Gyato University, Dharamshala

Dal Lake, Dalhousie

Panch Pulla & Satdhara, Dalhousie

To put it bluntly, if you have seen any waterfalls (and you must have unless this is your very first trip!) and are pressed for time, do give this place a miss by all means. You will avoid getting accosted by dubious people trying to sell Saffron (if you are a female) or Shilajeet (if you are a male). Where is gender equality when you need some, I say? :-) Then there are quite a few steps to climb- which can be quite daunting for senior citizens in your group, and a few unfit members. If you brave all this to reach the fall, it isn't gigantic.

Of course, if you want to try your hand at some adventure sport, it's a different matter altogether. We did see a brave soul zipping by on an overhead rope every couple of minutes - but I suspect he was one of the men operating the equipment rather than any tourist. There are a couple of rope bridges, if you want to experience the thrill of walking dangerously. I didn't - because I come from Mumbai where BMC provides that thrill for free every day with potholes in the roads, closed pavements owing to metro work and traffic that obeys no rules. When the nearby shopkeepers asked me to take a look at their shawls, I really had to suppress the urge to tell them not to waste their time on me because unless there is a severe climate change (as in Mother Earth thumbing her nose at the US Prez!) I am unlikely to need shawls or any other winter gear in the hotter-than-hell city of Mumbai!

On a positive note, the tea vendor sells a good enough cuppa, if you are missing your daily fix.

As far as Satdhara goes, I am still wondering about its name. There is irony there somewhere, I am sure. It was just a trickle and our driver mumbled something about some mineral deposits as he stopped the car in front of it for all of 2 minutes. Even Maggi would take longer to get ready!

So do yourself a favor and drop this from place your program, if you are short on time.

P.S. This place also has a monument in memory of Sardar Ajit Singh. Nothing more than a statue and a plaque, as you can see in the photo above. Nothing is mentioned about his life. I don't know about you, but I don't remember reading about him in history books. Sad, but true. The government should provide some details of his life rather than expecting us to Google about him!

Breathtaking sights from the hotel room @ Dalhousie. I just couldn't tear myself away from the balcony.....even if it meant catching cold :-)

Khajjiar, McLeodGanj

 

Sunset Point @ Naddi Village, McLeodGanj

For the record, when our driver dropped us at Naddi village and told us that there is a trail that we can take from there, I was more than a bit skeptical - and not at all impressed, what with all the stalls selling Maggi and Hot Chai crowding up an already crowded place. We started walking a bit reluctantly.

A few steps into the trail we came across makeshift stalls put up by a few young men selling toys and caps and stuff like that. But once we passed that area, the path ahead looked pretty deserted - except for a small roadside tea-stall with its customary stock of Maggi, chocolates, biscuits and juices. The old guy manning it was sweeping the area nearby. We walked on in silence. Up ahead a couple of tourists were taking photos - not of the mist-covered valley below, but of each other! There was the all-important pout-selfie, of course. I have never understood the point of taking selfies. Be that as it may. I just hoped they won't venture further ahead and disturb the peace with their incessant chatter.

Looked like the Goddess of luck favored us that day. Those tourists never walked farther than that. And we got to savor the absolute peace and quite that the place had to offer. There were trees on both sides of the path - the right side would afford cool vistas of the valley below where the mist cover parted every now and then. It took us 15 minutes to reach some kind of Yoga Center at the end of the trail - and its overflowing trash bins that were spilling filth into the valley below :-(

On our way back, the mist had started to rise above the valley and pour onto the path. We stopped just short of the end of the trail to soak it all in. Tired of the noise and pollution of the metros, one really wonders if it would be possible (and practical!) to own a small cottage somewhere in these hills to spend the rest of the life peacefully.

Just then the loud music from the speakers set up by the youngsters we had seen at the start of the trail shattered the tranquility of the moment and brought me crashing back onto earth. I was reminded of what the alien, though in a different sense of the word, says to the US President, in the first installment of the movie The Independence Day - "Peace? No Peace". Very true pal!

I don't know what this place looks like at Sunset - and I will most likely never find out. But if you want to experience absolute peace, even for few flitting moments, do visit this spot.

Tibet Musuem,Tsuglagkhang, McLeodGanj