Are we even in India?

As humans, we have a tendency to generalise our whole preconception of what a country will be like from the few iconic images encrypted in our heads from the likes of TV and advertising. It probably shouldn’t be that way, but I think it’s fair to say it is an accurate representation of how many of us think. After spending a couple of weeks in varying levels of chaos, arriving in the state of Himachal Pradesh was like a little slice of paradise, and a picture far from the one we had conjured up in our heads of India as a country.

The long bus journey from Amritsar was less than comfortable. As we neared our destination of Dharamkot, the twisting of the roads intensified and we arrived in delicate states. However, nothing could take away from the quite sensational views that rolled out before us. We were staying in a beautiful (for once!) hostel, nestled right up in the mountains where the Himalayas begins to roll out into all it’s glory. The cooler temperature was a welcomed break from the unforgiving heat we had witnessed along the India-Pakistan border, and we wasted no time in setting out for our first trek. Although many people opt for two days, we cracked on and finished the Triund Trek all on our first day in Dharamkot. Although classed as an ‘easy’ route, the final push was pretty steep, and we hit it at the hottest part of the day. Everyone we passed informed us, “just another 20 to go!”, until eventually we reached the peak. We shared a snickers bar and packet of crisps whilst admiring the views before us, and made for a very speedy descent (only one fall between us!).

We spent the next few days exploring Dharamkot village; it’s like a hippie’s little paradise! We LOVED it – possibly because the majority of the little windy streets were pedestrianized, providing a much-needed time out from the ever-beeping car horns. There were a handful of cafes, jewellery and clothes shops, and loads of meditation and yoga centres. As Butty had caught a cold from being on the top of Triund, combined with her first experience of Delhi Belly, I went to my first ever yoga class solo. It was quite the experience, and found myself bending my body in very unnatural ways, along with chanting sentences that,  quite frankly, I didn’t understand at all! We also went along to our first (and only) meditation session – something I had been super excited for. Unfortunately, it turns out sitting still and thinking for that long (or not thinking, is the point… I think!) is really not a strong point of mine. As for Butty, she nailed the thinking part, but battled with her blocked nose throughout the entire session! Think we’ll just stick to rugby.

From Dharamkot we moved to Mcleod Ganj, a slightly busier town just 15 minutes away. This place was awesome, and heavily occupied by the Tibetan community who have fled from China over the years. The Tibetan government-in-exile is also based in Mcleod Ganj. The streets were packed with incredible stalls and stores, full of handmade arts and crafts, and traditional Tibetan items. We did some more trekking, discovered amazing Tibetan food, and on our last day we visited the Tibetan Children’s Village.

The village was founded in 1960 for Tibetan children in exile. The establishment was huge, and to think they now have a further sixteen schools set up around India is amazing, but also amplifies the amount of children affected in the region! Although we visited on a Monday, the children were off timetable as everyone prepared for the school's 58th anniversary the following day. The kids were all extremely well drilled as they set about scrubbing floors, shoes, laying out carpets and generally preparing for the celebrations ahead. The school is entirely funded by private sponsorship, which is impressive when you consider the size of the place.

All in all, the north of India has totally exceeded our expectations. For anyone planning a trip to India, it is so worth the long, tedious, and uncomfortable bus journeys (although you’ll probably be on less of a budget than us and can just jump on an internal flight!!).