Free Tibet!

I'm sure most of you are aware of the plight of the Tibetan people. Many of you have probably seen t-shirts and bumper stickers with the slogan - Free Tibet. Their struggle has been a long and arduous one and as time's gone on their plight has been in the world media spotlight less and less. There's one place, however, where their cause is very much a current affair and that's in Dharamsala, India which is home to more than 250,000 Tibetan refugees; the Dalai Lama being one of them. It's been 50 years since China entered Tibet to "liberate" the Tibetan people and in that time hundreds of thousands of Tibetans have fled their homeland to seek refuge in India. How did they get here? They crossed the Himalayas, on foot!

Just today i was chatting with a Tibetan woman who shared with me her experience from 9 years ago when she made the decision to flee her country. She made the trek, over some of the highest mountain passes in the world, along with 27 others and it took 23 gruelling days. She remembers being freezing cold and bone tired with no food to eat or water to drink but she had to keep pressing on. Despite the fact that it was painfully hard and she didn't think she'd make it, she did. She was one of the lucky ones. She said that many people however, especially the elderly or those travelling with young children are not so lucky. Many people die en route. She also said that in addition to being exhausted and having no nourishment you have to be very careful to remain unseen by Chinese soldiers who patrol the passes. In fact, not too long ago some mountaineers filmed footage of Chinese soldiers opening fire on a group of Tibetans trying to escape. Their footage, which I'm told is chilling, has been made into a documentary.

The Tibetans have proved to be a very resilient people. They've established a Tibetan government in exile and continue to fight for their freedom. They've set up Tibetan schools and cultural programs to preserve their language, culture and religion. And the Dalai Lama continues to promote peace around the world while shedding light on the Tibetan people's struggle through his talks and teachings. Along with being resilient they are also a very gentle and spiritual people. The Buddhist way of life is evident everywhere you look here which gives it a very different feel to anywhere else in India.

McLeod Ganj, which is a small village located above Dharamsala, is where the Dalai Lama's residence is along with numerous monasteries. It's beautiful here and our guest house is nestled amid a forest of pine trees where eagles like to soar in the mid-day sky. As i type i'm sitting on our balcony from which i can see a snow-capped peak of the Himalayas. It doesn't always make an appearance though as it's often enshrouded by rain clouds but when it does it's breathtaking. The rain they get here, which is a lot, only helps to add to it's beauty by making it lush and green year round. When the rest of India is unbearably hot it's a nice reprieve to be in the cool of the mountains where you actually have to cover up at night!

There are a lot of Tibetan monks and nuns here and they make an awesome sight coming and going in their bright red and orange robes and bald heads. Kim and I feel like we belong here with our hair-doos! Sometimes we can hear them debating Buddhist philosophy or chanting from the roof top of the monastery and you can't help but feel an energy or vibration in the air. It's very beautiful.

The village of McLeod Ganj sits at 1770 metres and is built on a fairly steep hill. Walking is the main mode of transportation here and anywhere you go, any way you look at it you've got to walk up or down to get there! This proved to be a blessing in disguise last week when we took a two day Indian cooking course. Okay, we knew that Indian wasn't the healthiest diet in the world but holy crap! Ladle upon ladle of oil, pad after pad of butter, a ton of cream and some more oil for good measure. No wonder it tastes so good! All that "goodness" combined with simple yet pungent spices makes not only for an incredible taste sensation but many trips to the toilet the next day as well! Kim and I have come to the conclusion that Indian is a treat to be enjoyed once every month or so. That being said, we look forward to cooking for all of you one day and impressing you with our culinary skills. Until then just know that we're thinking of you and hoping that whatever you're doing you have a smile on your face!