India - part two

My train journey to Dehradun lasted a few hours and I enjoyed all the new and fascinating sights out of my window, and a meal which I hadn´t been expecting. I don´t know what I ate but remember I enjoyed it! When I got off the train at my station there were a few people waiting on the platform including a slight figure holding a bouquet of flowers. It was Passang, waiting to welcome me. We greeted each other rather awkwardly, and she gave me the flowers, which I thought a lovely gesture. I tried to hug her but felt it didn´t go down very well. I guess it was a question of cultural differences. In Brazil we are very touchy-feely and hugs and kisses are a normal greeting. We went by tuk-tuk to the hotel where I was staying and settled for a chat in my room.

Passang was eighteen then, very slender and dainty and pretty. Her English was rather poor so conversation was somewhat laboured but it was lovely seeing her and getting to know her better. When I had first sponsored her I´d thought she was an orphan but in fact both her parents were alive and she had a brother or two. She lived in a Tibetan settlement village in the hills above Dehradun. For the week or so that I was there she came to see me every day and we went sightseeing and wandering around together. One day she came to see me wearing Tibetan dress.

On another day she took me by tuk-tuk up into the hills to the Tibetan settlement. It must have been about an hour away and as we crawled up a narrow tarmac strip between heavily wooded slopes she told me someone walking down a few days previously had been taken by a tiger. Gulp!

This is the settlement. I believe two or more families live in each house. I don´t know where the rest of her family were, Passang said they were away and only her father was there. He was a small wizened old gentleman without a word of English. He received me ceremoniously, draping a white silk khata around my neck, bowing and saying words of welcome and thanking me for the help I had given as Passang translated. I have been fascinated with Tibet since my early teens and have read many books about the country, learning about its customs and traditions. It was fascinating and quite surreal to be actually living this moment. I was given Tibetan tea, which was churned with butter. I´ve always wondered what it tasted like and it was actually quite nice, although I doubt it was made with yak butter, which may have made a difference. Every time my cup was half empty it was filled up again from a flask. This was followed by a meal of special dumplings called momos which were delicious. Passang´s father did not eat or drink and I had to really insist on Passang joining me as I felt very uncomfortable eating on my own. I felt they had probably spent money they could ill afford in order to receive me. I ate enough to be polite but made sure I left plenty for them to have later.

   This is an altar to the Dalai Lama in their house. Note the two prayer wheels on the left. I still have the khata, very carefully put away amongst my special souvenirs.

To be continued...again!