Of all the places Ive travelled in India, I found what i experienced in Dehra Dun to be the most frustrating. The place in itself (the main town that is) isnt much worth visiting anyway but there is a Buddhist Colony (yes, its a Colony, it has a fence around it and they make sure that they stay separated from the rest of the community) there which the Dalai Lama visits from time to time, I happen to go there in order to see his holiness and go to the teachings however, unbeknowst to me, the police in the area are so corrupt and regularly supplement their wages by bullying any white folk they see in the Colony. There was a big police presence at the Colony on the first day and they rounded up all the whites and took our passports and were very rough with those who refused. We then got taken to the station where they told us that we meed a permit to visit the colony and it transpires that you would need to apply for this permit 6 months in advance from outside of Dehra Dun. When asked how we can apply for such a permit in future, they were stunned and said they didnt know as no one has ever applied for one, ie. they dont exist! We were all then told we had to pay a fine and after collecting our passports had to leave Dehra Dun immediately and never come back or else we would be arrested. They just love to throw their weight around! So Dehra Dun isnt one of my highlights from India, dont bother in my opinion!
