I have been meaning to post this since we got back from India but time just got away...sorry for the delay! For the second part of our trip to India we traveled 12+ hours from Delhi by taxi to Dharamsala. Dharamsala is where the Dalai Lama (the leader of the Tibetan Buddhist people) currently lives and has been living in exile since 1959. The Tibetan Buddhist people revere Dharamsala as a sacred place because he resides there. We have some friends and co-workers there so we went to visit with them, see the area and learn about what is happening among the Tibetan people there. The ride there and back was long but we had a great time and certainly had some adventures along the way. This is the view from our co-workers home. Isn't it beautiful? When you think of India you may not think of views like this but actually a good portion of the Himalayan mountains run through the northern part of India.
The Tibetan exiled government is in Dharamsala and we drove to see their offices.
Another BEAUTIFUL view!
Our friends have two children so Keane and Gracie had a great time playing with them. One afternoon their oldest girl got out her foam beads to share with K and G and make necklaces with.
An idol and Buddhist 'mani' stones (carved with Buddhist mantras on them).
One afternoon we visited the 'Norbu Linka' which is the Dalai Lama's summer palace. Actually he probably has never even really stayed here but in Tibet he had a summer palace called the 'Norbu Linka' so here they have tried to recreate it to a certain extent. The architecture is beautiful but it is such a sad place for me because it is another reminder of all of the strongholds that exist in the life and culture of the Tibetan people.
A monastery at the 'Norbu Linka'
Our family ...I am so thankful that K and G are so adaptable. Of course they have their moments but overall they do wonderfully traveling and we are so thankful for that!
We spent sometime outside playing with the kids. These pictures were taken in our co-workers front yard...amazing! Dharamsala is not the easiest place to live, it is far away from most places and doesn't have many "western comforts" to enjoy but in return they get these beautiful views.
I LOVE this picture....my two taking a bath together...in a bucket!
One evening Ryan borrowed our friends motorcycle and got to take a ride through the hills....he loved it!
I can't remember the name of this place but it is a temple where the Dalai Lama addresses the people when he speaks. It also has a worship room inside where the people come to worship the Dalai Lama.
Keane can ALWAYS be found with a toy (or 3) in his hand. I love that he was playing like this!
Another beautiful view!
About 2 hours (of windy roads down the mountain) into our trip back to Delhi we stopped at a little roadside restaurant to have breakfast.
Some of the roads we traveled are pretty nice...like highways in America but a little different (these have cows, chickens, goats, horses pulling carts, etc also on the highway). This guy is the toll collector.
You can stop on the side of the road and get little snacks like peanuts, or fruits and veggies. We stopped and got peanuts and oranges. The guy didn't have change so he paid us back in bananas.
These are little auto rickshaw type cars. Their hoods are always like that. We had never seen them before.
We traveled through the state of Punjab, India. This man was standing on the side of the highway.
A small snack stand on the side of the road.
Our driver was great. He knew about all of these neat little stops along the way. This one rest stop had a playground for the kids. Of course they LOVED it.
This statue was at the rest stop. At first K and G were afraid of it but then they got used to it and kept wanting to touch him.
Me and Keane on a traditional carriage they use in that state to transport goods and other items.
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