Dharamkot

Finally we got ready for the 'Triund' trek via Dharamkot. But unfortunately the locals informed us about the ban of Triund Trek due to the adversity during the period. But we moved on to Dharamkot  to find out if the news is true.We found people coming back from the way telling us the same. But we kept moving and now we decided to visit Dharamkot and get back to base as soon as possible so that we can start off our journey to 'Kasol' which is almost 200 Km from McLeod. Dharamkot is located on the crest of a hill above Mcleodganj and offered a very beautiful and scenic view of 'Kangra Valley' and the 'Dhauladhar Ranges'. Dharamkot is a Hippie Village known as 'Tel Aviv of hills'. It is the only village of state with a Jewish community center .We found a Hippie Cab which seemed a quite old yet very beautifully painted and designed.Dharamkot is a Hippie Village and you can feel it during the trail. I mean the walls and the inscriptions over it be it the paintings,doodles or Mandala , you will get a lot to see in this village of Kangra Valley.After exploring the beautiful Dharamkot , we planned to reach McLeod and get the bus to Dharamshala Bus Terminal so as to catch an early bus for Bhuntar or Kasol.Temperature was dipping down and we were still trailing down to McLeod. We managed to get a bus to Dharamshala just when we reached there , but the bus from Dharamshala to Bhuntar had a late departure time of 7:10 pm, but we didn't had a choice so we waited.We expected to reach by 2 am next day.

ये जगह हमे ना किसी ने बताई थी और न हमे पता थी , बस घूमने का मन करा और नेट पर ढूंढते हुए हमे यह जगह मिल गयी, पहले तो अजीब सा लग रहा था नाम भी और जगह भी मगर जब वहां गए तो देखते ही देखते रह गए उन खूबसूरत वादियों को । मैं दिल्ली का रहने वाला , घूमने फिरने का शोकीन रखते हुए 02 जनवरी को चल दिया अपने 5-6 दोस्तों के साथ अपनी अगली मंज़िल पर हिमाचल प्रदेश । मजनू का टीला से हमने धर्मशाला के लिए बस ली , आपको बस धर्मशाला या मैकलोडगंज बस स्टैंड पर ड्रॉप करेगी ( टिकट किराया: -1300 प्रति व्यक्ति)। अगर आप हवाई जहाज से आ रहे है तो आपको गग्गल एयरपोर्ट पास पढ़ेगा ( 10 कम धर्मशाला ) । दिल्ली से मैकलोडगंज जाने में हमे 11-12 घण्टे लगे और सुबह 03 जनवरी 2021 हम मैकलोडगंज पहुंच गए ।अब समस्या थी रुकने की मैकलोडगंजके होटल या त्रिउंड की कैंपिंग। हमने ट्रेक के साथ-साथ त्रिउंड में कैंपिंग करना बेहतर समझा (शिविर लागत: - गाइड, टेंट, नाश्ते और रात के खाने के साथ ट्रेक सहित 2200)। आप अगर परिवार के साथ है तो भाग्सुनाग में होटल भी ले सकते हैं। अगली सुबह ऊपर ख़राब मौसम होने की वजह ट्रेकरद्द कर दिया गया और हमे सारा दिन मैकलोडगंज में बिताना पढ़ा। मैकलोडगंज में आप मॉल रोड, नड्डी दृश्य स्थल, नामग्याल मठ, दलाई लामा मंदिर और संत झोंस के चर्च और भी बहुत जगह घूम सकते हैं।

Keep in mind that there is police barricading at the start point where traveller are required to submit their identity proof. Also, it is allowed only upto 11 AM to start the trekking , post that police personnel usually doesn't allow anyone to pass the barricade.Few Things to note before you plan:1. This trek is approximately 9 KM uphill and is doable by any individual with average & above fitness.2. Pack Smart : Carry food and water for the day as the shops are limited on the way and everything is at-least 2X to 4X costly than MRP. The first shop is after the first 4 KM and the others at the very top of the hill.3. Don't be intoxicated. Trekking pushes your physical abilities and there is a reward at the end of it. So avoid cigarettes and alcohol at-least during the trek.4. Carry a walking stick. You can rent a walking stick from the nearby shops to the very beginning of the trek.5. Prefer Day to Day Trip. This trek can be completed in a single day if you start early. Although there are some arrangement at the top, but water availability is still a major issue there and food is 4X costly in the shops.The entire trek gives a good visual treat to the eyes. Here are some captures during the trek.

Dharamshala will be special for me because it was the first trip of Himachal.It is not that I did not come to Himachal before. But I have passed through Himachal many times. But it was the first time I visited Dharamshala. I suddenly made a plan for Dharamshala with my friends while working in the office.We had long leaves in our kitty, so we made a plan to visit Dharamshala. I was very excited for this trip because it was the first trip in my life that I planned on my own. I did not do any shopping for this but I had packed my luggage well so that I did not have to face any problem at the end moment. I packed everything well and kept it in my luggage and I thought that I might not forget anything.We boarded the bus from ISBT at 10:00 in the night. And the bus landed us at McLeodganj at 6:30 am. We did not know anything about this location, we had not read anything on Google, we had come up like this without any information. As soon as we reached McLeodganj, the people around told that we should take a taxi from here, which will take us towards Dharmkot. Then we took a taxi from Mcleodganj to Dharamkot and the taxi person charged Rs 100 from us.Once we got off the taxi we saw the sign board of the guest house, then we went to that guest house and started inquiring whether they have vacant rooms. When I saw that guest house I was surprised as the guest house charged  us Rs 700 per day. There are simple guesthouses where one can stay and they offer just the basic amenities. We put all our luggage in the guest house room. After a night's journey from Delhi to Himachal, we were very tired, so we first thought of taking a bath. After bathing we had a good 5 hours of sleep.When we woke up, we could hear music from outside. As soon as we opened the gate, we saw the sound of music coming from a cafe which we did not notice while check in. A lot of people were present in that cafe and a lot of noise was heard with the music. We started getting ready and thought we would go out too. Ohh! I forgot to tell you the name of the cafe. It was Trek and Dine cafe, which is the most famous and beautiful cafe of the Dharamkot region. The waiter here welcomed us very well and was also very friendly. I have noticed what we do not find in Delhi or other cities is that the people here are very friendly and polite. They help a lot and are also very humble in nature.We ordered snacks to eat. In this cafe, all kinds of people were coming, on one side a joint family was sitting and on the other side, a group of college was sitting together. There is a different magic in this cafe. I can sit here all day without even talking to anyone. Here, enjoying the tea in the mountains is your own pleasure. We ourselves do not know how much tea we drank here while gazing to the mountains from this cafe.We did not know the time while talking among ourselves and it was past 8:00 in the evening while doing so. After spending some time in cafe, we thought of taking a stroll in the streets in Dharamkot back to our room. We did not sleep when we reached the guest house. We played cards for 2 hours and had chit chat which was never ending. This environment had its own fun.How to reach :  You can get a transport from Delhi or Rishikesh to Dharamshala like HRTC .