Day 564 - Heading home ... the Dalai Lama's, that is

Our morning started with a relaxing breakfast and a much easier wander through the now familiar streets that lead to the bus station. Once there we had a long wait until our bus to Dharamsala left, and we filled the time people watching, eating samosas, and surprised surprise, drinking chai. We came ultra early because there is only one bus a day to Dharamsala and we didn't want to miss out, but it was interesting watching the daily goings-about at the station: bag men clambering up onto the roofs to tie down bags, and conductors yelling out the destinations of their buses, blowing whistles and generally creating a lot of noise. Eventually we got on the bus and began our bumpy 7 hour bus ride. As darkness fell we got our first taste of Christmas as we neared Dharamsala and overlooked the vast valleys with their lights sparkling below and above us. A friendly Tibetan couple informed us of the local bus to take us up to McLeod Ganj, which only cost us 9 rupees each, instead of the 130 fare for a taxi. At the bus stand coincidence struck as the owner of the hotel we were going to search for was there waiting to take customers to his hotel!! The Sharma Cottage was recommended to us by Shane and the Canadian boys, and suits us as it's not in the guide book and therefore not expensive!!!

After dumping our bags and making sure we had enough blankets for the chilly night, we set off through town to find food. That task complete we made our way back through the empty streets to our hotel and escape from the wintry night.

Adlibing it at the bus station.