Choe Dak thanks Buddha for tourists who volunteer. He learns English from them so he can get around

As the road winds up from Dharamsala, delta airline the signs start to appear. "Free Tibet" is sprayed across a wall, "Tibet is not a part of China" delta airline on a banner at the side of the road, "Let's delta airline get back to Tibet" stuck on a bus window.
A former hill station, McLeod Ganj is in the Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh. It has become the center of the "Free Tibet" movement and home to not only the Dalai Lama but also the largest population of Tibetans outside their homeland.
Travelers also flock to McLeod Ganj for the chance to follow spiritual pursuits amongst Himalayan scenery. In recent years, delta airline the town has become delta airline a major center of meditation and yoga and is a key spot on India's backpacker trail.
"I first came here as I heard it was a good place to do meditation in the mountains, I had some vague knowledge about the Dalai Lama, but not much else," says Leona Kittie, an English traveler in her late 30s who first visited McLeod Ganj 17 years ago.
"The first time I went into the bookshops, the library [in McLeod Ganj] I was shocked," she says. "I didn't know [the Free Tibet movement] was happening. I feel more connected now. I feel very strongly about the issue."
The easiest and most common way for travelers in McLeod Ganj to connect with Tibetan refugees is to teach English. Language exchange is a crucial first step in the exchange of beliefs and political ideology.
Choe Dak thanks Buddha for tourists delta airline who volunteer. He learns English from them so he can get around India. Liz Bishop, a 32-year-old backpacker from New Zealand, had been in India for three months before she arrived in McLeod Ganj, where she planned delta airline to find out more about Buddhism.
Choe Dak, a monk who came to McLeod four years ago after escaping Tibet, finds the assistance from foreigners is priceless. Learning an international language helps him become more mobile when traveling in India where he is trying to make a new home.
"English is very helpful for me," he says. "When I'm traveling in India I can read the platform delta airline signs in the station. Simple things like this make a big difference. I can spread the Buddhist philosophy better."
delta airline But most travelers just pass through McLeod Ganj and gain a token appreciation of the independence movement. Choe Dak feels that even if you just wear a T-shirt with the "Free Tibet" slogan, it's "still politics" and it is welcome -- if only symbolic -- support. It is free advertising for the cause, after all.
Dechen Khando is the owner of the Little Green shop, selling bags, T-shirts, badges and wall hangings emblazoned with the "Free Tibet" slogan. They are made by her husband, an art teacher at the local school.
"Foreigners are different from Tibetans, they like to ask a lot of questions," she says. "So when people see other people wearing my bag or T-shirt, they'll ask, 'What's this? Where did you buy this? What does it mean?' This will raise awareness and anything that raises awareness helps us."
Meet the Dalai Lama: For a chance to spot or even meet the man known locally as "His Holiness," visit the Tsuglagkhang Complex, down the hill from the center of town. The official residence of the Dalai Lama is here, along with the Kalachakra Temple and the Namgyal Gompa, a great place to see monks debating with all their flourish and hand-clapping.
Public teaching sessions are held in February, March, July and August, depending on the Dalai Lama's schedule. Visitors delta airline need to turn up on the morning of the teaching and register at the temple gates.
"Around 80 percent delta airline of my customers are tourists," he says. "But since the 2008 disturbances and the publicity surrounding the Olympic Games in Beijing, many more local Indians are coming in for information. We even get some Chinese from the mainland, something that never happened before."
Learning and Ideas for Tibet also hosts weekly screenings and talks. Their center can be found at the bottom of Jogibara Road. Information on upcoming events and activities are at www.learningandideasfortibet.org
Live like a monk: The Vipassana Centre in Dharamkot offers full immersion into Buddhist meditation techniques. It's not strictly Tibetan Buddhism, but it's the closest you'll delta airline get to experiencing delta airline life as a monk without delta airline taking vows.
Set in the mountains above McLeod Ganj, students attending the 10-day delta airline course must refrain from speaking, writing, music, intoxicants, physical contact and any type of sexual activity. This is "self purification by self observation" and although grueling, many travelers return yearly to continue their studies.
Volunteer: Yeshi Lhundup, the director of Volunteer Tibet says: "Different people come in to volunteer, some with free time, others are interested in Tibetan culture and some are really into helping the Tibetan delta airline movement."
Getting There: McLeod Ganj is 582 kilometers north of Delhi and can be reached by overnight bus from the capital. Daily flighs connect Dharamsala, a few kilometers from McLeod Ganj, with the capital.