From Devikhet to Dehradun to Delhi. And after that, we head to Dubai. It sounds like a line from a song. For us, it was the line of travel within the span of a few days. Not the shortest route between two points, but a route filled with variety and marvels as we meander, along a very circuitous path, from one volunteer gig to another. And along the way we discover something called Mind Rolling. At least that’s what we thought it was, but something got lost in translation.

But to begin with, there is fruitcake, the most exotic fruitcake you’ve ever had. We know, you probably think it’s hard to wax poetic about fruitcake, which is generally more wax than poetic. But this batch is the stuff of legend. It was homemade, served to us by a couple of other guests at our Airbnb, made with fresh ingredients and not too sweet. Even left over from Christmas a month earlier, it’s totally unfruitcakelike.

With one more full day to explore Dehradun, we go strolling again through the adjacent Tibetan neighborhood, where we encounter three schoolgirls who are quite curious about us, asking where we are from, and so on. And like many souls we encounter in India, they want to pose for photos with us.

Mind Rolling, Min Drolling, Mindrolling

And then we take note of the sign at the entrance to the monastery where we had witnessed the curious celebration the day before. “Mind Rolling Institute”, it says. At least that’s what we think it says at first. And we wonder what exactly mind rolling involves. Is it some type of mediation? Some form of exercise to jar the brain loose from its moorings? Finally we realize that it’s in fact Mindrolling, one word; it’s actually of Tibetan origin, and this facility is named after a monastery in Tibet.

Nearby is a temple complex, with two Buddhas the size of water towers. There’s also a cluster of stupas, each in a different architectural style, and representing, we gather, different principles of Tibetan Buddhism. Oh yes, and there is also the tall stupa, about 200 feet worth of tall, and thus one of the biggest in Asia. We take a tour of the temples, though we can’t prove that very readily, because we’re not allowed to take photos inside.

Strolling around the grounds, we encounter some rather head-scratching signs, including one warning that public display of affection is prohibited, and another forbidding the consumption of peanuts. And if you get caught making out under the trees with a jar of Planters in hand, you’re really in deep doo-doo. There are also prayer wheels, or more precisely prayer cylinders, of various sizes. They have mantras and other texts inscribed on them, so you can “recite” them by giving them a spin if you don’t want to get vocally involved.

One of the temples requires an entrance fee; and while we’d normally balk at such a thing, this admission per person is a whopping three rupees (about three and a half pennies), so we can’t resist coughing up what is, without a doubt, the lowest admission fee we’ve ever paid. After we fork over this princely sum, we have to deposit our shoes at the booth, even though the temple itself is across the street. The Asian custom of taking off shoes to enter a building (especially a sacred site) does not in itself bother us at all; but it’s often, as in this case, not observed in a manner that is particularly convenient or hygienic.

Perhaps the most interesting point on this whole tour is the yellow Mercedes that belonged to the 14th Dalai Lama, sitting under a carport with glass sides. Although he never drove the car himself, the car drove him for about 30 years– he clearly was not into keeping up with the Joneses. And then he donated it to the monastery here in 2013. (Interesting footnote: In 2018 the Mercedes-Benz company posted an ad on Instagram featuring a photo of a Mercedes and a quote from the Dalai Lama. It raised the hackles of the Chinese government, which considers the Dalai Lama a troublemaker because he’s supported Tibetan independence. Mercedes-Benz removed the ad, apologized to China, and promised to learn more about China’s cultural stances, whatever that entails.) The Dalai Lama, by the way, is still kicking at age 90, and has been the Dalai Lama since he was four. So chances are, he has some job security.

After we’ve rolled our minds around Mindrolling for a while, we go back for one more meal at the nearby Tibetan restaurant, Gangchen. Again, excellent food at a very reasonable price.

Dehradun to Delhi

The next morning, we finish packing up to leave Dehradun. Kimberly spends some time becoming acquainted with our new roommate who came in the previous night, a girl from France — we are in a small hostel, in a room with 5 bunks, though initially we’d had it all to ourselves. This young lady is on her way to Rishikesh, from which we came not long ago, to train as a yoga instructor, as Kimberly recently did.

When we are ready, our host gives us a lift to the airport, and we brace ourselves for the ordeal of getting through airport security in India. And the Dehradun airport does not disappoint. In fact, it comes through with all flags flying.

As usual in India, we have to dump out all the contents of our carry-on bags, every last little thing, And the agents paw through everything, even the food we’ve brought to have in the airport or on the plane. But that’s not all. They start looking for anything they can possibly confiscate. Apparently the law in India is that no tools can be taken aboard a plane; and these guys follow the rules like a train following its tracks. Among the items they take (some of which we didn’t even know we had) are a tiny eyeglass screwdriver, a miniature crescent wrench, a couple of allen wrenches, and… wait for it… a tape measure. You never know when a desperate terrorist might attempt to measure someone to death.

But while the treatment we’ve received from the airport itself does not leave us particularly pleased, once we board the plane to Delhi, things go much better. Even though the trip is only about an hour, we are served a mini-meal that includes a cheese wrap and yogurt. Thus, we don’t land in Delhi with growling tummies. So our minds can keep on rolling full force.

Events occurred: 1/29-30/2025