Feb. 26th: Snow in the Himalayas

The view from our balcony - the Dhalai Lhama's
complex is in those trees on the far hill

Well, it was a lot colder this morning than it ever was on my last visit ten years ago. So cold that it snowed! Although it didn’t last and melted within an hour or so, it still made for a great photo of McLeod Ganj from our hotel balcony.

Although snow rarely stays in the foothills at this elevation (~1700 meters, or ~5100 feet), the peaks just above us maintain glaciers year round. (The trick is getting a clear enough sky to actually see them!)

After the snow stopped and quickly melted, the local wildlife emerged from just about every nook and cranny in the valley. The monkeys, which are notorious for taking food right off of people’s plates when dining on the town’s many balconies, were out in force, making a ton of racket and swinging all over the rooftops of the single-level houses below. The birds also came out and sang as the eagles and ravens got into it while hunting and scavenging.

Monkey on a roof

$20 to anyone that can tell me what the hell this thing is -
(I think it's in the weasel family but it also looks porcupine-ish...)

We had breakfast and hiked up the road to the next small village (Bhagsu) where there is a beautiful waterfall that cascades down the center of the valley. We hiked up a fair way towards the top and enjoyed the view in the still chilly air. There were many more Indian tourists than the last time I was here. This is something that I have noticed throughout our trip and I suspect is has to do with the increasing wealth in the country in general (though, as in most economies these days, India’s recent prosperity has not helped the approximate 400 million that live at or below the poverty line, or less than $1/day income – that’s larger than the entire US population!). With more Indian tourists, however, you have more litter on the trails and in the rivers – it is a serious problem.

These eagles are huge and they are everywhere!

McLeod Ganj from the road to Bhagsu - after the snow melted

We are above the waterfall on a rock

That evening things cleared a bit and we could
see some mountains with fresh snow

 ON RUBBISH: One thing that Indians seem to be oblivious to, is the huge amount of plastic and other garbage littering just about every inhabited corner of the country. This phenomenon is hardest to witness in India's parks and natural spaces where the contrast makes it that much worse. India’s waste management system is very poor. Combine that with most Indians’ age-old habit of throwing their garbage on the ground or in the street as soon as they are finished with it, and you have a country drowning in trash. As with most environmental issues, this situation is not sustainable. With India's economic growth and an increase in the consumption of plastics, something will have to change dramatically.

We spent the rest of the day exploring and retired into a bed that is much too short for the both of us.