Daily Scenes of McLeod Ganj

Halfway through the teacher training tomorrow; amazing how quickly it’s whizzed by and how the foreignness of things has subsided into the new normal. The monkey that came ransacking last week appeared again tonight at my door and this time I was armed with my squeegee/mop thing to chase him off the balcony. I am officially a local!

Other signs that I have settled in:

1. I know which guy sells the best fruit & veggies, ESPECIALLY the pomegranates
2. I now know what this veggie is and do not plan on cooking it again
3. I’m loving how nice it is to have thick, brown, oozy palm sugar (jaggery) on your oats in the morning
4. I’m breezily holding Downward Facing Dog as a resting position for what seems like eternity and Chaturanga Dandasanas have transformed from challenging to cheerful
5. All the Tibetan monks and nuns look like part of the scenery now and I smile when I see them, without grabbing my camera
6. I know several of the street dogs, by name or shaggy coat or crooked tail
7. I’m starting to dream in Sanskrit chants
8. I’m no longer frightened for the safety of the cows/goats/dogs/cats in the road when the taxis, auto rickshaws and car come blaring past, missing them by a hair (and neither are the cows/goats/dogs/cats frightened – it all seems to work out, without casualties)
9. I can’t spell it, but I know what Tashidelek and Jayla Jay-yong means
10. The start to the day doesn’t feel right unless I hear the call of the eagles nesting metres away from my balcony

Daily Scenes from Mcleod Ganj