated, impoverished, crime-infested city where drug cartels fought each other on the streets.

During the next few days that ran up to my travel date, my mind went on an overdrive whenever I slept, and presented vivid dreams of me getting caught in a crossfire between drug lords and working alongside Mexicans to build the wall that the U.S said they would.

To calm my nerves, I turned to Google to get the facts before I travelled. Though many articles did allude to the kind of visuals that my mind had made up, I was comforted in knowing that most of my fears were misplaced. And so I boarded the plane to Mexico City.

Mexico City Coyoacan — From a store in Coyoacan

Now. Me, in Mexico City: Time to apologize to this beautiful city and its people for carrying prejudiced, ill-formed notions about the city. This is a wonderful city, with that small, dark side that any big city in any part of the world would have. It has been 3 weeks since I landed in Mexico City (Ciudad De Mexico, or CDMX for short), and I have already started feeling like a local.

Here are a few Mexico City travel tips based on my stay so far:

English is still not very popular around here. You will need to learn Spanish. So download the Google Translator app on your phone.
While most of us Indians don’t believe in niceties when meeting strangers, it is a culture here to acknowledge a stranger with a Hola (Hello), Buen Dia (Good day) or Buenas Noches (Good night). For the ladies, a peck on the cheek is in order. And if you meet someone who is in the middle of a meal, wish them with a ‘Provecho’ (meaning something along the lines of ‘enjoy your meal’.) If someone sneezes near you, call out ‘Salud!’ (meaning ‘health’ – similar to ‘Bless you).
Food: If you are a chicken lover like me, Pollo is the word for chicken. I loved the churros, Flan de la Abuela (a custard of sorts), anything with Mole (a dark sweet/spicy sauce) and the hot sauces (like the Exxxtra Picante chile habanero ones)

While on the topic of Mexican food, here are some simple formulas to remember a few popular Mexican dishes (as taught to me by mi amigo, Manuel):
- Tortilla + Cheese = Quesadilla
- Quesadilla + Meat = Taco
- Taco + Sauce = Enchilada
- Tortilla strips + Sauce = Chilaquiles
- Bread + Beans + Cheese = Molletes

Transport: Uber is the safest mode. You can take the local pink taxi as well, but make sure the number plate matches the one painted on the body. If you want to travel by Metro Bus or rail, travel light. And make sure you keep your wallet and phone in your front pockets where you can keep a check. I’ve heard that pickpockets are really good at their work around here.
And finally, Mexico City is a well-developed, happening city with its own quirks. Art, food and history lovers will love this place

There’s more; these are just some of my Mexico City travel tips. More to come!

How to get a Mexico visa from India: I travelled to Mexico on a Business visa. If you have a valid US visa, you can enter Mexico. If you are looking for information on Mexico work visa for Indians, Mexico visa fees for Indians or Mexico visa documents requirements for Indian citizens, please visit Mexico visa site at https://embamex.sre.gob.mx/india/index.php/consulares/visas. Mexico visa fee for Indians (application fees) is around Rs. 4000.

It is not possible to get a Mexico visa online – you will need to visit the Mexico consulate, and the process usually takes 2 days. Mexico Embassy in India opening date

Please follow all the instructions mentioned on the consulate site – while verifying your documents, they are extremely strict and may ask you to resubmit documents if there are any discrepancies. (Try to get a morning appointment, so that, if they ask you to resubmit your photograph or something you can manage within the day, you have some time to resubmit the documents on the same day. Otherwise, you will have to rebook an appointment and make another trip to New Delhi.

Hasta luego amigos!

If you liked this post, you may like these other posts about Mexico City:

https://sampathmk.com/unique-things-to-do-in-mexico-city

https://sampathmk.com/lucha-libre-in-mexico-city