Himachal Pradesh: The Land of the Gods - I

Living in Delhi can be quite exhausting for a romantic, gypsy soul that seeks to unchain itself from the chaos and historicity that this city abundantly offers. In order to seek some respite from the restlessness that this city infects you with and to enjoy the timeless serenity that nature has to offer I often escape into ‘the land of Gods’ or Himachal Pradesh. All I need to do is to get to Kashmiri Gate and hop on a bus to Himachal Pradesh. I never enjoyed visiting Shimla or Kasauli much though in terms of distance these two are the closest to Delhi. I rather loved to take a tedious bus ride of twelve to thirteen hours to Mcleodganj (6,831ft), near Dharamshala in the Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh. The tiresome journey to the mountains was always rewarded with the best of food, people, and natural beauty. The population of Mcleodganj mainly constitutes of the Tibetans living in exile from their country and it is their presence that has contributed in further enriching the culture and lifestyle that this destination has to offer.

I love this place mainly because the food and the quiet allures it offers. One must have the momos sold outside the monastery made by the Tibetan women as well as visit a small cafe called Gyaki and try the Tibetan tea and bread, eat at Jimmy’s Kitchen and definitely have apple, honey pancakes and hot chocolate at the Village Cafe. The cafes, the walks through the bazaar to reach the monastery or the Bhagsunaag Temple, the trek to Bhagsu waterfall or to Triund (9km from Mcleodanj) or the usual hiring of an auto to a pay a visit to all the nearby tourist spots like: St John Church, Dal Lake, Echo Point or visiting the nearby museums can be some of the things that one can do in Mcleodganj. One also has many avenues to re-discover one's inner-self in this town. One can learn cooking (continental, Thai, Tibetan, Japanese, Korean), yoga or can simply meditate in the quiet of Dharamkot (a small village 4kms from Mcleodganj).