On my day off from teaching, I was invited by one of the Tibetan translators to walk up to the Namgyal Monastery where the Dalai Lama lives. The temple is located in McLeod Ganj about 2 km from the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives where I am staying. I had walked up to McLeod Ganj earlier in the week so I knew the route…or so I thought.
We started our trek at 10 am. The translator knew many shortcuts that got us up the temple in half the time it took me the other day. Instead of the road, we cut through a forest trail. We encountered a few monkeys, but nothing more out of the ordinary.
Once near the temple, we walked a trail that surrounds the complex. The trail ends at the entrance of the temple so we stepped in a took a look around. The temple was very active with many monks going about their daily activities. There are also several rooms within the temple that can be visited.
After the temple, we headed further up to the main square in McLeod Gang. With a quick right turn, we were on the road to Bhagsu Falls. Bhagsu Falls is a waterfall about 2 km from McLeod Gang. We climbed up to the main pool of the waterfall for a quick rest and then continued our climb. We headed up to upper Bhagsu and found a restaurant for a quick lunch. Then we descended back to McLeod Gang and back to the library grounds.
The round trip took 4 hours and my legs certainly feel those steps.
Post trip note: I Google mapped the route we took. Total distance travelled was approximately 6 miles (~10 km).
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