Monsoon can be severe in Dharamsala
Kashmir Cottage remains serene
The new Rato abbot has come from Korea
the stupa of our late abbot, Chuwar Rinpoche, my teacher when I first joined Rato
View from the apartment I was so kindly lent
Temple Road, McLeod Ganj
a shave
chai with the cobbler who repaired my umbrella
a Rajasthani serenade
the best samosa and chai in town, their maker in the background
I see Heiko who photographed my ordination many years ago,
the man who guards the ATM,
and two happy lamas, Lelung Rinpoche and Ngagchen Rinpoche
I visit Prakash who cared for us at Deodar Villa during covid and now has his own tea stall
then a dinner party, Khyongla Rinpoche-style, on the eve of my departure.
A quick stop at the Amritsar Ritz
and to Delhi where life is laid back