It was last year in April 2014, when I was working as a freelance writer, apart from pursuing my regular graduation studies in Delhi, with the whole objective to save money for travelling. The entire experience of working for the sake of travelling was motivating enough to flip between academics and deadline driven writing work. As a reader, I exposed myself to the philosophy of Buddhism and was attracted to the romantic idea of traveling to the mountains all by myself. The first destination I wished to travel was Dharamsala or Bhagsu, because it had the backdrop of the mountain and the heart of the Buddhist philosophy.
To be honest, I was scared to travel alone for the first time. But I wanted to experience this journey all by myself because I had solely worked towards the idea to strive for my first solo trip (financially and emotionally). Dharamsala to Delhi is an overnight bus journey of about 11-12 hours. As a student travelling alone, I had booked my stay at a lodging which belonged to a retired army officer. To my excitement, I had taken a bag full of books, downloaded spiritual music on my playlist, to experience an enticing journey of nature, music and philosophy.
The state transportation bus left from Delhi at around 7:00 pm, and I vividly remember sitting by the window side, passing by as a stranger from the hustle-bustle of city life to an unknown destination which was to invite a lot of enriching memories in my life. The bus wasn’t crowded and there were foreigners from countries like Israel, Germany travelling all the way to Dharamsala. As the bus moved on, we all quietly sat by our seat, lost in amazement to the journey that was to give us running visuals of people, places, dark unknown alleys and a journey to the mountains. The bus gave us sudden jerks at night and I was getting scared because it was my first solo experience to the mountains and the excitement met with anxiety.
It was about 5 in the morning when the bus reached the Kangra district and we were invited to the wonderful view of the majestic mountains. Words couldn't express the richness of such a subtle experience. We were all wrapped in our cozy blanket, lost in the wonderful sight of a picturesque mountain view. In an hour or so, the bus reached Dharamsala, and I left for my lodging.
The bus journey had tired me off, so I fell off to sleep because I wanted to save my energy for exploration and travelling. I woke up and dressed myself in a Tibetan styled shirt to wholesomely fit into the mood of exploring the Tibetan culture of Dharamsala. And there I was in the bus stop to leave for Mcloedganj…
Dharamsala to Mcloedganj is about half an hour of road journey and the way is through narrow roads where on one end, tourists get to see the huge gorge that makes the journey all the more exciting.
As I reached Mcloedganj, the entire day went on exploring the local tourist’s friendly places like the Dalai Lama Temple, the bazaar, the museum, Tushita Meditation center and The Bhagsu waterfall. One has to be energetic to walk and explore these places. The local bazaar has everything in store for a seeker looking to buy the handicraft products, books, and audio/video cds or to just sit by a local café and have some snacks.
Mcloedganj is more of a hippy place where you can walk and get to meet many tourists, guesthouses and small cafes. I was on my way to Bhagsu waterfall, which is perched high up on the hill top, and it requires a short trek to reach the waterfall.
A friend had recommended me a place called Shiva Café, which was located up on the Bhagsu waterfall so I thought of exploring the place as I was hungry to eat and rest after a day of visiting many sights at one go. The magnificent view of the café left me speechless. It is high up on the hilltop and the café is inside an isolated house, which looks like the place you had dreamt of staying at, in your fantasy world. The café has many stories to tell. From wall art pictures to the local Himachalis, who run it, I had found the interesting company that I was looking for. As a city person, I wasn't familiar with the lifestyle of the Himachalis. The simplicity of their life surprised me – No family attachments, no contact with the outside world and only the company of each other and their work kept them occupied. I do not wish to reveal their names, but they were people of my age, young, hard-working yet so much rooted. Rooted to nature, work and a way of life that is away from the illusions of a city life.
I woke up to a beautiful dawn at the hilltop, away from home and in an environment of natural beauty, trance music and himachali chai. The romantic idea of Himachal had become a reality I was living. It is when I realized, travelling has so much to do with the people you meet, the conversation you strike up to make your journey interesting. Perhaps, the natural wonders are just an excuse. What we are looking for are the stories we encounter in our journey – a nexus of shared ideas, diversity and a life of different perspective.
I left for the Dharamsala after the memorable night spent at Shiva café. The local people became my friends and whenever I wish to travel to the hills I go back to the memories of the place. It was the sheer simplicity and the warm hospitality of the locals there that made me feel heavenly there. Mcloedganj as a place is woven with more such wonderful stories where cities goers go and live a life of the pahadis and the cultural nexus takes place between the people from different school of thoughts.
It was a short trip, but the memories of the place remain alive in my senses. The solo trip changed my outlook towards life. I have begun to admire the simple things in life, amongst which is to be in contact with nature and to interact with people who can enrich your spirit with their virtues and simplicity. Also, I love thy self. Solo trip made me fall in love with myself all over again...
