In 2002 when I moved here for 10 months to work at the Tibetan Government in Exiles photographic archive, I made many long time friends. Unfortunately by the end of 2004 two of them had passed away. The first being Robert King (aka Bingo). He was an amazing guy who had lived in India for 10 years and was running a large British house in the hills above McLeod Ganj, called Eagles Nest (an amazing place). He was a stand up guy who unfortunately would partake in a few too many Gin’s every evening. I believe he died of a brain hemorrhage, and was cremated out here against his mothers wish.
The second was Patrick Sullivan. He was from New York and was an actor for a while (claiming to star in Close Encounters of the Third kind). He also lived out here, and began to help the street children. He adopted this small boy called Sunny, who claimed to live in the woods with the Langur monkeys. He was trying to set up a children’s school to help all of the street kids and was sending Sunny to a private school in Dalhousie. Sunny found it hard to lose the street kid attitude and certainly was not stopped by his father, who also enjoyed a few extra pegs of Bagpiper Whiskey. About six months after I had left, he slipped and fell in his shower. None of his family back in USA wanted to help, and Sunny watched his father pass away in 3 days.
It was nice seeing him again, and seeing how he had matured. Last time I was here, he was in jail for an accusation of theft. He was released after 6 months and was never found guilty. That incident and all of his prior troubles have left him unemployable in McLeod Ganj, and he was desperate for some money to get to Manali. As little as I believe him, and as much as I think he will misuse any money I hand over, I did feel the need to slip him 500 rupees before I left. You can see the sparkle of mischief in his eyes!!
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