Today we had an all-day tour around Dharamsala. The first stop was unexpected: the Church of St. John in the Wilderness with its elaborate glass windows. From here it was on to (expected) Bhagsu Nag Temple, an ancient Hindu temple in a compound with a pool and easy trail-access to a waterfall. We had enough time to explore the temple, to make the way up the waterfall (I skipped that one, as I did not feel comfortable doing the climb in flip-flops) and to give the German bakery a try, enjoying cake (carrot cake in my case) and coffee. Timing for the latter was good, as – once more – we ended up with a heavy monsoon downpour.

From the Hindu temple it was to the center of McLeod Ganj – time for a light lunch and shopping, before making it to the Dalai Lama temple.

The festivities for the Dalai Lama’s 90th birthday had just closed yesterday, so we were a bit late for the party – yet, we were still able to see the exhibition about his life. Also, it was probably less busy than during the previous days, leaving a more serene and quiet atmosphere.