Mesmerizing McLeodganj

Day 2 of our trip to Dharamsala.


Continued from Day 1- http://expressunleashed.blogspot.in/2016/06/breathtaking-dharamsala.html

As the morning rays kissed the sky and the chirping birds woke us, we knew it was going to be a long day! After monakeying around the tea gardens and soaking in the natural beauty on day one in Lower Dharamsala, day two was more adventurous and tiring. Post a scrumptious heavy breakfast, we boarded our taxi which ferried us to Naddi.

Scenery from the view point

  

Barely ten kilometers from Dharamsala, Naddi is a quiet village in the Kangra Valley. At an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level and surrounded by the Dhauladhar mountains, Naddi is the starting point of trekking to near by hill tops. The dreamy clouds playing hide and seek with Sun, the lush green mountains and foggy trails leave you asking for more. It's a treat to watch the hills engulfed by fog one moment and clear sky the next moment. You instantly want to spread your arms like a bird, breathe in the clean fresh air as you close your eyes and fill yourself with tranquility.

Sun playing hide and seek

Tourists flooded to the "viewpoints" where a person loans his telescopic lens (in return of a nominal to fee) to watch the farthest points of the mountains. Thanks to husband's DSLR and my Moto X phone, we did not use the view point lens.

Man at work

  

The cameraman hubby

The serene surroundings have been encroached upon by reckless construction of hotels/guest houses. Countless felling of trees and drilling mountains will lave nothing for us in future. Don't be surprised to see international tourists (mostly bag-packers I assume) running small eateries or grocery shacks for a living. Perhaps India is very pocket friendly for them.

Approach roads to Naddi are steep with sharp curves. Drive carefully while descending the hills. Returning from Naddi, we stopped by Dal Lake. 

Mesmerized by the beauty of Kashmir's Dal Lake, this lake was named the same. The water source is believed to be Manimahesh Lake (situated at Bharmour, Distt. Chamba) which has dried now. Boating is no more allowed due to depletion of water table, silt deposition and soil erosion. The lake is literally a garbage dump now but the forests around the lake makes it worth stopping by. Since the place is peaceful, we choose a bench to sit on and relax for some time. Lines of deodar trees add to the beauty of the Lake.

Plastic waste and bottles in the lake bed are certainly big turn offs. Though the Himachal Government has taken measures to restore the place, it is also the duty of locals and tourists to cooperate. Why spoil the natural beauty like this?

A two hundred years old sacred temple of Lord Shiva on the river bank adds to the mystique of the river. Across the road, many other temples are a major source of attraction for tourists.

We resumed with our journey to McLeodganj, barely three kilometres from there. On the way our driver stopped asking us to visit St John’s Church. Against our expectations and no plans to visit this tranquil place, St John’s added joy to our journey. Such a magically wonderful place to visit. 

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The church is said to have survived the massive earthquake of 1905 which had killed close to 20,000 people in Kangra. However the bell tower was destroyed in the earthquake. Later, a new bell, cast in 1915 was brought from England and installed outside in the compound of the church. It is said many failed attempts have been made to rob the bell many times. 

    

Surrounded by green forests and well maintained by the authorities, the vicinity offers you calmness and natural beauty.

Backyard of the church

We spent a lot of time capturing the playful beauty of nature and the luxurious greenery. The cold breeze caressed us as sunshine revealed different shades of green. We walked, we hiked, we sat on a stone with our legs dangling down and enjoyed the sound of silence, occasionally broken by tourist buses.

The churchyard is the final resting place of Lord Elgin ( then Governor General of Canada). He later became Governor General & Viceroy of India in 1861 during the British rule.  He soon died in Dharamsala in 1863, and was buried there. It was Lord Elgin's wish to be cremated in the vicinity of the church as Dhramsala reminded him of Scotland. He was quite fond of the flora and the lovely weather of this quaint hill station.

What attracted me the most was the inclination of the authorities towards wildlife and fauna protection. The little bird houses and the well maintained beautiful garden bear a testimonial to the fact. Considering that I volunteer at animal NGOs and have built bird houses, I know the importance of these little shelters for the birds. Totally appreciate their efforts.

                                                 

The neatly paved pathway towards the church symbolizes a gateway to peaceful solace. People from all religions are welcome to the church. St John;s Church was worth the visit.

We left the place with sweet memories, happy heart and a calm relaxed mind.

Rest of the journey in next post....

The blue umbrella

Morning hues

                        The morning sky in McLeodganj- A view from our hotel balcony 

Memoirs from McLeodganj

Trip continued from Day 1 in Dalhousie. 

The first day of our visit to Dalhousie comprised Panchpula, Gandhi Market, Subhash ki Baoli, local shops and night stay at Silverton Estate. So much we fell in love with Dalhousie, that we extended our trip to three days. Also, how could we have missed McLoedganj after coming this far?

Second day we checked out of Silverton Estate and spent the entire day literally on the streets! We ticked off Diankund, Khajiaar from our bucket list and headed to McLeodganj late afternoon. Distance between Khajjiar and McLeodganj is 120 kilometers. We stopped at few places in between for the pristine view of farms and mountains. Dreamy bed of flowers and colorful fields were mesmerizing!

We reached McLeodganj by 9pm. To our surprise none of the hotels had rooms vacant. Kishori Lal ji volunteered to help and found us an accommodation when we had lost all hopes. We owe a lot to this gentleman.

The long cab journey had left us weary. However this little town’s active night life shook us out of our slumber. Hep music, long queues outside eating joints, chilled out visitors infused energy within us. Who wouldn’t love to party in such an electric environment? McLeodganj came across as a town that never sleeps! It gave us a feel like Goa.

Pit stop at Punjabi restaurant

We hogged on Punjabi food in one of the local restaurants and Pizza in another popular eating joint. Germans, British, Italians and travelers from various countries flocked to this beautiful uptown café merrily enjoying dinner, music & beer. In spite of the wild party and happening crowd, McLeodganj is safe. Females travelling alone need not worry about their security. 

McLeodganj was much warmer than Dalhousie.  I ditched my woolens which I had bought in Dalhousie. 

We crashed after the tiring day only to wake up to a beautiful warm day. Oh the blue sky painted with morning rays feels so serene! No wonders why people come to mountains for meditation. You would feel like sitting alone and watch the beauty of nature for hours. 

The morning hues

Our breakfast place

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Post a scrumptious breakfast in a little cafe we left for the Dalai Lama Temple. Unfortunately photography wasn’t allowed within the temple premises, so could not click anything beyond this memorial, right before the main entrance.

This pillar is a memorial for the martyrs who sacrificed themselves in order to free Tibet. The walls of the premises is full of posters which talk about the brave ones as well as those who went missing in the wars.

The quiet, well maintained neat and clean place fills you with positive vibes. The main prayer hall with wooden floor houses the giant statue of Buddha. The place is peaceful and relaxing beyond words. The highlight of the temple are the rotating prayer bells which bring good luck when rotated in the right direction accompanied with the correct prayer recitation. Travellers across the world gather here to practice Buddhism. Seeing them meditate or do Yoda is sheer delight. The visit to the Dalai Lama temple is an enlightening experience. You feel inner peace and blissful light in your mind!

Our next stop was Bhagsunag waterfall. We traversed on a bumpy road for about ten kilometers from main market and broken uphill trek of around 900 meters to reach to the waterfall. The waterfall is named after Bhagsunag Temple located before the river. Broken, half built roads and rough patches were not easy to cross. (Wear shoes or floaters to this place. Trek not recommended for elderly)  

The bad road condition was a big turn off for me. Yet the sight of a huge waterfall and cold splash of water was absolutely rejuvenating. A huge rock at the site was much in demand, to mount it and get a picture clicked with the waterfall in the backdrop.  The risk was worth it!

The place makes a nice picnic spot under the Sun. However, I did not like this place much. Yes I had the best company of my friends, dipped my feet in cold water and took great pictures, yet “behind the rocks” scenes are upsetting. I don’t understand the logic behind boozing or taking drugs in such places. For a moment I felt insecure but thankfully nothing harmful happened. 

We returned to the market place by noon and headed for lunch. Personally I am not too fond of momos, but had a full plate after tasting one veg momo. The hunger effect may be? The best part was the availability of vegetarian food besides non veg Tibetian, Nepalese and Asian spread.

Post lunch we roamed on the streets collecting memoirs from the local market and checked out from the hotel around five in the evening. The unexpected stretch of our trip had left us with no ticket for volvo. We somehow managed to get three seats at the last row in the noisy uncomfortable roadways bus, which rattled all the way to Delhi. 


The all girl's three days trip to the most happening place of Himachal marked it's end. Every journey is a new learning and you return as a richer person. Wish for more learnings and more excitement in future.