the trip was supposed to be with four people.two people backed off and finally me and
amit (
bhanda) were left to roam in the himalayas..
it all began at ISBT and 7.30pm with me,bhanda and himachal tourism bus.and yes! some pretty impressive
crowd of DU to give us company. with a short stop at some dhaba at kurukshetra we reached the
hills early morning. some chit-chat with the
chinki on the next seat and casual observance of the hills,changing climate and changing vegitation and changing attitude of people. 8.30am kangra,10am dharamshala.
took the bus to Mcleodgang(thats where H.H Dalai Lamba lives annd thats the place where the tibetan govt in exile works from). when in mcleodgang(mcl) the first thing that strikes you is that are we in india?politically yes
emotionally may be a NO.
the weather was just PERFECT for the start of a perfect holiday. got fresh and began our wandering.we are no trekkers and we were here to wander in the hills(and to try something that dharamshala is famous for).mcl is not a typical indian tourists' destination and there were more of firang tourists(mostly from isreal). the story is that after completing the compulsary military training in isreal, the 20-something isrealis flock to this place.primary reason is cheap and easy availibility of grass and hash.and the stuff is good.hey dont admonish me i just heard that though i wanted to
try but i was out of luck!
bhagsu naag mandir and bhagsu falls.we bypassed the mandir coz we were not intrested in another mandir with another itihaas of some rishi having done tapasya here or some naag saving people.short 3 km walk from mcl to bhagsu falls.nice place,chilled waters, though not a typical kempty falls kind of thing.much less people.
here we heard of a 'mystical' shiva cafe.it was tuf way to the cafe.up the mountains with no road just a
pakhdandi up the hills with periodic arrows showing the way. but when you reach there its all worth it! an all-on-the-ground sitting arrangement.superb interiors.nice paintings and stuff.and music....shiva trance! three people in the cafe:2 locals playing chess,a sadhu baba and a roll of marijuana! it was a place especially built for rave parties.we tried to get some 'gud stuff' but it wasnt easy.we were denied the existance of any grass/hash.(ofcourse they were lying)
we kept wandering in the mountains.kept fagging and having chai while enjoying the beauty of nature..had some some momos for brunch.dinner was etenic tibeten thukpa(which is noodles soup) and momos.when in rome do what the romans do.
dharmashala is a mini tibet.we got to know a lot of tibet history and how the chinese conqoured it and how the panchem lama has been captured by the chinese in its effort to wipe out tibet.
it is sad that no country is taking a bold step to stop the chinese.even india has stopped acknowledging tibet in its effort to build better relationship with the chinese.
but it happens all the time.history is full with instances like this.civilisations change,govts change.lodhi to mughals to british to free india.so mayb i shudnt be thinking too hard.
the point is that dharamshala is a fabulous place.tea at a rooftop cafe.lots of ethnic tibeten stuff.
and a fairly cheap destination from delhi.a wonderful weekend destination..and i know i ll be there again.
