A beautiful place in Kandbari "The Athulyam"

I have never been a birthday person before. I didn't enjoy celebrating it or doing something special for the same. But I didn't know that I would turn 25 at such an alluring place and would eventually fall in love with my birthday.

In July 2021 we decided to go to a hill station to celebrate my birthday. Due to covid scenes, we didn't make bookings too soon and as the date was coming close almost all the common hill places like Dharamshala, Shimla, Kasauli were getting filled. I am a kind of BnB person as I enjoy cooking, homely vibes, balcony, greenery hence it was getting laborious for us to find the right place to stay. 

After searching and exploring the internet for days and weeks we finally decided to go to Kandbari which is at a distance of 30 mins from Palampur. The tea capital of Northwest India, a green slope station in the Kangra Valley at a statue of 1,470 meters above ocean level in the Indian territory of Himachal Pradesh, the Palampur got its name from the neighborhood word "palum", which means loads of water. The mix of greenery and water gives Palampur a signature look.

We found a place named "The Athulyam" on Airbnb. Seeing the pictures and the reviews we knew that this place, this 'home' is calling us. We immediately booked the place and talked to the owner Mr. Rakesh. He's a very cooperative host and owns a beautiful house. 

We started our journey at 6 in the morning (20th July 2021). The short breaks taken during a road trip for quick munchies are something I enjoy a lot. Himachal looked like heaven on earth due to the rainy weather. Within 6 hours we reached our destination with the food and the raw material loaded (perks of booking a home with a kitchen). The moment I stepped down the car and saw the location and our home (yeah for 2 days) I was awestruck. There were raindrops on my face, a scenic pathway, to my right, were trees blooming in the weather, and on the left were the mountains. Perfect isn't it?

We were welcomed by a cute jackal pup standing behind the fence (no worries, the house is covered overall by the fences ). Every corner of the house had a story knitted with love and passion. It was a two-story building at the edge of the cliff with a caretaker just a call away. After unloading the stuff we made a cup of coffee and had it with a beautiful view from our living area with one of my favorite mountain songs in the background by Salman Elahi 'Mera Dil Kahi Door Pahado Mein Kho Gaya'. 

Our room had a mesmerizing mountain view filled with greenery. If you love peace and want to spend some time away from the hustle and bustle of city life, I would recommend this place. 

Since I like to cook, we made basic daal, chawal, and aloo chokha for lunch. And for the birthday dinner, we made chicken 65, chicken curry, and rice. I will surely attach the images to give a tingling sensation to your tongue. 

Places we visited in Palampur-

Saurabh Van Vihar- A nature park dedicated to brave soldier Saurabh Kalia (martyr in the Kargil War). The park is situated on the bank of snow-fed Neugel Khad in Kwat Village. A few scenes of the Shershah movie have been shot here. I enjoyed sitting at the corner of the river. 

Cliffy's Cafe- We went to this place located very close to Saurabh Van Vihar for my birthday lunch Saurabh Van Vihar. It's a small cafe with both indoor and outdoor seating. We tried their dosa and medu vada and yes they were on point both in taste and price. 

Tea Garden- You can find plenty of open tea gardens which you can visit absolutely for free of cost and yes can even buy the Kangra tea. 

Suggestion- Choose 'The Athuyam' only if you have your vehicle as it is offbeat and getting a convenience from Palampur for this place will be a bit difficult for you. 

Even after a short period, Athulyam felt like our own. Going back to the city life with the same routine was a bit heartbreaking but thinking about coming back to this place and seeing the snowfall was something that made us excited.