I have always felt special camaraderie in my heart with Nature. I have always respected nature just like I respect my Parents. Whenever I am sad/broken, A tree/A dog/A butterfly/A Plant/ or any other part of nature is always there to listen to me, to comfort me.
I had done a number of trips in my life as my circumstances allowed But I was not happy with just that. I kept craving for more, I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to know what my limits are. Most of all, I wanted to know if I have what it takes to follow your heart.
I'll tell you how it began. One noon in May 2014,after giving my second semester exams I came across a picture in which mountains were enveloped by dessert and forming a valley, river flowing in between and riverbank were having diminutive vegetation to only show the possibility of life in such adverse situation. I could not figure out that picture, it confused me. that place felt like out of the world. It was very hard to believe that a landscape like this exist for real in this world. That picture was from Kaza, Spiti valley, Himachal. And only only that,many similar picture kept hovering my mind. It was sometime Leh-Ladakh, ran of Kutch, Arabian sea and many more. Could it have been just a coincidence that these places kept coming to me in one form or another? I don't know but every single time I read/heard about these places I felt rising restlessness in me and I had to experience it myself. Rest is history; My decision making, planning, preparation etc.
It was the beginning of third semester of my graduation when I decided that exploring new cities in NCC camps or tournaments or family won't feed my hunger. And it was the time to start traveling and Exploring nature alone. And I started with my bucket list. This summer it was Himachal Pradesh which was to be explored.Now the most important question was "Where in Himachal should I go?" so the most important question was which place should be my 1st solo trip. After asking so many people & doing so much R&D I decided to begin withMcloedganj for Triund trek. Trust me, at the end moment also, I was not sure whether I have chosen a right place for myself or not?..so after questioning myself several times through out my journey, I reached Himachal Pradesh.
So, the 1st thing I noticed that on the top of my bus, It was written " Dev Bhumi Himachal" & this is thoroughly true. As Himachal Pradesh is the place which is fully covered with beautiful mountains. it feels like you have entered in the Heaven.There are various reasons why I recommend people to choose Himachal Pradesh for their 1st solo trip.
Exceptionally Beautiful: Abundance of beautiful breathtaking mountains. I feel, Mountains can be your soul mate if you are travelling solo for the 1st time. Immense beauty of these mountains will make you feel exhilarated. If you love trekking then Himachal Pradesh gives you several beautiful options to trek. As even I had trekked to Triund, which is an appropriate option for a beginner.
Cheap & easy Transportation Facility: Himachal Pradesh is a state which is easily accessible from Delhi & Chandigarh as there are several public transportations. Even if you want to travel within Himachal Pradesh also, Public buses are easily available & it's really suitable for your pockets as you will be able save some penny atleast by choosing Public transportation. It is very safe also if you have a question of safety. so you can easily explore from one place to another place. One best thing about bus stands in himachal is provision of JIO net free wifi, which will make you feel so good after experiencing bad networks and poor net connection.
Reasonable Accommodation Options: From a luxury hotel to reasonable Guest house, There are various suitable options available which is in your budget. In Guest house, you can easily have one room between 300 to 500 rs. Luxury room will cost you something between 1000 to 1500 rs. I have travelled alot in Himachal Pradesh I never faced any safety issues where ever I stayed so feel free to select any type of accommodation options. You really don't need to go for a luxury hotel in terms of security if you are travelling alone specially girls.
PEOPLE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH:
I am in love with Himachali People as I have never seen people with such a pure & kind heart. Most trustworthy people you will ever find. Major reason, I highly recommend you to choose Himachal Pradesh because of Himachali People. If you are travelling solo & scared of criminals so remove all this questions from your mind. I feel this is the one of the safest place to wander in all over India. It is possible only because of Himachali People.
MOUTH WATERING FOOD OPTIONS: I would say, Himachal is the only place where you will find diversity in it's food as well. Israeli food, Tibetan food, Himachali food, North Indian food whatever you want to eat, it's available everywhere in Himachal. If you are not a foodie person but still you would love to try these mouth watering cuisines. You can feel relax by just having a sip of Irish coffee in Kasol, enjoy Thukpa which is in your budget also if you don't want to spend much on food.
SAFEST PLACE:
Himachal Pradesh is the safest place to explore in India as I can understand your safety issues because I had gone through the same situation when decided to travel alone. But after exploring different parts of Himachal Pradesh I can stand on my words that it's the most safest place to travel if you are travelling for the 1st time. So leave all your worries on one side & explore your dream of
travelling alone in Himachal Pradesh.
If you have become tired of watching the materialistic culture of Metropolitan cities then it's high time for you to pack your bags & move towards Himachal. You will fall in love with their Pahadi Culture which is very unique. You will explore a simplicity in their culture. where you can see a unique flavour of Indian culture.
I think now I have managed to convince you all to choose Himachal Pradesh as these reasons are sufficient for a person who wants to travel solo but still can not decide where to go?!!!!!!
Mcloedganj, khajjiar, spiti, Chanshal pass, DARANGHATI , kalatop, kasol are the best option to travel solo in Himachal Pradesh if you are going for the first time.
This journey from Chandigarh-Kangra-Dharamshala-triund-mcleodganj-Dalhousie-Khajjiar-chail-Sangla-chitkul made me realise that no matter how frustrated I am, No matter how much hardship I am going through, No matter how bad my relationships go, No matter how sad I feel and No matter how lost you are. There is a place, On this planet, where I can forget all of this and I can find myself again.
I needed to realise these, It did not fill the space in my heart but It gave me a path to walk on where My heart is healing with every step. I do not say any more that world is full of selfish people, as I know that this world is far more beautiful than you can imagine, there are far more things to live for than dying, there is too much love in this world than hatred.
those who reads the book of world are able to read the book of life and only those who do travel knows how to read the book of world.
"DO NOT FORGET TO MEDITATE IN DO NOT FORGET TO MEDITATE IN MONASTERIES; EAT THUKPA AND MOMOS; NIGHT STAY AT CHANDRATAL/Batal; WATCH DAWN AT CHITKUL AND DUSK AT Kalpa; VIBRATIONS OF DHANKAR OLD MONASTERY; PLAY WITH CHILDREN; BLEND IN BUDDHISM; GREET AND MEET OTHER TRAVELLERS; TAKE CARE OF YOUR TRASH AND MOST OF ALL DO NOT FORGET TO ENJOY
