Last weekend we went for a small trip to McLeod Gunj.It is situated in the hills of Himachal Pradesh and is the place of exile of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Dharamshala is situated on the plateau and is the small town that connects one to McLeod Gunj. A journey of about 9 kms by road or a steeper climb of 4 kms on foot gets one to McLeod Gunj. On entering McLeod Gunj one reaches the town square from which roads lead of in different direction with market on them.
The road to the extreme right leads straight to the Namgayal Monastery. On the way are shops selling many different items from purses to Tibetan art work to local things. What one can also find there is authentic Tibetan food which is a joy to the eyes and the taste buds the same.
The Tibetan momos, phinsha and rice or tigmoy(bread) is a whole some and tasty meal. We ended up having our meal at the Memory Restaurant which was found after some hunting and tried on recommendation of a resident. I was unable to take any pictures as we were famished by the time we ate and all the food got devoid the second it arrived. But I do promise to make some and then post the recipe and the pictures of the same.
Then just a few steps up the road we came to a small bakery, the Tibet bakery and Laundry where we tasted the ‘Tibet Special’ and the ‘Himalayan bar’. Both with pie crust base but different filling. They were extremely heavy but, Oh so yummy! Just one Tibet special, with a cup of milk or coffee is good enough to make a good breakfast. Oh! I did get the recipe so that is on my list to be made soon.
The second day visit was to the Norbulingka Institute and Temple. The institute specialises in all kinds of Tibetan art forms. Wood craft in the form of wooden boxes to many small and unique things, clothes, bed sheets, cushion cover etc. made of pure raw silk.
The third day we again visited the Norbulingka Institute for the food one gets at the café there. Even thought one would get only vegetarian food, the food is wholesome and mouth watering. The Tibetan Pasta, Fried Rice and Veg Momo’s were a very filling combination and the cherry on the pie was the carrot cake that came after. We enjoyed a good lunch in the garden and it was a memorable experience. After a wholesome meal we lazily headed towards the Kangra Fort. Built in the Kangra valley it is a treat to the eyes.
