Travelling can be real fun if you actually know how to embrace it with open arms and an open mind. Try blending yourself with the people, the culture and the lifestyle where ever you go, the first step towards making your trip exciting and full of newer and memorable experiences. That's how I began to love travelling around. My husband's a travel freak! Though I am one too but till now for me travelling meant 'wearing new clothes' and 'more shopping'! As we started travelling together more often, I realized that there's more to it. He spoke a lot with the locals. He gorged on the specialties of the place than ordering the usual. He preferred staying at the hotels that were more rooted to the culture and tradition of the place. All these observations widened my perspective towards travelling and exploring different places.
With my 'secret enlightenment' (of course I never let him know about it saving myself from his swelled head ; ) ), we headed towards McLeodganj, Dharamshala on July14th 2011. It was a 5 hours journey from Chandigarh. We took almost 6-6.5 hours, since we stopped where ever we found something new, something unusual rather than heading right towards the destination in order to save time. We explored much more than what we were supposed to. We took a halt near a place called Trilokpur for refreshment. While chatting with the people we came to know that a piece of beautifully manicured ground amid an overgrown jungle just opposite to a tea shop where we were sitting, was made so not by humans but horses. They have been grazing there since like a lifetime. It was unbelievable. The precision with which the horses had worked around can never be expected out of professional gardeners. A few kilometers ahead was a point where two rivers met and the unusual part was that one of them flowed uphill unlike the normal course of the nature. Interesting yet Strange!!
Finally at 4 in the evening we reached Mcleodganj. It was a beautiful day with a tinge of drizzling. We checked into our hotel and relaxed after a rejuvenating body massage and a steam bath. After our dinner that comprised of tibetan thukpa, momos and soup made of brown rice, we went for a stroll. Walking in the hills is always such a pleasant experience. It calms you and gives you time to think about yourself, which is a rare thing these days!
The next day we went to Norbulingka, approximately 35-40 minutes from Mcleodganj towards Dharamshala in Siddwari. It is a monastery that has been preserving tibetan art and culture since years. A spectacular place, well maintained with people there as warm as anyone can be! The best part, I could shop there as well! (I am a girl after all ; ) ). They had this amazing shopping center inside that sold all sorts of Tibetan goodies made by the people right there. All the products were out of the world. They were quite expensive though but worth buying! The food that was served in the cafe inside the monastery was delectable, especially the dry cakes!!! If we had known that there was a guest house as well in there, we would've stayed there without second thoughts. The rooms are aesthetically done with a keen eye for beauty and art! They charged Rs.2000 per night. In case you are a peace lover, this is the place for you! Its out of the world.
After spending good 3 hours in the monastery we headed for Naddi. Its like 8 kms from Mcleodganj. Again a peaceful place. Its more for those who either have a huge group to enjoy with or are nature lovers. There were 2-3 tiny tea shops that served maggi, boiled eggs and all such knick knacks. Eat there, take a walk around enjoying the weather and the valley view. It was a small place. We sat there for almost 4 hours, sipping coffee and sharing things about life, ourselves and much more. It was then that we realized that we simply hadn't spent time with each other since a long time! It was beautiful!
The next day we decided to chill out in Mcleodganj. Its so much fun spending time in the market there. You just keep walking and you won't get bugged up. Bargaining is a must because each shop keeper charges differently for the same product. So negotiate as much as you can and they would definitely come down. The place has got a gorgeous collection of stone neck pieces. We shopped, we ate and we walked. Luckily we stopped to eat at the places that served delicious food. These outlets were Hotel Tibet for momos and Chowmein, Mcleo for its Indian food and Jimmy's for its pastas! This trip was acting like a detoxification strategy for us!
On our last second day we decided to go for a trek to Indrunag. It is approximately 4kms from Dharamshala. On the top of the hill is situated the Indrunaag temple. There's a cafe that has been recently built. It serves simple home cooked food, tea, coffee and maggi. We relaxed there for a couple of hours then headed down the hill since it was getting dark and we had to trek back.
These were a few places that we enjoyed in our short trip to Mcleodganj. There might be many more but for us they served as bonding factors that made our relationship even stronger. We walked, we shared, we explored, we laughed and we learnt 'TOGETHER'! Travelling can do wonders to relationships. Try planning short trips after every 2 months and you'd notice a difference in your life for the good!
