Yes, that's true. Bir is a Blackhole. I've been to a lot of towns and villages in Himachal, I've been to Parvati Valley, Kullu Valley, Solang Valley. But never have I felt like I can stay over here for months. Tosh gave a tough competition, but Bir is unbeatable. And it's not just me, I've caught this phrase from the people already in that blackhole. I've seen people come here for a few days and settle over here for months. What's over here that enchants? You'll have to experience it for yourself!
I woke up with nice warm sunrays on my face that was half-hidden in a thick blanket. Through staying over here in this 8-bed dormitory, I've come to know that morning talks by the people around doesn't disturb my sleep. I worked for sometime, then we went to Punjabi Tadka for breakfast.
After this, we roamed on the streets of Bir. We wanted to explore the market today, but got to know the market here remains closed every Tuesday. So we went to the paragliding ground site, encouraged our friends on their journey to becoming pilots, and went to Silver Linings Cafe to work from there.
In the afternoon, I enjoyed the fields around the cafe. Just roaming around aimlessly, and getting along with wherever your feet takes you has it's own charm. Then I went to the shelf to read something, but the collection was so good that I got really confused. In the end, I was able to narrow it down to these 4 books. I wouldn't be able to complete any of them this afternoon, but there's a joy in being surrounded by them. After a while, we had Potato Wedges and Chocolate Pancakes.
We then went to the paragliding landing site, and watched the sunset while sitting on the dry grass. There were families enjoying their time, children playing football around, guys chatting and their dogs fighting, and Buddhist monks strolling around. It was joyous to just lie down and soak in the vibes.
For dinner we went to Garden Cafe. The ambiance was pretty, but I guess the waiter was high. No one came to take our orders, and it took them forever to serve the food. Even the food was quite average, and the best thing I did with it was to try and learn food photography. After this, we went back to the hostel for another night of conversations.
Musings
It's not like I wanna be on the roads all the time. It's not like I want to escape my life by travelling all the time. It's just that, I feel like I'm like a frog in a well ( Kue ka maindak you know? ). And outside my sphere, there's the whole world to explore. Whenever I feel like I'm not doing something significant in my life, I start something new. I try. But when I feel lost, when I feel like I'm losing my sight or purpose, there's a part of me that says go out there and expose yourself to new experiences. Try out things you have never searched on Google. Meet people who're living lives you never knew existed. There's a voice inside that says you'll discover something that'll show you a new direction, a new light, on a new day.
This is an article in my series 'Workation 2020', which is a 16-Day post-lockdown trip to Himachal. Follow me to live the whole experience along. Check out the posts and story highlights of this trip on Instagram at my handle @divyagolyan!
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