It was and always is a tiring journey from Delhi to Himachal Pradesh especially for a person suffering from mild vertigo and endless vomiting. Nevertheless, the heavenly views of Himachal made the trip completely worth it. It was filled with inner contentment and enthusiasm which the beginning of travel holds. And so it began for me and my three sisters, a much-needed escape into nature.
The month was January and the weather blessed us with heavy rains. The rain became the most highlighted part of this trip, as soon as we got down at Dharamshala, the rain made it single polluted worry in my head vanish with each drop and made my head clear as if making the trip start afresh with a new mindset. We took a detour at a friends place for a while to soak up and fill our bellies with something warm and soupy which was of course Maggi! Staying at the friend's place in small colony surrounded by eclectic houses and a breathtaking view of mountains, we got to know a bit more about the local life. The night became another picturesque memory, with thousands of lights like stars being light on the mountains. Instantly my mind and soul was calm and urge of a simple life was at its core in my heart.
After devouring the food we went to a beautiful Monastery to keep up the peaceful state of mind. The Norbulinka Monastery in the pouring rain looked surreal. The vibrant colours and ornamented and embellished scriptures added more to the beauty of the place.
Finally, we took a bus to the Hotel in Chamunda Devi and retired to our beds with a mutual understanding to rest.
The Exploration
Day 2 game us some time to roam around and check our rooms out properly. Even though the room wasn't completely picture-perfect, it had a silver lining in terms of the view, it had a big window with a direct view of the snow-capped mountains. We were unable to take our eyes off the view, it became our morning ritual to have our coffee and evening tea near the window with a slow song to imbibe the view and capture it forever in our brain. Finally, all dressed up, our first excursion started with taking a bus from Chamunda Devi to Dal Lake, more than the ending we enjoyed our journey in the bus with local people. Everyone from school kids to the old people used the bus as a means of transport, the addition was that it was supremely cheap and enjoyment factor was on point. The bus took us from the narrow slanted lanes of Himachal, touching the colourful houses and residents of the place. The pine trees clustered together on the entire mountain, looking surreal with each step we put forward.
Then we decided to do something spontaneous and decided to walk till Mcleodganj. Yes, we did get lost on the way but the locals were kind enough to put us on the right track every time. The day ended in the hustle and bustle of Mcleod and then back we went back to the hotel.
The Bhagsu Nag Fall
It was raining on the day third, two of my friends decided to cut coldness with cold showers, but the coldness conquered and we double packed went for the third-day travel. The third day was much less spontaneous but the local travel again made it fun. Bhagsu Nag fall was the location of the day and it involved a lot of trekking to reach the top. The way up involved walking close to the mountain on a narrow way with several steps like it was a staircase to heaven. At the top of the fall, you'll find Shiva cafe and just below that right next to fall another stall offering food and drinks for the travellers to hydrate and recuperate from the walk. The view was phenomenal and the voice of the fall had a peaceful undertone in it which made us all relax and not remember the tiresome journey we had climbing up. After an hour of resting, eating and selfies, we started our return, which needed more concentration than climbing due to the slipperiness of the stairs. Our third day was rather short and we call it the end by sitting in the bus back to Chamunda Devi.
Final Goodbyes
Our last day was filled with sadness of leaving the beautiful mountains behind. We unwillingly got ready to put an end to our vacation. But before taking our bus in the night we decided to visit Palampur Tea Gardens, a beautiful place where we saw our last Himachal sunset. We sat for hours chatting and ruminating the view inside our minds and hearts. After an hour we went back, while we were going back we found a Golgappa stall standing in the corner of the road providing the entire view of the mountains, the Golgappas was zingy and fresh and made our last day even more memorable.
We went back to our friend's place to bid her our final goodbyes as if we spend a few hours chatting about our journey and her life here surrounded by beauty and got the serenity hot cup of coffee. And before we knew the day ended and the time for our return came.
I can never forget this trip. I understood what making a memory meant from this travel and now it has made its own album inside of my heart, the details of this trip are so vivid that all need to do is close my eyes to revisit the snow capped mountains, the tall pine cone trees, the purity of air and the importance of a warm tea.
-Simran Kaur
