TREKKING IN NORTHERN INDIA

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30-31 March. Today, we drove to Dalhousie, another beautiful hill town named by a British military commander who wanted a place to go when it was too hot in Delhi and too crowded in Simla. The road was beautiful, with rivers and the Himalayas on the right (north) side. It’s sometimes hard to see out the bus windows because of the hair oil smeared on them. Most folks use mustard seed or other oil on their hair, and it seems to pay off for the women, who have beautiful, long silken hair. You rarely see a woman with a short haircut. Many men put henna on their graying hair, giving a strange orange effect - and India’s a great market for black hair dye - no gray hair here! Women wear beautiful bright colors in the north, with lots of orange, rusty red and hot pink - no pastels and no black or navy blue anywhere. Dalhousie is the prettiest city I’ve seen yet, relatively clean with few tourists. Our hotel overlooks the city. I’ve had more updates on the upcoming trek: our trip leader said it would be two hours of walking down hill followed by three to four hours hiking up, so I decided to skip it and took a car, spending time hiking in the tiny town of Khajjiar instead. I went looking for Khajjiar village, but never found it - there are only a few groups of houses and a couple of hotels around a meadow. Indians are still celebrating the new year, so I was able to watch families playing in zorb balls, paragliding, and horseback riding. Tom finished with the rest of the group, and said it was in fact a rugged trek downhill, followed by a LONG walk up steep hills.

Next morning we walked to Chamba, down a series of hills, about 10 kilometers (6 miles). It was hard on everyone’s knees. We took a bus from Chamba to the bottom of the hill where the Orchard Hut is and walked up from there. We’re staying here for three nights - and it’s cool and rainy again! The Hut is really a home, and the family, including nephews and cousins, operates it as a trekking hub, small inn and organic farm. Rooms are basic and the toilet and showers are down the sidewalk. The views are spectacular and we all enjoyed the break from traveling.

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Photos

Foothills of the Himalayas
Every once in a while, we'd come around a corner and find that the mountains were visible behind the green and brown hills.

The Orchard Hut
This small farm and inn offers trekking, organic farming, massage, good food, and REST

Chamba Valley Family
We met this family on our trek through the Chamba Valley.