Our group spent the weekend in Mcleod Ganj in Upper Dharamsala. Just 40 km from Palampur, it is vastly different. The Dalai Lama came here in 1959, thinking it would be a temporary residence. But the Chinese still occupy Tibet, and thus the Tibetan monasteries, temples, restaurants, shops and people are as plentiful in this region as the rain is during this season.

We got here on Friday evening and decided to eat at The Taste of India, which I'd heard had cooking classes. The meal was incredible. Every bite of everything we ordered (stuffed tomato, malai kofta, butter chicken, Kashmiri rice) was heavenly. After the meal, we talked to the chef and arranged a cooking class with her. It would be for Saturday and Sunday from 4-6:30. She would make a number of dishes and we would get to indulge at the end. It cost us 800 rupees per person, or $20. With two feasts included in the price, this is by far the best deal I've had in India, and perhaps in my whole life!

On Saturday morning, a few of us woke up early to go to a 2 1/2 hour yoga class. Unlike most of the classes here, which are generally Hatha yoga, this one combined the Ashtanga and Vinyasa styles. I enjoyed every second of it! The teacher, Sivadas, taught a perfect mixture of poses and flow. It was very challenging and I am paying for it with a sore body today! I was more relaxed during shivasana (spelling?) than I can ever remember being. I wish I could go everyday!

The rest of the day involved walking, shopping, registering for the Dalai Lama's Sunday teaching, and later, the cooking class. Nisha made palak paneer, aloo gobhi, stuffed parantha, chapatti, and malai kofta. I have recipes, if anyone who reads this wants them!

We awoke to pouring rain at 6 am and trekked with umbrellas to the Tibetan temple. Anything for the Dalai Lama! From 8-11, we huddled around FM radios to hear the translation in English. Since I shared my headphones with Christine, my left ear heard English and my right ear heard Tibetan for three hours. Despite this imbalance, I still learned a few new things about Buddhism. He spoke about tolerance of different religions. That you can't say one religion is best. It's like saying that one medicine is best. You can't. You have to take into consideration the sickness. A medicine that works for one sickness may not work for another. Likewise, you can't say that any one religion is right for all human beings.

Then the translator started to talk about the five aggregates and a really long word that started with a P and he lost me.

We were told to bring a cup with us because people walk around pouring Tibetan butter tea. I'd heard prior to leaving for India, that it's terrible-tasting, but I wanted to see for myself. It tastes like melted salted butter. And the Tibetans love it!

The teaching is in a two-story building and we were on the large porch. We had a shelter above us but mist came in from the sides. It was such a neat thing to be seated cross-legged among hundreds of other people while it poured a heavy rain outside. Lucky for me, a Tibetan showed me how to tie my towel around my back, so as not to get cold, and how to cross my legs over my shoes, so my feet wouldn't fall asleep!

Now I'm off to Part Two of the cooking class! Samosas and dal are on the agenda/menu tonight. Speaking of samosas, you can get them on the street for about 7 cents! Or 13 for $1! When I told our driver they would cost about 100 rupees ($2) at home, he was shocked. I'm a samosa camel here, eating enough to last me until my next time in India! :)