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.
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!!).
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