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Rhododendron Forest Trek
I visited India and Nepal for the first time on a Buddhist pilgrimage led by Shantum Seth in 2007. The following — which I wrote in a travel journal in Dharamshala, India — is from my 2008 trip.
At nine in the morning, many members of our sangha met up with Jagdish after breakfast, in front of the guesthouse, to take a Himalayan trek in the Rhododendron Forest. We took cabs down to the main square of Dharamshala, where Mc’llo’s is located, among a crowded hodgepodge of other businesses.
Jagdish stopped at the bakery attached to that famous restaurant. He bought himself a chocolate birthday cake with chocolate icing (yum!) and put it in his backpack… or somebody’s backpack. The group of trekkers included: Kathy, Mimi, at least one of the two Garys, Lynn and David, David the writer, Ingrid, Paula, Stacy, and Manny; I may be missing someone.
We began the amazing trek when Jagdish finished with his purchases and we were ready to start walking. We headed up one of the numerous roads connecting at the lively square, and from there we walked up a path at an incline. It was flanked on both sides by tall, vivid green trees.
Jagdish indicated a looming tree from which grew large red flowers. “Those are rhododendrons.”
Wow! When I pictured a rhododendron forest, I had imagined a forest full of bright flowers…