Finding peace, inside and outside, at McLeodganj

Tripoto
4th Oct 2017
Photo of Finding peace, inside and outside, at McLeodganj by Sanchit Narula

When the mystical mountains call you, you can do nothing but to surrender yourself to the charm of the mountains.

There is an unknown melody that the mountains sing, that hypnotizes you, leave you totally vulnerable, makes you seclude yourself from the daily routine you are entitled to. All you are provided with is just a liberty to escape from your routine, into the mountains.

Getting ready for the grind.

Photo of Finding peace, inside and outside, at McLeodganj by Sanchit Narula

And you know what, no one listens to you and your buried insecurities, better than the mountains. They teach you to he humble, to respect the little bounties that are at your disposal, to value the efforts your loved ones do for you.

As you trek the untamed paths, your breathing rate increases, and you focus on each breath of yours, leaving no room for negative thoughts and the undesirable miseries. All you have in your mind is the instinct of survival and nothing else.

Treading the untamed paths.

Photo of Finding peace, inside and outside, at McLeodganj by Sanchit Narula

And as you see very few people around, you just shed off the cape of personality that doesn't actually belong to you, and you be your own self, with liberty, with pride.

Day 1

The journey began with four college friends tagging along to take a break from the pre defined daily routine. Taking a direct bus from Jalandhar, Punjab to Dharamshala via Hoshiarpur at 6.15 am in the morning, we reached Dharamshala at around 12.15 pm.

Boarding a local bus from there, we reached McLeodganj in 20 minutes. Dying of hunger, we walked towards the Illiterati Cafe, one that had been in the bucket list of me and my friend Utkarsh from a long time.

My take at capturing the essence of the place.

Photo of Illiterati, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula

The view from our table.

Photo of Illiterati, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula

Yes, there are some awesome books there.

Photo of Illiterati, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula

Tastes as good as it appears.

Photo of Illiterati, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula

Suffing in the delicious dishes and shakes from the cafe, we headed towards the local market to do some shopping for the friends and family and to witness the local charm of the heavenly place.

Time for some shopping.

Photo of Finding peace, inside and outside, at McLeodganj by Sanchit Narula

My friend observing the lifestyle of the people there.

Photo of Finding peace, inside and outside, at McLeodganj by Sanchit Narula

Heartwarming welcome by Bruno, I named him so!

Photo of Finding peace, inside and outside, at McLeodganj by Sanchit Narula

Then we headed towards the cliché spot for every McLeod traveller, Dalai Lama Temple. We were astounded by the amount of crowd there. Later we got to know that they were all gathered to witness the declaration of 14th Lama, from all over the world.

The crowd at the Temple.

Photo of Finding peace, inside and outside, at McLeodganj by Sanchit Narula

Yeah! That's me!

Photo of Finding peace, inside and outside, at McLeodganj by Sanchit Narula

My friend having some good shots clicked by me!

Photo of Finding peace, inside and outside, at McLeodganj by Sanchit Narula

Tired from the exhausting bus travel and all day long exploration, we reached Zostel, Dharamkot, near Heena Cafe by taking a cab for ₹ 200 for 4 people. This place accomodated such a young and fresh vibe and we booked 4 beds in the dormitory @ ₹500 per bed.

The place was such a delight for the body and the soul.

Morning view from the room.

Photo of Zostel Dharamkot (Mcleod), Bhagsu Nag, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula

The common room

Photo of Zostel Dharamkot (Mcleod), Bhagsu Nag, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula

The place for the bonfire.

Photo of Zostel Dharamkot (Mcleod), Bhagsu Nag, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula

My room from the outside.

Photo of Zostel Dharamkot (Mcleod), Bhagsu Nag, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula

Setting things in place at my bed.

Photo of Zostel Dharamkot (Mcleod), Bhagsu Nag, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula
Day 2

We started our trek for Triund from Gallu Devi Temple. The trek was of about 4 hours and approximately 9 km. This trek is perfect for the first timers. The weather changes all of the sudden, sometimes the sun shines bright while on the other times, it gets totally foggy. Initially the elevation was gentle and we took breaks in between to shoot photographs and gather energy through bottles of Gatorade.

Pro Tip: Carry as much water with you as possible, it gets more and more costlier with increase in altitude.

The last leg of the trek is quite steep and requires a lot of enthusiasm and energy. But when you reach the top of the mountain, you realize that all the turmoil was totally worth it.

Free publicity!

Photo of Triund, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula

Morning view!

Photo of Triund, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula

The foggy path.

Photo of Triund, Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula

Then we took a tent and dropped our bags inside it to enjoy the view and click some good shots.

Night photography experiments.

Photo of Finding peace, inside and outside, at McLeodganj by Sanchit Narula

Sunset.

Photo of Finding peace, inside and outside, at McLeodganj by Sanchit Narula

Just random shots.

Photo of Finding peace, inside and outside, at McLeodganj by Sanchit Narula
Day 3

We returned from the mountain and it took about 2 hours and we rested in my friend's resort for some time and then left for Gallu Falls. A one hour trek from checkpoint at Gallu Devi Mandir. The view from the falls was just breathtaking.

Photo of Gagan Resorts, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula
Photo of Gagan Resorts, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula

Gagan, in his own resort!

Photo of Gagan Resorts, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula

The resort!

Photo of Gagan Resorts, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, India by Sanchit Narula

Then we came back and rested in the resort for the night and left the place early in the next morning.

While writing this post, I am already feeling like visiting this place again!