"Hey Tony, have a nice trip in India. Don't waste your time in Kasol, go further up to Spiti or Kinnaur (in Himachal Pradesh) or some more beautiful places. You should make good use of your stay here," explained one of the experienced traveller to a young Israeli boy leaving Dharamkot, which is around 10kms from Dharamsala.

In our articles based on our month-long trip to Himachal Pradesh we have mentioned about the growing number of Israelis visiting certain parts of India. This small advice given by a middle-aged woman to a young traveler speaks a lot about the prevailing condition.

India is a hospitable country and everyone is welcomed. But at quite a few places in Himachal - Manali, Kasol, Dharamkot - we felt like strangers coming from a different country. Shop hoardings inscribed in Hebrew, cafes catering only to Israelis, locals being more friendly to them and not too welcoming to others, were some of the observations we made during our trip.

In Israel military service is mandatory for men for three years and women for a minimum of two years after going through brain washing activities, the younger lot leaves everything behind and heads to India in search of fun, solace and drugs. What they don't leave behind is the arrogant and brash attitude, often associated with them.

Our interactions with some of them were not very memorable. We were seated in a cafe at Dharamkot having our breakfast, when a mother and a kid walked in, giving out chocolates to everyone in the cafe, I guess it was her sons' birthday. She distributed chocolates to every Israeli in the cafe, she never approached us! This is a very small event, its not about the chocolate, but a small act like this can speak a lot.

Watch this video below showing the ignorant behaviour of Israelis at a guest house, and it's made by an Israeli production, so good they recognize that as well. Its a lovely video and a funny way of looking at things.

No wonder at the places I mentioned earlier in Himachal, there was a Rabbi, looking after the runaways, probably guiding them on a better path? Read the complete post...

We were back in Dharamkot after the failed attempt to trek to Kareri lake. Our trip was coming to an end, unfortunately, I always hate this part. We had to board a bus to Delhi and from there take a train back to Mumbai. We checked out early from Internet guest house for some last minute shopping in the little Tibetan market in McLeod Ganj.

We walked down the main market road of McLeod Ganj, where lots of Tibetan artifacts were sold, like the singing bowls, wool work, hand bags, incense sticks and lots more. We bought some herbal incense, some carry bags and a book cover for the family. Although we wouldn't recommend to buy incense as it doesn't seem to stay lit for long.

A travel companion recommended we tried out Tibetan specialty butter tea at Olga cafe, situated in the heart of the market. It was nice, very different in taste, cost just Rs 15 a cup.

On getting back to Bombay we realized its possible to make that butter tea with the local Amul butter, and it tasted the same.
After that we rushed to board the bus that was leaving from the depot just a couple of minutes away. Our journey was quick, no hang ups this time, we arrived in Delhi around 6.30 am to be surrounded by taxi and rickshaw guys trying to fleece us. After bargaining we managed to hook up a taxi ride to a friend's house in Gurgaon.

The funniest moment of our trip, we realized that another friend had not managed to get tickets for us to get back to Mumbai. We had to bear the scorching heat of Delhi, it was hot, really hot. We were amazed to find people walking about in the 42 degree Celsius temperature.

We had nothing to do in Gurgaon and it would be impossible to get a train ticket at this short notice. So the only option was to cover approximately 1200 km by road in a bus. Sounds a lot, but it turned out to be super fun. We rested the day we arrived and the next day was an unbelievable journey to buy our bus tickets, an adventure in itself.

We set off in the early evening from the house, we had to catch a Tum tum (an oversized rickshaw) that had eleven people already in it to get to Rajeev chowk. Once we were there we caught a normal rickshaw that took us up to the border of Gurgaon and Delhi.

We waited for twenty minutes here before hopping onto a Delhi public transport bus, surprise surprise the conductor of the bus is smoking and making fun of the passengers. It was strange to see something like this, in Mumbai no one is allowed to smoke in buses, this behavior by a bus conductor was odd.

Another comparison, in Delhi the conductor sits on a seat and you have to go to him for a ticket, if the ticket collector steps in and you do not have a ticket, you are charged. We were in Delhi, but the journey was not over a short walk and then a rickshaw to take us to the metro.

From the metro we got off and took a peddling rickshaw and at last we reached the spot where we could get our bus tickets. We got tickets for a bus to Udaipur and then from Udaipur to Mumbai. It was going to be a long long bus ride back, but we thought it would be a good way to end our adventure around Himachal.

The journey was pleasant, we had a nice double sleeper to ourselves that was quite comfortable. The bus left a little later than expected from Delhi, we were in no hurry but just relieved to be in a double sleeper. It stopped on the way for dinner, and then somewhere in Rajasthan early morning for tea.

On the way we spotted a government authorized bhang shop, a drink made out of Marijuana.
The journey through Rajasthan was scenic, the landscape so different, India is really a huge country with so much of variation in nature and cultures in every state and sometimes within the state as well.

We passed by rivers and trees, houses made of mud and some of concrete. By noon we were in Udaipur, it was getting really hot, the dry heat of the desert can really get to you. When we got off the bus we confirmed the timing for the connecting bus to Mumbai, which would depart after four and half hours. This time, not really tired, instead of resting we decided to hire a rickshaw to take us to a hotel, then a site-seeing tour around Udaipur and then head back to the hotel and finally the bus stop. For the entire trip he charged us Rs 400.

We chugged down a couple of beers, freshened up, had a quick meal and were on our way in the rickshaw. To be honest some of the sites in Udaipur are hilarious like the one below, Swaroop Sagar which is a man made lake!

The next stop was a little garden called the Aravali Vatika garden, this too was a funny destination for a tourist, its just a tiny little garden with nothing really fascinating, we were wondering what kind of a site seeing tour this is!

Next was the stretch of Fateh Sagar lake, this place I recollected, I had seen it ages ago with my parents, we had driven around a huge part of India. The stretch of road and the particular spot where the shops were present had not changed.

Far away in the distance we could see a statue of a man on a horse. We were told that it was Maharana Pratap and his trusted horse Chetak. The horse Chetak also has a circle named after it in Udaipur.

On the same stretch our rickshaw driver stopped and asked us if we wanted to ride a horse or camel, I was not keen but Bhavika really wanted to. So she sat on the camel and was as you can clearly see terrified to an extent. Though she still claims she enjoyed it.


We were on the same stretch of Fateh Sagar Lake and came across a sign asking people to keep the place clean, while two dogs napped under it thankful for the shade provided from the scorching sun.
We asked the rickshaw driver to halt in order to capture the paintings on the facade of a toilet. Little ahead we saw another colorful stretch filled with traditional paintings, symbolising the culture of Rajasthan. Its a such treat to have pictures on a space which would other wise be dull and blank. It certainly would be pleasant to spend an evening at the promenade staring into the lake. Pictures speak a thousand words, and the wall enclosing another tourist attraction, Saheliyon ki Bari, was painted with different scenes depicting the lifestyle of people from this vibrant state.
Saheliyon ki Bari meaning Garden of the Maids, is a popular tourist attraction in Udaipur. It has an interesting story as well. The garden was built in the 18th century by Maharana Sangram Singh as a retreat for his queen and 48 maids who accompanied her to Udaipur as part of her dowry. It gives a glimpse of their bygone lifestyle. The long walk ways, lush green lawns, blooming flowers, surrounded by fountains, chiseled kiosks and marble elephants take you on a different journey through time. There were three huge gates before you enter a courtyard with a central tank that had a white marble umbrella-shaped fountain in the center and black marble umbrella-shaped sheds at the corners. I could imagine the royal ladies relaxing by the water body, and enjoying the surroundings. Our rickshaw driver-cum-guide told us that many Hindi films have been shot here, although I am not sure which ones. The majestic garden is worth a visit. Next we moved on to City Palace, which is on the banks of Lake Pichola. The entry was some Rs 50 per person, but to take the camera in they were charging Rs 500, which was way too expensive for a short time, and there was no place we could leave the camera. So we skipped City Palace, and instead had some sweet soda at one of the stalls to cool down from the terrible heat in Udaipur.

Outside such a popular tourist location there had to be souvenir and handicraft shops cluttered on either sides of the road. Jagat Shiromaniji temple outside the entrance to City palace. We had to catch the connecting bus to Mumbai in less than two hours, so there was not time left. We made quick visit to Lake Pichola, an artificial fresh water lake, and the adjacent Bagore ki Haveli. Lake Pichola had dried up due to lack of rain, and it also faces threats due to dumping of solid, liquid waste, disposal of sewage etc.

That's the Lake Palace heritage hotel built in the middle of the dried lake. A shepherd with his herd of sheep that had finished grazing on the grass around the palace. On the banks of Pichola is the 18th century built, Bagore ki Haveli, which has been converted into a museum. While walking out to enter the haveli, the old man starts playing tunes on his Sarinda, he displayed some skills to coax us into buying one of them, we ended up tipping him for his melodious tunes instead. The Palace was built in the 18th century and restored in the 1980s and then a museum was set up in its complex. The entry is very small of Rs 5 to Rs 10, and no extra cost for the camera. While we walked around the huge haveli, an old man played a traditional Rajasthani instrument to add to the experience. In the corridor was this huge chariot, known as Indra viman, constructed 125 years ago by Rajasthan of Jhalawar. Its made of iron, wood, bamboo and leather, and was pulled by two elephants. The local deity was carried in this chariot in a procession during religious festivals. The haveli has 138 rooms, balconies, courtyards, terraces and numerous corridors. That's why it took 5 years to carry out the restoration work in this haveli.
The walk through the corridor was amazing, I couldn't imagine walking through 138 rooms, how did they manage in the olden times? Of course they had servants, maids etc., but how many rooms were actually used? Would they remember the location of each room? Countless questions like these crossed my mind as I tried to make most of the short time we had here.

Right on the first level was the royal dressing room. The colorful glass in the interiors was fascinating, there was a small opening at the bottom of it and a mattress at the side of it. Probably a place to sit and enjoy a cup of tea. Also on display were jewelery boxes and trunks. From there we entered the entertainment room where the Mewar family played some popular indoor games like chess, snakes and ladders, chaupad, to name a few. In this room, women of the royal household played during leisure hours with their friends. One of the rooms showed photos of the restoration work in progress at the haveli, and they looked so different and the haveli was in a dilapidated condition.
A stroll around the haveli you will see the private quarters of the royal ladies, bath rooms, dressing rooms, bed rooms, living rooms, worship rooms and recreation rooms.

Just at the steps leading to the lower level, displayed on the wall was this beautiful peacock work created with small pieces of colored glass, it really captivates your imagination. In another room a giant-sized turban is on display, made in such a way that each side gives you a different style of wearing it in different states. This is the turban of Rajasthan, a different style in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. The basement had various wall paintings, frescoes, murals depicting the lifestyle, customs of the royal family. I am not sure as to what this depicts, a bird flying out of a man's mouth, seems very interesting! The haveli is lit up in the evening and it stages traditional dance and cultural performance. So many tourists come to enjoy the cultural event in a perfect ambiance.

We rushed back to the rickshaw which took us to the hotel where our bags were kept, we cleared the bill, the room was for Rs 300 for just 4 hours, and the food too was quite reasonable.

We reached on time for the bus, our tickets to Mumbai were of non-AC sleeper, but for some reason we were lucky to get shifted into AC at no extra cost. Of course the bus company tried to coax us to shift to the AC for a very cheap deal, but we refused and in the end they just shifted us as they had sold our seats to some other passengers.

We thoroughly enjoyed the bus ride, it was so much better than the train journey. We got our own space in the bus, we could chill and enjoy the end of our month-long trip to Himachal. It was a memorable trip that took us to some beautiful places, some untouched, some commercial. we met lovely and heart-warming locals, who were so hospitable that words are difficult to describe. That's the excitement of traveling, we hope we can embark on a new journey real soon! Read the complete post...

Just couple of minutes away from Norbulingka Institute in Dharamsala is Gyuto monastery, known as home of the Karmapa. It was a hot sunny day, seemingly different climate as compared to the cold desert of Spiti, so we were struggling to get use to the heat again.

Situated against the backdrop of the majestic Dauladhar mountains, Gyuto is a beautiful monastery that specializes in the study of Tantric meditation. Once you enter the main gate, its a long walk to the main temple and on either sides of the path are housing facilities for monks.
The temple was closed, so we asked few monks, drying some kind of cereals in the sun, whether we can enter, and one of them pointed towards the back door.

As we proceeded towards the back entrance, we saw one Tibetan woman meditating and chanting prayers in front of Karmappa's picture. Gyuto was re-established in India as a result of the Chinese invasion in 1959 in Tibet. Now to accommodate the growth of the monastery to over 500 monks it has recently been relocated to Dharamsala.

We entered the prayer hall of the monastery and were greeted by absolute silence, since only one monk was clearing up the place, refilling the bowls of water, etc. There was a big statue of Buddha at the centre surrounded by various Buddhist deities. . The walls were decorated with colorful thangkas and frescoes and also on display was the Kalachakra mandala covered in a glass box. One of the wooden framed shelf displayed the intricately carved butter sculptures. After seeing the way its made at Kee monastery in Spiti, we were in total awe of this wonderful masterpiece and the chanting, that keeps it intact, forms an important part of the entire process. A closer look at the detailed work of this butter sculpture. We had less time on our hands, since we had to trek to Kareri village as well, so we moved out quickly. We noticed there was a prayer session going on in one of the halls adjacent to the temple.
We did manage to distract few of them, but some of the monks were engrossed in reading the holy scriptures.
While the younger ones were taking a breather and admiring the motorbike. As soon they saw us taking a picture, they were quick enough to move out from there. That was funny!
Back in the cab, our last stop was going to be at Ghera village, from where the trek to Kareri begins. It took us around an hour to reach Ghera. We paid off the taxi driver and sat in a shed, as it was too hot to start the trek (besides we also had a strong beer on the way so that made us sluggish).

We were starving for food, so I ran across the road to a tiny stall, hoping he would make us some maggi. We were lucky since he had only two packets left, we gobbled it down and started the trek, which ended up being very steep.

The gushing stream on the way flowing from the melted glaciers, gave us some refreshing energy. The initial climb is steep, as we walked up the steps that led to another village. The path then becomes relatively easier, as we walked through the village, passing the fields and rural houses.

A cute girl on the way with immense joy and excitement in her eyes, she was so happy to be photographed. These two shared the same emotion. We noticed that their features were different than the kids we saw in Parvati, Kinnaur or Spiti, that explains the diversity of this magnificent country. Now they all got together for a group photo, the innocent faces and twinkle in their eyes brought a smile on our faces.
This is my favorite picture, the entire setting just looks complete and vibrant with the mud house, local women and cattle tied to a stone in the backyard. That was the end of our smiling faces, because an uphill climb beckoned us, as you can see in the image below. As we moved higher up the view got even better. The setting sun cast its shadow over the flat and fertile lands of Himachal and Punjab, which seemed to stretch on to infinity.

We took breaks quite often, with an excuse of admiring the view, but we had to catch our breath to continue. A flight of cemented steps towards the end takes you to Kareri village, and that's when you heave a sigh of relief. We had reached Kareri finally, before it got too dark.

We asked one of the local villager for Kareri guest house for us to spend the night, and he said that it was towards the end of the village after all the jowar fields. We trudged along, looking around, and passed this house where a calf was drinking milk. Its a 20-minute walk from the start of Kareri to the guest house. The only question on our mind was whether we will get a room for a night, as we had planned to go to Kareri lake the next morning. We heard noises outside the guest house which meant there were guests staying there, and this is the only guest house in this village, so we approached the manager with our fingers crossed.

The guest house was like an old wooden cottage with several rooms, and since the group was occupying most of them, the manager had to convince them to spare one for us. All four of us had to fit in one room, but it was just a matter of one night. What a room it was, it had a fire place, spacious, wooden interiors, tall ceiling for Rs 500. We went for dinner at a separate cottage, couple of steps away from our room, where the manager and his helpers stayed. The food served to us was delicious, khichdi and curry with papad and pickle, village food has a taste and flavour of its own. When its cold outside, this dinner combo was just perfect.

We asked him about Kareri lake and how far it was from here, he explained that it was 13 kms uphill and there was no place to stay near the lake unless you camp it up. We didn't carry any tents, so the only option was to come back down the same day, which means to cover 26 kms the same day. That put us in a fix, because the room wasn't available for next day, so we would have to come down to Kareri village and leave for Ghera on the same day, which translates into over 30 kms in one day.

Our two friends backed out, so myself and Clyde had to decide whether to go on the trek or leave back for Ghera. Personally, I wanted to trek to Kareri lake, after coming so far, and even Clyde was convinced to take up this challenge.

So we decided to leave at 6 am, have breakfast and carry some food as well.

Did we make it to Kareri Lake?

On a cold morning in the mountains, we were up by 5.15 am and out of the room in 20 mins. The manager was kind enough to give us tea and jam toast and he also parcelled some for us to carry on the way. A look at the old guest house in daylight. We geared up to embark on a long journey to Kareri lake, the guest house manager gave us directions - first 2 km is a level walk and then there is steep ascent along Kareri Nallah (stream) which has to be crossed a number of times over improvised wooden bridges. That's all we knew, and there were no signs marked on the way. The trail passed through dense forests of oak, rhododendron and pine trees.
We followed the trail until we reached a point where we could go no further, we saw no bridge around, just a dried up waterfall, which was difficult to cross. So we thought we were on the wrong path, looked around, tried another route but in vain.

It was slippery and a narrow path due to the dried leaves spread all along, so if we slipped we would be history. I almost got cold feet at one point of time during the trek. So after trekking for 3 hours we were lost in the forest of Kareri, with nobody around to ask for directions, or any signboards, we had to give up.

Disappointed with the outcome, we sat in a open spot in the forest wondering where we went wrong. There was no choice but to return to Kareri village and from there move on to Ghera. I really wished we had made it to Kareri lake, but to my dismay a journey back was scripted for us. Next time we will certainly come with a guide, we said to each other. We were back down in Kareri in about 2 hours, it was quite hot so we rested under the shade of these massive trees. A close-up shot of the colorful bark. If not the lake we got a chance to see Kareri village closely. The stepped fields of jowar spread all around the village. We asked this old man the way to Ghera, and the woman carrying water walked with us to show the way. The villagers were hospitable, just like Parvati valley. Here's a look at rural life in Kangra valley. There were lot of mud houses in Kareri. Two women chatting on the steps of a colorful house. The Dauladhar mountains in the background.
The distance from Kareri village to Ghera would be around 4-5 kms. But we had to cover that in a short time to catch the 3.00 pm bus to Dharamsala. The descent is generally easy, but at the start of the trek some of the steps are right on the edge of the mountain, which made me feel a bit giddy. With aching feet we walked at a quick pace, we reached the village that falls on the way. Here's a cute baby looking at me with surprise, while I took a picture.
We spotted the bus from far, waiting for people to board, by now we had already picked up pace even on a dusty, muddy road. But by the time we reached the bus had already left, the next one comes by 4.30 pm. What a day it was, first we lost our way in the forest to Kareri lake, now missed the bus as well. So we headed to a small tea stall, asked for samosas and tea. Samosas for Rs 5 were so delicious, no wonder there were locals, young and old only eating samosas there. We were quite tired and dehydrated, both of us almost dosed off at the stall.

After a long wait the bus arrived to Dharamsala. From Dharamsala we took a cab for Rs 200 up to Dharamkot, back to our guest house. It was going to be our last day in Dharamkot, as we were heading back to Delhi the next evening. A way to get rid of our aching body was to have a nice meal in the cozy environment of Radhakrishna restaurant. We didn't eat as much as our earlier visit to Radhakrishna, but we enjoyed the meal that included Hello to the Queen for desert.

That's not the end of our adventure, more drame unfolds when we reached Delhi and how we ended up at Udaipur for four hours. Hang on... Read the complete post...

A day of rest and a short trek to Nadi, which we didn't even complete, we were determined to do something more productive in Dharamsala, the last destination of our Himachal trip.

We found out the possible places we can go, and we decided to head to Kareri lake, which is around 33 kms away from Dharamsala. On the way to Kareri, the plan was to stop by St Johns Church, Norbulingka Institute and Gyuto Monastery, which are in and around Dharamsala.

We didn't have too many days left, so the only option was to cover these places in a taxi. Fortunately close to our guest house in Dharamkot, there was one guy who could do the arrangements for us. He charged Rs 1400 for four people.

Church of St John in the Wilderness

The taxi picked us up from our guest house around 10 am, and we headed to the ancient church of St John in the Wilderness, built during the British rule in 1852. The church is located 7 kms upward from Dharamsala, between Forsyth Ganj and Mcleod Ganj. Situated amidst deodar forest and built in neo-Gothic architecture, the church reminded me of the stone structures in Goa.

The beautiful stained glass windows of the church are well known, they are donated by Lady Elgin, wife of Lord Elgin, who was the Governor-General and Viceroy of India in 1861. We couldn't enter the church since it was closed at that time, so we moved on the memorial. Lord Elgin loved the place so much that he choose to be buried here in 1863. This is his memorial. Inscription on a old bell which was reinstalled in the church compound in 1915. The earlier bell tower was destroyed in the 1905 Kangra earthquake. On our way out, we saw a very interesting sight, a white spider had just caught a bee and was feasting on it. Such sights are pretty rare.

Norbulingka Institute - Little Tibet

Located around 15 kms from McLeod Ganj at Sidhpur, near Dharamsala is Norbulingka Institute. Initially we had no idea what this place was, but after a short walk inside the institute we were transformed into another world.

The institute was founded by the Dalai Lama in 1988 to preserve the Tibetan culture and its artistic traditions. This was basically to fill the gap between Old and New Tibet, after the Tibetan government-in-exile was formed in India. The main gate itself is a fine example of Tibetan's artistic skill. The gateway to Norbulingka is just a start to give you a deep insight into Tibetan culture. On entering you will feel that you are enclosed in tranquil surroundings. The Norbulingka garden bears semblance to a Japanese garden, with the use of rocks, trees, flowers, flowing water all creating a peaceful atmosphere. The complex is surrounded by pretty flowers. In the midst of this setting were artists painting various Buddhist deities. The paintings were as colorful as the buildings in the institute. Norbulingka offers training in Tibetan statue making, wood carving, wood and metal craft, thangka painting, applique, etc.

Wood-carving Workshop

We walked ahead to see more of the place, as the excitement was building up. We took the bridge that connects to another section, each building here was ornately decorated with bright colours. We first entered the wood carving workshop which seemed like serious work. It was unbelievable to witness something so intricately done with absolute precision and craftsmanship. Here you can see young Tibetan boys carving out the lines of the drawing on wooden surface using the traditional bamboo fret saw and a wide range of sharpened chisels. There were several rooms where wood-carving was going on, they create altars, cabinets, religious thrones and a variety of tables with some crazy designs on them. Some of the finished work was suspended on the wall, they are either polished or painted with colour. You can see how elaborate it is, the apprentice begin by learning to draw the Eight Auspicious Symbols of Buddhism, Seven Jewelled Pairs, and Four Harmonious Brothers and then they gradually move on to carving wood.
Metal Scluptures

Just adjacent to wood-carving workshop was another skilled art form, creating metal sculptures. Work was on in full swing as they were making statue of a Buddhist deity. The design is first drawn on paper and then transferred to the copper sheet which is then shaped using hammer and shaping tools. Large statues are mounted on a hollow wooden frame to give form and support, before adorning it with garments and jewelry.
Its not as easy as it sounds, because students have to learn various processes to shape the metal into the desired form. The Tibetans certainly possessed lot of talent, skill and ability to create stunning masterpieces, which were symbolic of Buddhism.

Losel Doll Museum

From the interesting workshops we moved on to Losel doll museum, an exhibition of costumed dolls depicting various costumes and activities of the people in various regions of Tibet. There are also enactments of religious events, festivals, lifestyle, and their daily life. This display was of the 47th king of Tibet, King Tri Relbachen. The story goes that he invited many scholars from India to revise the early translations of Buddhist texts. He established more than 30 monasteries and invited artists from Turkestan and Nepal to help decorate them. He also established rules for religious communities and government administration and consolidated relationship with China. In the end he was assassinated at the orders of his brother. Each display told a story about Tibet and its people. We took pictures of every display, but it would be too many to put on the blog, so we selected a few to give you an idea of what the doll museum was all about.

This one is of Milarepa, an 11th century yogi, known for his austerity, high realisation and beautiful poetry. He meditated in caves living only on nettles, rarely disturbed by outsiders. One day, a frightened deer pursued by an angry dog followed by his even angrier master burst into his cave. Milarepa quelled his anger, bringing him peace of mind through his profound and beautiful songs. This display exhibits the costumes and style of dressing of people from Amdo, Golok and Kongpo. Amdo is in the northeast of Tibet, and is known as the land of horses. People in Amdo are known for their literary skills and hard work. Where would be it possible to get such pictorial exhibits of Tibet's enormous diversity. Even their costumes are so artistic and elaborate! Seat of Happiness Temple

Replicas of the dolls and crafts are for sale at the souvenir shop. Right outside the doll museum is the main attraction of Norbulingka, the Deden Tsuglagkhang temple or 'Seat of Happiness Temple'. Its an elegant structure like all the Buddhist temples, at the doorway are colorful paintings of deities. As soon as you enter the main prayer hall, the huge 14 ft gilded copper statue of Buddha catches your eye, crafted by the Norbulingka Sculpture Studio. The hall is surrounded by elaborate paintings and murals created by the institute's thangka painters. There are some 1173 murals of Buddha at this temple. We sat there peacefully to meditate and admire the Buddha statue. The feeling here was very different than Key monastery, I didn't quite feel the calmness and serenity, but it was good nevertheless. An old man cleaning the lamps outside the temple. The temple had two levels, the second one included various rooms, one had the holy Buddhist scriptures and books neatly placed in the shelves. There was a small passageway, probably for people to stand during a prayer meeting. The walls were decorated with frescoes of all the Dalai Lamas and drawings chronicling the life of the 14th Dalai Lama. On this trip we have discovered so much about Buddhism, that it makes us want to know more about it, perhaps a guided tour of the monastery would help a great deal to understand the significance of the structure, paintings, colours etc. Above the two storeys was the rooftop which had another structure. We felt enlightened after witnessing the rich Tibetan culture. There are pictures to remember the moments, but the actual experience leaves an indelible mark in the mind and heart. It was a fruitful visit to Norbulingka, I said to myself. One can easily spend a day in Norbulingka, but since we had a long journey ahead of us to Kareri village, we had to speed up.

Thangka and Mandala Painting

The next stop before we headed back to the car was the thangka and mandala painting workshop. I was really keen to check out the process of painting a mandala, which is ancient sacred art of the Buddhists.

We were lucky enough to meet the artist who had almost completed creating Kalachakra mandala. The painting was done on a canvas stretched over a wooden frame using a cord. The design for the painting is then drawn directly on the surface using charcoal or pencil, then the lines are redrawn in ink and the details are refined. After the painter starts applying colours and embellishes with gold before mounting it on silk brocade. The Tibetan painter tried his best, in broken Engish, to explain to us the importance and meaning of Kalachakra mandala. He did a good job as well, so here you go, there are 722 deities residing in the Kalachakra Mandala, symbolizing various manifestations of consciousness and reality. The Dalai Lama has explained that the Kalachakra deities represented in the Mandala create a favorable atmosphere that can reduce tension and violence in the world.

The Kalachakra deity resides in the center of the Mandala in his palace consisting of four Mandalas, one within the other: the Mandalas of body, speech, and mind, and in the very center, wisdom and great bliss. The colors used in the making of the mandala represent the elements, like black is associated with the element of air and wind, red is for fire, yellow symbolises earth, and white, represents the element of water.

Understanding each symbol in the mandala would be like reading the Kalachakra texts. But whatever he explained was good enough to convey its significance in Buddhism, and the benefits of this intricate work for the body and mind. One of the painter was working on the metal sculpture of Buddha. This was a huge canvas, still under completion, and often seen in monasteries. Another enlightening session at Norbulingka, if you visit Dharamsala make it a point to drop by here and spend a whole day absorbing various aspects of the Tibetan culture. Norbulingka also has a cafe and guest house in its premises and its open from Monday to Saturday - 9 am to 5:30 pm.

The plan was to head to Gyuto Monastery, the home of the Karmappa. Following which the taxi would drop us to a village from where the trek to Kareri begins, and from the village another 13 kms uphill was the eluded lake. More about that in the next post. Read the complete post...

Every morning was a joy in Dharamkot, not only because of the variety of birds in the area but also due to a reasonably priced restaurant, Gecko, which was just few minutes away from our guest house. Gecko served some wonderful breakfast combinations with juice, eggs, sandwiches, baked beans on toast, salad and more, a mouth-watering start to the day.

Since we were quite active it went down well, though we also ended up relaxing in Dharamkot as compared to our previous destinations. Today was one such day, it was pouring at noon, so after breakfast we ended up going back to the room, sitting in our balcony. Guess what we were greeted by, not one but two rainbows.

One above the other, we were ecstatic, this was the first time we had seen two rainbows placed like that, one was radiating much more than the other. We stood and watched till both of them faded away as the gray clouds slowly descended into the valley spreading a gloomy sensation. Soon there were sporadic showers giving us an excuse to laze around the entire day, sipping wine playing UNO and watching television. In the evening we went for a short walk, well not really a walk, we decided to eat all over again. Except not a Geckos this time we went to a restaurant with a captivating view, Radha Krishna.
Radha Krishna has a huge balcony laid out with mattresses, so people could just sit, stretch their legs and enjoy their meal. It was lit up with lovely lanterns, and perhaps the best view that any restaurant in Dharamkot can offer. The entire valley can be seen from here, flickering spots of light dotting the scenery.

Not only was the place beautiful, but the food was also presented beautifully and that left us licking our lips for more. Of course not everyone was happy with what they ordered but we were delighted. We spent the day lazing around and feasting.
No feast is complete without a dessert and a name so apt, "Hello to the Queen", we were too tempted to order for it. It includes ice cream, banana, cookies, nuts and caramel, if your mouths watering you have company, for the saliva seems to accumulate rapidly as I recollect the moment we said Hello!

After that all we could do is slowly make our way back to the room, our stomachs exploding after committing the sin of gluttony. But thankfully the next day we planned to do a short trek from Dharamkot to a small hamlet called Naddi, which was 4 kms away. From Naddi we planned to visit Dal lake.

We woke up early, had a quick breakfast, asked for directions to Naddi and were soon on our way. The road to Naddi is in the opposite direction to the shortcut that leads to McLeod Ganj, the view is the same as you walk through the road with trees on either sides.

We were surrounded by Fir and Deodar trees, they seem to expel energy, we all ended up taking pictures of ourselves and the tree. Not many people were there on the path, so we were walking peacefully, enjoying the surroundings of the Tibetan land.
Soon the road split up and we were a little confused, there were other tourists but they didn't seem to know the way. We decided to get off the main road and walk on the natural path that laid before us.

On our way we came across an open spot that was decorated with Tibetan flags, here the road split again with one road leading to the Buddhist temple, we were completely lost by now, all of a sudden we could hear some loud noise as though an entire stadium filled people were cheering.

We could not make out where the sound was coming from, except that it was down hill, so we went off route trying to figure out what was happening until we realized that we needed to get higher as the lower we got the thicker the forest seemed.

We climbed back up and far in the distance through the trees we got to see what looked like a football stadium. People were cheering and the atmosphere created was sending ripples through the valley, even the monks seemed to be having a good time here.

After walking for atleast an hour, we decided to take a short break and have a few sips of water. That's when we came across a couple of women young and old gathering twigs from the forest. It was laden with yellow brown leaves, thanks to the amount of trees.

A group of women who were gathering leaves passed us, we were awe struck, human beings exhibiting the qualities of ants. The ability to carry something much larger than the size of their bodies.
These women were on their way to a village down the same path that we were on. So we were assured that we would reach Naddi village.

The view was spectacular, no matter how many times we stopped to soak up the sights on this holiday we never got tired of doing it all over again with every journey.

We ended up reaching a village that had a concrete road and couple of new houses were being constructed there. Just beyond a house under construction we came across some steps, that led to the top of the hill.

On climbing these steps, there was another path leading to a vast expanse of green fields. As we moved ahead the view got spectacular, we were at the peak. Horse stable, stepped fields, birds chirping all put together with a gorgeous sky left us content with our short trek. Of course at that time we didn't know where Dal lake was located.

We walked through some of the fields, looking for a good spot to relax, there were flowers blooming around us. So we opened up another bottle of wine, we carried these fruit wines with us everywhere on this trip, they were really nice.
After a bit we started walking around yet again through the fields, trying to figure out what vegetables or pulses were growing. We found ourselves in the midst of a Eggplant or Brinjal field. These are the brinjal flowers before the fruit grows.

There were wheat fields as well, quite similar to that of old Manali, some of the fields were already harvested with only the stubs of the stems rooted in the ground.

This village, not sure if its Naddi, had a couple of houses along the stepped fields.

A bare tree stood tall among the fields here, trees don't have to be alive to be fascinating. Their fractular branch structure generally tends to attract attention.
We got back on the path from where we took a detour, and asked a passerby about Dal lake. He pointed down at the bottom of the hill, and we were surprised, because the lake seemed very uninteresting. The water looked polluted and muddy, and lots of cars were parked outside, so it wasn't worth walking down. We decided to head back to our hotel in Dharamkot, in a short while the sun would begin to set and we wanted to be back while the path was still visible. These birds who seemed to be playing a little game, there were a few more in the vicinity darting about. A monk was making his way to the same village we had just departed from, their cloaks add colour to these places. We walked back with the setting sun in view.
If you recollect earlier on in the post we had a picture of the flags, where the road split and led to a monastery. This is the same place where the rocks were piled up. We noticed a similar thing, except that the rocks were well-balanced, in Tabo, Spiti. It must be having some significance in Buddhism. As soon as the sun started to set the grey clouds started coming in, luckily we made it back before it started to pour! Read the complete post...

The next day we slept like logs till noon, we had to regain energy after the trek from Batal to Chota Dara in Lahaul. The plan was to eat lunch in Manali, and leave for Dharamkot, a small village above Dharamsala, close to McLeoad Ganj. Since there were no buses, we thought of taking a taxi straight to Dharamkot, which is at a distance of around 246 kms from Manali.

Fortunately we got a good deal since a taxi coming from Dharamshala to Manali was returning back empty, so a friend who works in Manali sorted us out by arranging the taxi for us for a mere Rs 1300. The taxi was leaving in the evening, so we had enough time to enjoy some fruit wine in the golden wheat fields.

But before that we also had to book our tickets back to Mumbai, the travel agent in Kasol who we had paid to book our train tickets a week ago, couldn't get in touch with us while we were in Spiti, since none of us had network. He missed the earlier date he was uncertain if he should book us for the next day, we had to collect the ticket money back from his main office in New Manali.

We walked through the golden wheat fields, it was harvest time, we noticed a local woman cutting the crops with a sickle. We reached the bridge connecting New and Old Manali, from here we took a rickshaw to the main market.Looks like it was not only harvest season, but nature itself was in its peak around us, plants seemed to be infested with colonies of catterpillars. On reaching the main market in New Manali we were on the look out for the travel agency and noticed this funny sign board. The traffic police seems to have got their spellings mixed up a wee bit, but we owe them one for the laugh. New Manali is a busy place, cluttered with shopping centers, souvenir shops, restaurants, offices etc. This vendor had something interesting, a dried seemingly dead plant that would come back to life if you left it in water overnight, from brown to a lush green plant the next day and he also claimed it would live for a life time. Although we cant seem to recollect what its called. All this for just Rs 10 seemed like a wonderful deal. A call back to the agent in Kasol when we reached the ticketing office was all it took to get our money back and we were all set to waste the remainder of the day until it was time for the taxi to arrive. So we headed back to the fields with some wine to sip on and waited.

Around 6 PM we got a call from our friend Virendra Chauan (Vinny) saying the taxi is here. So we went back to his office in New Manali, we kept our bags there and went to Zing Zing bar where we had a couple of beers before getting into the taxi.

We hit the road by 8.30 pm, it was going to be a long ride. Bhavika's favorite pass-time on this trip was to sleep and thats what she did for most of the journey to Dharamkot.

Our only stop was at a dhaba in Kangra valley at 2 am, we only had a cup of tea. Next to the dhaba there was a huge statue of the Hindu god Shiva. Clyde and Brunel stayed up during the journey, to ensure everything went well and that the driver did not fall asleep.
A couple of kms away from the dhaba was another shrine of a Punjabi and Hindu deity, Baba Balak Nath ji, who is worshiped in north India.
The Bird Show in Dharamkot

At the break of dawn we reached Dharamkot, the narrow lanes made it difficult for the taxi to move about searching for the guest house where another friend had booked a room for us. We loaded off and started looking for a hotel known as the, Internet guest house. It was a beautiful morning as the sun rose in front of us, birds started chirping, gentle mist floated through the Kangra valley and Dauladhar range, which seemed like a warm welcome to Dharamkot!

The room cost Rs 500 at Internet guest house, and had a balcony facing the valley. The amount of birds we saw in a short span of time was more than what we had seen any where else in Himachal. Different species, varied colours, it was a treat. Apart from the birds Dharamkot had a good variety of flora and we even managed to catch a glimpse of a huge Mongoose walk through the pastures that lay before us and climb up a tree. Caught in the act, kissing birds.
Magpie perched on a hanging wire.
See who we got on camera, Woodpecker using his stiffened tail to climb the wall.
The journey was long, though Bhavika had caught up on her sleep she still wanted to hit the sack. Clyde wanted to chill and relax as well. We decided to go for lunch at a cafe opposite to the guest house, Trek-n-Dine, which served decent food at a slightly higher price. It doesn't take too long to realise that lot of Israelis come to Dharamkot in huge numbers, hence many of the guest houses, cafes etc. have things written in Hebrew. In fact there is also a Friendly Planet restaurant catering only to them, which we entered once and couldn't figure out any of the dishes on the menu. Besides, we also felt out of place with the kind of stares we got, so we chose to leave.

Trek-n-Dine also had the facility of watching movies for free, you get to select few movies from a couple of CD cases, there was a lot of choice. We picked up a movie called Borat and watched comfortably at no cost. If you have seen that movie, you sure know we had a very good laugh. Then we headed back to our rooms to relax for a while.

The day just flew by and before we realised it was time for us to rest yet again, hopeful that the next day would be filled with activity!

McLeod Ganj, the Home of Tibetans

We had read about McLeod Ganj, the residence of the Dalai Lama and home of the Tibetan government-in-exile and were very keen to check it out. The plan was to go down to McLeod Ganj after visiting Tushita Meditation Centre, a short walk up from our guest house.

Prior to making our way to Tushita we grabbed a quick breakfast, Dharamkot is the place we actually fattened ourselves. This time we tried the Milkyway cafe across the road, a cheaper option as compared to Trek-n-dine. We sipped on herbal tea as we gobbled up our omlette, sandwich and an unusual Israeli dish called Ziva. Its a snake-shaped bread stuffed with olives, cheese, bulgarian cheese, hard cheese, mushrooms and covered with sesame seeds.

We had to dip it in salsa sauce and green chutney, this experiment was a success, because Ziva turned out to be extremely delicious. It aet us back only by Rs 80, and it was quite filling as well. A funny name for incense sticks lying at the cafe, they were called Google. Just outside the guest house, an electricity pole covered with banners for yoga and meditation courses. Many tourists come to Dharamsala with a purpose of discovering themselves, in fact most classes are conducted by foreigners themselves.
Tushita is basically a centre for the study and practice of Buddhism, they conduct various Buddhism and meditation courses throughout the year. A friend was keen on finding information of the courses and we got to spend some time waiting in their lovely garden. What beautiful flowers were on display, an array of colours blending with the peaceful environment.

There were bunch of these growing around Dharamkot.

A red and black beetle seemed to be lazing around on a leaf. Tushita seems like an ideal place to go on a retreat, its away from inhabitation and faces the valley. Just besides the entrance of Tushita there is a short cut that leads to McLeod Ganj, a pleasant walk through the forest that takes around 20-25 minutes if you walk at a leisurely pace, although the ascent would take longer.:)

There were lot of monkeys on the way, and one was caught doing something strange, looking at himself by using a small mirror piece. This makes us wonder how much have we evovled that we do the same thing that this monkey was doing, virtually every day of our lives. How do I look today, I have a date tonight:) Its a lovely picture.
The history of McLeod Ganj...

People often mistake Dharamsala as the home of the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government-in-exile, the actual Tibetan settlement is in McLeod Ganj. Known as 'Little Lhasa', McLeod Ganj is a historical place, under the British rule it was a hill station, where British officers, their wives and children spent hot summers.

By 1855 there were two important places of civilian settlement, McLeod Ganj and Forsyth Ganj. These places became important centers of trade, commerce and official work of Kangra District. But the 1905 earthquake destroyed a lot of buildings, so the district HQ were shifted to lower parts. Then in 1959 the Indian Government offered refuge to Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama. He was allowed to make McLeod Ganj his headquarters.

As soon as we stepped out of the forested area we see hordes of shops and restaurants dotting the landscape. Bustling with activity, its home to thousands of Tibetan refugees and several Buddhist monasteries. It was a different feeling, walking down the narrow lanes of McLeod Ganj, absorbing a new culture altogether.

The colourful monastery in the market place, adorned with prayer wheels on the outsides and people passing by would often turn them clockwise to evoke blessings from thousands of mantras. By turning this wheel once one earns merit equal to the recitation of the mantras filled inside this wheel. The Tibetans have built religious, educational and cultural institutions in and around McLeod Ganj, which has helped in preservation of their rich and diverse culture. No wonder tourists from around the world are attracted to McLeod Ganj, they can get a taste of Tibetan culture. Women selling shawls and blankets, most of them know Hindi, so haggling is not a problem. I bought a spiritual CD for Rs 150 that had Buddhist chants to help induce meditation. You can find a lot of spiritual music available here. It seems like a major part of the economy revolves around spirituality. As we walked we noticed a couple of pamphlets stuck on the sidewalk speaking about the struggle of Tibet against China and the historic Tiananmen Square protests. This is the building belonging to the officers of Gu-Chu-Sum, that holds english courses for former political prisoners and their family members, some of who were jailed and tortured for exercising their political rights and were unable to get any educational opportunity in Tibet, a nice cause indeed.
Many young monks were walking around, this one was engrossed in his book, perhaps before a religious class. On a lighter note, on the road Tibetans were cooking black Tibetan sausages, Clyde thought of trying it out. Unaware as to what it was, he just felt like trying them out, hoping its not some private parts of a yak or sheep.
You can gauge the excitement on his face of trying out something new. It turned out to be decent in taste, chewy texture, and the spicy sauce went well with the sausage. Clyde says he wouldn't mind eating it again, but he doesn't mind eating anything again. A huge pretty flower on the way. I haven't seen any place that offers different kinds of massage treatments, from Thai to Tibetan massage, the choices seem plenty to pamper yourself here. We walked quite a bit right from Dharamkot to Tsuglag Khang, the Dalai Lama's temple, which is on the temple road about five minutes walk from the bus station. Opposite the temple was this huge poster screaming out for the unity of Tibetan people. I saw lot of Tibetan Buddhists using prayer beads to keep count as they chanted mantras. They seem to be pious. The Tsuglagkhang Temple complex, or the Dalai Lama Temple, is the most sacred monument in McLeod Ganj. The complex has a long corridor with shops selling religious books, t-shirts, souvenirs, but more than that an important notice caught my eye.

The 11th Panchen Lama, considered to be the second highest-ranking spiritual leader for Tibetans, was kidnapped by the Chinese government in 1995, and till date his whereabouts are unknown to everyone. This notice was an appeal to everyone to join this cause and push for the release of the Panchen Lama. The temple is simple in appearance from outside but it has some huge statues of various Buddhist deities. But first there was a dramatic event unfolding just before we took the steps leading to the temple.

We were wondering what group of young monks were engaged in such an animated fashion. Later on a friend said that they were debating. Its part of a monk's training to gain more clarity, develop sharpness and expand their mind. The debate also involves several hand gestures and clapping.

As you can see in the picture below, there are two parties to the debate, a defender, who is sitting, and a questioner, who is standing. The defender puts forth an answer to the question asked, they then exchange roles and continue. It can get very animated as well to raise doubts in defender's mind. They were debating about, Buddhist metaphysics, which we got to realize much later on our visit to Norbulingka institute.
We entered the first temple where photography wasn't allowed, but we still took a couple of pictures, which have come blurred, but this place wasn't as peaceful as the Kee monastery in Spiti. Probably because there were many more people here than Spiti. From there we moved to the next temple, adjacent to the earlier one, which has a life-size statue of Gautam Buddha. The idol of Padmasambhava, who is said to have transmitted Tantric Buddhism to Bhutan and Tibet in the 8th century. He appears in many Buddhist thangkas and paintings as well. And in this temple pictures were allowed to be taken. The deity in the picture below is Avalokiteshvara, is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. Bodhisattva means the enlightened being who refrains from entering a state of nirvana so he could help other human beings to become liberated. You can read more about it by clicking on the links above. It is wonderful to learn or to understand a different culture and religion, this Himachal trip certainly gave us a lot of insights into Buddhist rituals and customs. The temple also houses one of the largest collections of sacred Buddhist texts. Its called Kagyur, translations of the actual teachings of Buddha. These 100 volumes, translated from Sankrit, are the authentic teachings of the Buddha himself and contains the entire collection of sutras and tantras. Adjacent to that was another ocllection of texts called Tangyur, that contained works on Buddhist philosophy, grammer, logic, poetry, medicine, astrology and other sciences.

Thangkas are a regular feature in Buddhist temple and are used to convey information in a pictorial manner. If you want to purchase any of these, it would be very expensive. Its sad that such profound art is being sold for commercial value. These are invaluable and need to be preserved. In the next post we will also take you to Norbulingka institute where these pieces are created.
By dusk we were out of the temple, opposite it is the residence of the Dalai Lama, where entry was prohibited. Outside the temple are numerous shops selling Tibetan paintings, thangkas, singing bowls, trinkets with mantra inscribed on it, jewelery, clothes, bags, and much more.

The next post we go on a trek around Dharamkot and find two pots of gold at the end of the rainbow.:) Read the complete post...

Most of us were overjoyed with the thought of walking on glaciers in the Himalayas, of course there was the odd nerve as well, but that was negligible. So we got off the jeep few kms after Batal, took our sticks, slipped in the plastic sheet between the socks and shoes, put on our gloves, and off we were on a thrilling adventure.

We were walking at our own pace, there was only fun and snow ball fights on our agenda. Except for the guys from Delhi who were a bit jittery and in a rush to complete the trek, and soon the Delhi guys were out of sight; it was just us, the snow, Chandra river, mountains rocks and Snow White, the closer we got to her, the more gorgeous she seemed.
We took pauses along the way, as we were walking by the river this lovely rock came into view. We wanted to get it back home but the weight was too much. Every time I feel like doing these things, a Buddhist story comes to my mind, in short a monk walking down a river bed comes across a small red rock. It was very beautiful and the monk felt like taking it, but then he thinks to himself who am I to take this rock, if its placed over there it has to have some purpose or reason far beyond my understanding, so he left the rock there and moved on. Thats the two of us, as you can evidently make out both our eyes are half shut, the glare was too much to keep our eyes open, you need glasses to walk on snow. My eyes were bloodshot for a few days after this trek, my right eye had also begun to twitch for some unknown reason, it was quite funny! There was absolutely no one around, the feeling was overwhelming! We reached a barren spot where a truck was parked and bumped into the Delhi guys who were taking a breather. We followed suit, and ate some bread and cheese to regain energy!

We hardly walked for an hour or so when we reached this Bulldozer, shovelling the snow into the river. It takes them hours to do a small patch of the road, cutting and shoving the snow is no easy task, and the little beast definitely smokes too much when you see that there was nothing else around polluting the air. Once we passed the bulldozers, we reached a spot with a few people sitting on a couple of rocks, by this time my toes were nearly numb, my socks were wet and I didn't want them on, so I knocked them off and we were set for our walk on glaciers for couple of kms. The start itself was a task, we had to climb a steep hill covered with snow, with my weight and the bag my feet were just sinking in. My toes were covered with snow were freezing, it was beginning to get painful for me.

Glacier after glacier, and each time Sonam and the other gentleman from Batal told us that it was the last one, or just 5 minutes more. Each glacier had a narrow path to walk on, so we took one step at a time with utmost caution, because one slip and we would be history, flowing in the Chandra river straight to Lahaul. We were told that if we fall in the river, the survival rate is not too high. This was the climax of the trek. Ahead I saw one of the Delhi guys, Anish, slip and fall off the glacier, he was bigger than me, broader built and at least four inches taller.

He had a bad fall, but luckily a guy from Chandigarh, who had biked all the way to Batal, was walking along with him. So he took his bag and pulled Anish up. He had come to check how long it would take for the roads to clear, since he had to get his bike through.

I kept my focus on the path, but at the same spot where Anish fell I slipped as well, the path had turned from snow to ice, making it extremely slippery. I slid down by a couple of feet. My instincts told me to shove the stick into the snow and that held me there. The guy from Chandigarh rushed towards me, I stretched my free hand towards him, but he said no, give me your bag.

I was in a situation, with one hand I was holding the stick and trying to balance, and he wanted me to pass my bag. He said that in such situations one should always give the bag first. I was screaming to my self, take my hand you bastard, I somehow managed to remove my bag and swung it 3 feet above me to the level he was on, Sonam then came down to where I was and helped me out of the spot. After a big sigh of relief and a laugh, we were set to proceed, thanks to Sonam and the guy from Chandigarh who then taught me how to walk on snow. You have to kick your heal in first so you get a good grip even on ice. These guys could run on ice, living around snow for more than 6 months a year its normal terrain for them. Sonam carried Bhavika's bag and she too seemed to be having a blast hopping on snow like a free bird, while I had a tough time on tricky parts but never failed to welcome a helping hand from the guys whenever they offered it.

After crossing a few more glaciers we were nearly at the end, we had had enough of the snow by now, each one of us. For me I was worried that I would get frost bite, I couldn't feel my toes for over an hour or so. It felt dead when I touched them, there was no sensation at all.

The path ahead was clear and we saw the jeep waiting for us. We took a group picture, the guy on the extreme left is from Chandigargh, the one just besides me is Sonam the taxi guy, the two on the extreme right are from Delhi. We thanked Sonam and the guy from Chandigargh, we also paid Sonam a little more money for he was not really suppose to accompany us over this path. But our long trek that took us a few hours over snow would take him just half an hour to get back, they can run on ice. But we were done, we had entered Chandra valley in Lahaul. In view was the road and beyond that was the largest glacier in Himachal Pradesh, Bara Shigri glacier. Bara Shigri glacier is more than 25 kms long and about 3 kms wide and is covered with snow throughout the year. We were happy to be sitting in a vehicle once again, my toes were dead and came to life only after a couple of hours, it was joy to feel them. As we exited Spiti and entered Lahaul, not only did the names change but the landscape change was magical. From the desert to lush green meadows, it was unbelievable. A few kms away after Chota Dara, from where we got into the jeep, we were transported to another world. Horses grazing on the plains, the yellow flowers swaying with the breeze and the rhythm of the river sending out some positive vibrations. Flora and fauna surrounded us, how is this possible, cross few glaciers and its a different scenery altogether. Shepherds sleeping under the shade of rocks, while their sheep graze lazily. After a while we reached Chhatru, a picturesque village that serves as an ideal place for trekking and mountaineering. There is a small dhaba there, where we had maggie and chai. We were pooped, so never managed to take a single picture of the Dhaba and the surroundings.
We came across a bunch of French rock climbers who come to Spiti, Lahaul and Hampi every year to climb boulders. One of them needed to get supplies from Manali and asked us if he could share the ride with us. He was a French chef who was passionate about rock climbing and India, and worked at times in hotels across the country to earn some money.

Conversations happened as we moved towards Manali. Lahaul's landscape was absolutely fascinating, so different than Manali and Parvati. There were melting glaciers forming rivers and an unlimited amount of waterfalls, more than we had seen on our entire trip, and we saw it in Lahaul in 15 minutes of driving.
Waterfalls surrounded by green, that's what I remember of Lahaul and we made mental notes that we have to stay in Lahaul for a while it was gorgeous!
We had to go via Rohtang pass to get to Manali, since it connects the Kullu valley with the Lahaul and Spiti valley. Rohtang pass is famous among Indian tourists and we had not yet been there. As we climbed higher we drew closer to the pass, until we were in the clouds. It was overcast and thus it also hampered our view, we could not see beyond 10 feet from the car, the fog and clouds had obscured the view. But prior to that the glimpses were lovely, until we reached Rohtang, the snow was black with dirt. There was garbage scattered all over the place, as we reached further up there were various stalls like food, clothes, skiing facilities etc., spoiling the landscape. Rohtang is a total touristy spot. We were glad that we managed to see so much of untouched Himachal Pradesh, Rohtang seemed to remind us of Mumbai. We reached Manali by 7.30 pm 8 pm in the evening, it was raining and the cab guy was kind enough to drop us to Old Manali at the same guest house where we stayed on our earlier visit. Prakash was more than happy to see us again, and we rushed to the room and crashed instantly. Next day we planned to move to our next destination Dharamkot in Dharamshala! Read the complete post...