Bir - Day 1

The flight from Delhi to Dharamsala takes only about 1 hour and then it is a 2 hour car ride to Bir, India.  Bir is only 50 miles away from the airport, but the road is narrow, bumpy and crowded and goes through some small towns that are very congested.

The Sherabling Monastery, where I will be staying for the next week or so, is located about 5 miles from the main town of Bir.  The monastery is quite isolated in the forest at the foothills of the Himalayas.  It is my understanding that the monastery is home to about 700 monks.

My room is in the guest house which is a short 10 minute walk through the forest to the main part of the monastery (classrooms) and dining hall.  When I arrived in the afternoon, I had a quick lunch and then watched Modesto (see photo to right), a teacher from the Exploratorium, give his final lesson.  After his lesson, Modesto posed for pictures with the monks who said their "goodbyes."

Temperatures here seems to be in the upper 70s during the day and mid-50s at night.  Low humdity, so it is quite comfortable.

View from my room in the guesthouse.