Days 5-7: Dharamsala, Panthankot train station, Overnight
Train, Delhi
India is full of contrasts - most
noticeably between the wealth and the poverty, but most recently between the
natural surroundings as we wrapped up our mountain visit to Dharamsala and
McLeod Ganj and ventured back south toward Delhi.
Our last morning in Dharamasala
consisted of “Sahaja Yoga” meditation, a tour of the Tibetan Library collection
(where we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to meet a friend of Dr.
Conlan’s who is an advisor to the Dalai Lama,) and finally a break in the
clouds giving us a view of the impressive Himalayan peaks looming above our
mountain town. Students really loved Dharamsala, in part due to our secluded,
historic, cozy, and virtually private accommodations at the Grace Hotel. The
serenity we all felt during this part of the trip contrasted starkly with our
next leg of the journey – an overnight train from Panthankot to Delhi. An hour
delay once we arrived at the train station resulted in a 9pm departure, but
students were in good spirits during the wait and no doubt provided much
entertainment to the local crowds as they pushed each other around on the empty
luggage carts. The sleeping arrangements on the train certainly pushed most of
us out of our comfort zones; four small bunks in each compartment with curtains
dividing these “rooms” from each other. We didn’t have any of the compartments
all to ourselves so we were mixed in with locals and other travelers. Needless
to say it was a very memorable adventure for most of the students – for better
or for worse – and we’re sure there will be some good stories that come out of
it in the weeks to come. We arrived in Delhi at 3:45am (earlier than
anticipated despite the delay,) and had to wait for our bus which came to
collect us at 5am to bring us to our hotel to sleep, which we did until early
afternoon.
Auto rickshaw rides (otherwise
known as “tuk-tuks” in other parts of Asia,) shopping at the Karol Bagh and
underground markets, getting henna tattoos, and visiting the Hanuman Temple
rounded out Day 6 in India. Our last morning in Delhi before catching our
flight to Colombo, Sri Lanka was spent at the Red Fort, a historical landmark
and once a defensive fort in Old Delhi.
Days 8-9: Colombo & Dambulla, Sri Lanka
The English
translation of Sri Lanka is literally “blessed paradise”. Being greeted at the
airport with fresh flowered leis certainly helped this cause. Talk about
contrasts! It is difficult to even begin to compare India and Sri Lanka, as
they are entirely different cultures and places. A few observations: India is
mostly Hindu, Sri Lanka is 80% Buddhist; India’s road rules are non-existent,
Sri Lanka seems to be much more organized (and polite) in this regard; Indian
food is spicy, Sri Lankan food is spicier; Indian women mostly wear saris, Sri
Lankan women mostly wear Western clothing. That’s just a start. Sri Lanka is a
unique culture in that its historical influences are so varied – Dutch,
Portuguese, British – and there are reflections of each of these in today’s
culture.
The second
half of our trip started with a visit to the Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage where
we saw elephants, young and old, bathing in the river and babies being
bottle-fed. Although this facility started in the 1970s as strictly a rescue
orphanage, it now actually sees many elephant births every year and eventually
integrates some of them back into the wild. After a buffet lunch of traditional
Sri Lankan food overlooking the river, we traveled a few hours further – through
lush forests of Palm, Jack, Mahogany and “rain” trees – to reach the Dambulla
Cave Temple; a series of four small caves on the side of a hill with Buddhist
relics, including paintings and statues in each cave that are over 2,000 years
old. The “temples” can best be compared to the cliff dwellings we’re familiar
with in the southwest, such as Mesa Verde, since they are similarly built into
the rock. An evening swim in our hotel pool in Dambulla was the perfect way to
cool off after a hot day.
Which brings
us to now, Day 9 of our trip – hard to believe. This morning after breakfast we
stopped for roadside elephant rides, and each student had a chance to ride on
the back of an elephant on a small platform as well as take a turn riding the
elephant’s head (see the pictures!) This was followed by a visit to the
Sigiriya Rock Fortress, also called “Lion’s rock”, where King Kasyapa built a
palace in the 5th century to escape possible revenge, or so the
story goes. The 2,102 steps took us up winding staircases and scaffolding and
past colorful frescoes before reaching the 360-degree view and ancient ruins on
top. We probably spent close to an hour up top taking in the views and
exploring the remnants of what was such an incredible architectural feat.
A last minute
addition to the itinerary by our wonderful guide, Kamal, was declared “most fun
part of the trip so far” by more than one student: an impromptu Safari in
Minneriya National Park to see herds of wild elephants. Home to over 450
elephants, this conservation area is accessible by jeep trails and consists of
large man-made lakes over 1,000 years old where the elephants now come to
drink. Our adventure was close to two hours and brought us face to face with
hundreds of elephants, including tiny babies. Birds, water buffalo, monkeys,
and lizards were some of the other wildlife we saw along the way. While
pictures may do it better justice than this description, it is difficult to
express what an incredible experience it was. This seems to be a reoccurring theme,
right?
Our tenth
day will take us all the way to the south of the island where we’ll spend the
next two days exploring Yala National Park and venturing out on more safari
trips. Missing you all back home in sunny Colorado, but be rest assured we’re
continuing to have an amazing time!
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