Long Weekend in Dharamsala

We just came off of a three-day weekend where we traveled up into the mountains of Dharamsala, India and had a lovely time.  We stayed in a hotel up in the mountainside, full of beautiful views of the town and countryside - although it is now rainy season, so the afternoons were quiet foggy and rainy.  From the balcony of our hotel, we were actually able to see the residence of the Dalai Lama which was only about 150 meters away.  One day we walked over the residence and walked around to see the grounds where the Dalai Lama lives, works, and prays.  He happened to be in Belgium this weekend, so we unfortunately could not see him, but it was still need to see the home.

The biggest highlight of the trip was our hike to the Baragsunag Waterfall.  We walked for about two miles through the winding mountain roads and up a path to get to the site. Along the way, we came across lots of stray dogs, monkeys, and enormous cows.  Once we got the pathway, a couple of goats walked alongside us, and the girls were able to pet them as they went.  We finally made it to the waterfall, and it was beautiful. We all took off our socks and shoes to stand in it, and the girls even wore their bathing suits and attempted to swim.  The water was absolutely freezing, so there wasn't much swimming involved, but Taelyn was daring enough to go under for a second.  After drying off, we hiked up to the top of the falls and then made our way back to the hotel.

During our last morning in Dharamsala, we also hiked to St.John's of the Wilderness - an old, gothic-style Catholic church tucked into the mountains, surrounded by the forest.  On the church grounds was a very old cemetery with graves covered in moss.  The entire property felt like it was straight out of the beast's castle in Beauty and the Beast.

When we weren't hiking and seeing sights, we spent the rest of our time shopping and hanging out on the balcony of our hotel restaurant.  The shopping was amazing: lots of small tourist shops with jewelry, scarves, Tibetan-style items, and outdoor gear.  We ended up buying a lot of North Face items at a fraction of the cost in the US.  The girls also got some very cute sweater tops and hats.  After shopping, we went to the restaurant balcony for meals and played a lot of Farkle as we looked out over the beautiful mountain view.  It was a lovely weekend!

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Busy Days

Life is getting quite busy at our school now as Justin and I start leading after school activities, the girls start their activities, and we all still manage to attend social events.  Justin is now co-leading the rock climbing club and the adult volleyball league.  He also has numerous counselor-related nights with parents and students.  This week, for example, he had Senior Night on Wednesday.  I am now co-leading writer's club, the writing lab, I am the 11th grade "Home Base" coordinator, and I just joined an adult book club.  Both of us are also in the adult running club.

The girls have their own schedules too.  Taelyn is now in soap and candle making, magic club, gymnastics, and t-ball.  Kaelia is in chocolate making, Taekwondo, and gymnastics.  And next week, we will attend a meeting about Girl Scout's to see if the times fit with our schedules.

On a more social note, we often have happy hours, social events at the American, Australian, or Canadian embassy, and spend a lot of time with other families at the pool.  There is never a dull moment here!

Even though we have so much going on, though, we don't feel overwhelmed at all.  Justin and I love our jobs and the students, and the girls are so happy with their teachers, new friends, activities, and our nanny.  And despite the business, we still manage to have family time together every night.  Life is good!