When one is company --- Dharamkot-Triund-Mcleodganj

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"What may matter not, at the end of the day, is how many conversations you had, how many friends you made, how many places you visited....

....sometimes, things that do not matter are fun. "

Sometimes, you just want to break free. It's not that difficult too. Sometimes.

Had had enough of staying put in Gurgaon, the king of concrete cities as far as I know, and so, not anymore delayed for want of company, decided to head out to the Himachal lands for a weekend.

Day 1

An overnight train to Pathankot, with time spent on the floor of the train for want of ticket confirmation, and a couple of hours whiled away at the sleepy little station, brought upon the time of departure of the Kangra Valley train journey. One of the more beautiful train rides of the country, its a narrow gauge train route, passing through little villages dotting the lower hills of the Kangra region of Himachal Pradesh. The journey covered a little over 100 kms in 6 hours,adding a charm and a seat on the open gates, to the journey, and ensuring that people racing with Time were kept at bay. The journey was beautiful, albeit with a bit too much sun, with time spent with a religious priest, some villagers, an old, proud farmer, the train master and some time of solitude and music.

Reaching Chamunda Marg by early afternoon, the onward journey by bus and a shared cab, accompanied by an elderly gentleman (whom I met when a conversation with the train superintendent landed me a ride in the engine itself !), saw me at Mcleodganj. Mcleod, made famous as the residence of the Tibetan leader, The Dalai Lama, used to be a quaint place, monks (elderly and students) and old ladies adorning the town, dotted with cafes and eateries, and presided by the town's Buddhist temple. These do remain now as well, but the place is swamped by tourists (the tourist season is to blame too).

The place of stay I preferred was Dharamkot, 3 kms uphill, much quieter and populated by Israeli and Russian tourists, some evidently here for quite some time. Conversations with a few of them brought about the fact how many of them travel for months, some spending time at Rishikesh to learn Yoga & Vipasanna, wanting to connect with their inner self. Many others traveled across Asia and were aghast when I told them I stayed put at Delhi. For them, there were jsut "too many people" there. Welcome to India, my love !

The rest of the day saw a walk amongst the nature trails, in pursuit of the elusive sunset views, in company of some Delhi college folks and a long, quiet dinner of Iranian taste at Trek & Dine (Dharamkot. Recommended. Supposedly great wood-fired pizzas).

Day 2

Triund, at 2875m above sea level, is the closest point to the snow line and the mighty Dhauladhar mountains. Thankfully, its not connected by motorable roads. Its reachable by an 8 km trek from Dharamkot (11km from Mcleodganj), a relatively simple one (witnessed both ends of the age brackets on the way to it). The Dhauladhars, forming part of the middle Himalayas, extend into Afghanistan on the far side, and are partly snow covered peaks.

Lugging the camera and tripod, the trek was a great first experience, with some conversations on the way with a group of similar young-professionals from Delhi, a German group of backpackers and a local carrying provisions uphill on a mule. The views grew increasingly green and clear, and though an overcast sky was ill-meant for the photographer in me, I guess it was fine.

Cramps at the penultimate stage, a typical spoiler, only increased the breathless wonder of the view when atop at Triund. The Dhauladhars were 'in-your-face'. Any hesitation of camping overnight were dispelled away, and, a bowl of maggi and some tea later, a nap was the perfect thing to round up the extended morning.

Triund had no electricity. Had no running water. Had no construction except a small Forest department guest house. Had less than 20 permanent residences. Had less than 60 people, including the visitors. Triund had very location-spcific mobile network for Vodafone. At the edge of the hill.

Triund was just a flat topped hill.Triund was a place to kill for.

When you travel with people, you have company. When you travel alone, you find new company...

That's what continued happening, with new friends made with some of the other travelers, a group who, likewise, had decided to stay back for the night and camp at Triund. Bollywood songs, a bonfire, erratic rain, dipping temperatures, chai, some Russian music from portable speakers of other travelers, and an unforgettable day spent under the sky.

The night was a different story though. Howling winds, collapsing walls (well, actually the sides of the amp, bending either ways in the wind), a tossing sleep, finding me ABOVE the sleeping bag and blanket somewhere early ITin the morning... all culminated into a relatively late morning (was a bit of light outside).

Day 3

Thankfully, the skies had cleared up a bit after the night's downpour. A hurried wake-up, a quick set-up for the sunrise shot and some decent frames taken, and we were now set to journey back downhill (I had decided to tag along with the others. Not the safest thing to do to trek back alone on inexperienced legs).

The journey back, swift and even-less, brought Dharamkot in sight within 2.5 hours of walking. A big breakfast, a warm bath and some rest is basically compulsory after the journey !

Dharamkot has numerous home-turned lodges for cheap accommodation. Mine charged Rs. 300/US$6-a-night for a no-frills, clean room with a clean bathroom, an opening to the hillside and an owner who made darn good masala tea.

The Bhagsunag waterfalls is one of the more popular attractions in the immediate region. My only purpose to visit it was to kill time and try take some waterfall photos. Bhagsu, another small settlement near Mcleod, filled with Israelis, and a way of life the-Israeli-style (cafes and pubs, chilled beer et al) is the gateway to the Bhagsunag temple and falls. The way is dotted with hawkers selling trinkets, alluring tourists and creating a mess!

The falls are a sheet of gushing water into a small, shallow pool, bathed in mostly by Indian tourists. The best things about the place are, the view of the top of the falls with prayer flags across the fall and going up to Shiva Cafe for a higher view of falls with some great maggi.

The last few hours of the trip, before taking the overnight bus from Mcleodganj to Delhi, was spent idling about Mcleodganj, a leisurely lunch at Common Ground Cafe (recommended. Asian food. great flavours. Reasonable. Pleasant ambience and visitors) and capturing the street life of Mcleodganj. The return journey was nothing to write home about, and it was time to be back to the race in a few hours.

Travel Plans:

Mcleodganj is best reached from Delhi by overnight buses from ISBT and Majnu-ka-Tilla. Prefer the Volvo buses for better comfort.

If inclined toward the Kangra Valley train, the same runs at intervals about 6-7 times over the day, and goes up to Joginder Nagar. For Mcleodganj, one can get off at Chamunda Marg and take a bus or taxi to Dharamsala / Mcleodganj respectively.

The Foodie's Guide

Mcleodganj:

Common Ground Cafe (Asian cuisine). Great spices, well-balanced, reasonably authentic. Good ambience, indoors and outdoors, with some music, free Wi-fi, books and a warm feel. The spiked hot chocolate does wonders!

The tibetan lady in front of the temple on the main road (the side which goes downhill towards the monastery) - SOme of the better roadside momos, especially fried momos. Vegetarian only.

Ginger-lemon-honey - a warm beverage consisting of generous portions of these, best enjoyed with a bag of black tea lying in it.

Dharamkot:

Trek-and-Dine - extensive menu. Take your time. Wood-fired pizzas seemed to be the most famous. Iranian food a must-try.

Triund:

The food-and-camp shacks have a common menu. Maggi and chai (tea) is a must have. Someone like me loves to try the most local of flavours. If so with you, do have a simple meal of roti-vegetables-dal they prepare.

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