Skies, Clouds

After the hail storm; Dalhousie


From TIPA in McLeodganj;
the night of the Tibetan benefit concert



the sun illuminates; norbulingka

Triund

We hiked up to Triund from Mcleodganj. A somewhat steep climb for about 4 hours brings one to a beautiful grassy pass with views of nearby peaks. It's a lovely way to get away and it's not a tough walk.

Dalhousie

We took the bus up to Dalhousie from Dharamshala (7am, 120Rps., 5 hrs.). It's a beautiful town, quiet and peaceful, high among the hilly approach to the Indian Himalaya. The ride up was spectacular and at times harrowing as the road ran to the edge of vertical drops hundreds of meters high. Dalhousie is a great alternative to Bhagsu and Dharamkot for quiet and isolation. Though if you're looking for traveling community, judging by the souvenirs, Dalhousie is an Indian tourist location, and you won't find too many shops catering to westerners. This was refreshing and added to the place in a way that allowed one to disappear a little in to the quiet. Though only disappear a little; there's a lot of staring and attention to be had. From monkeys too, of which there are hordes of Macaques. I accidentally made eye contact with a big one as I was coming up some stairs and it rushed me. I ducked at the last moment and it bounded off my back and up into a tree. From there it perched and made very menacing faces at me until I threatened it with a stone and the toothy beast hid behind a branch, peeking out, hissing. So be careful of the monkeys, but for real peace and quiet (especially in the off season now), Dalhousie is it. It's not as convenient as McLeodganj, so bring whatever you need and chill out for a while.


a gigantic Hanuman near Kajjiar, 22km from Dalhousie

A Big One...

Be careful where you step wandering around Dharamshala. These monsters are oozing about all over the place, often stupidly on stairs. Imagine waking up with one of these gliding across your face on a trail of mucus.