It must have been 2 years ago, in 2016 when I had first heard (or read) the word Thachi. I’d reached Balichowki on my way to Gushaini and was having paranthas at a small eatery when I saw a bus with Thachi written on it. I asked the dhaba uncle and he said the road…
Tag: Offbeat Himachal
Wanderings in Lahaul : Gemur Gompa (Monastery)
It had been a strange sort of a day. The sun had played hide and seek till the afternoon and the clouds had their way thereafter. I was acclimatising in Keylong, and was exploring monasteries of Lahaul (Lahul) for good measure. It must have been good fortune that day, because I had already seen Wanderings…
Celebrating a Traditional Festival in a village in Kullu Valley, Himachal Pradesh
After years of travelling through my favourite state in India, Himachal Pradesh – and witnessing many festivals in different seasons; I finally got lucky to attend a traditional village festival in Kullu Valley. I had reached a small village in Sainj Valley after changing a few bus rides and special buses had been started to…
Grahan Village Trek from Kasol : Happiness and More
I was returning to Parvati Valley in 2018 after a year long hiatus; chiefly because of the crowds that I’d seen around Kheerganga on an earlier trip. I must have thought of Kalga though when a trip was planned with friends. When we boarded our HRTC Himsuta Volvo from Delhi to Bhuntar, there was no…
Wanderings in Lahaul : Trilokinath Temple
It was turning out to be an epic trip of sorts. On this sojourn, I had entered Pangi Valley across Saach Pass and after exploring this forbidden region had reached Udaipur in Pattan Valley (Lahaul). In more unforgettable adventures, I had totally fallen for Miyar Valley and after missing the only bus of the day;…
Jibhi & Chehni Kothi : A Travelogue
This post has taken a long time coming. From seeing Jibhi as an unspoiled paradise and a secret that I wanted to keep to myself in 2014; to seeing a monstrous orange building come up near Jibhi bridge one afternoon in 2017. Jibhi lies in Banjar Valley on a popular route connecting Manali to Shimla…
Khangsar, Kwaring, Sarang, Kolong – Exploring Lahaul Valley
Yonten asks, ‘Shubham; Lahaul chalega?’, and I take no time to nod my head and say yes! It is already chilly in Manali as we are in the middle of November. I have long suspected that while the Rohtang Pass officially closes on October 15th, it is kept open for much longer for the locals…
Chamba, Himachal Pradesh : Experiences & Places to Visit
We had changed buses at Chamba bus stand on our way to Khajjiar because the road to Dalhousie was snowed out. Chamba seemed like a crowded place, but then all important bus stations are full of people. I had faint memories of Chamba, having explored it almost two decades ago on a roadtrip with my…
Shangarh in Sainj Valley – Of Temples and Meadows
Kullu Valley is called the ‘Valley of Gods’ but I had not even heard about this village called Shangarh. It was a few Facebook posts by celebrated members on The Himalayan Club that pulled my attention to Shangarh – and Shangchul Mahadev Temple in Sainj Valley. It had already been more than a year since…
First Tryst with Pangi Valley : Sural Bhatori
Folklores and legends state that Pangi valley was so remote that the Raja of Chamba paid ‘funeral expenses’ to the officials proceeding on their way for duties here. The reason for the same was that there was no surety of their return, whether they will return dead or alive. It is also said that criminals…
Top Experiences and Places to Visit in Barot Valley
Normally I take my own sweet time to pen down memories from various journeys. Sometimes a post that I share now may stretch back even to a few years! After all the fun lies in sharing secrets hitherto safely confined to memory. And yet, there comes a experience, out of the blue – that has…
Encounters at the end of the world in Himachal Pradesh : Kugti Village in Winter
It was an impossible task to reach even Bharmour. The three hour bus journey from Chamba had proved to be a topsy turvy ride, especially when the broad track gave way to a serpentine mountainous road. Some of it had been swept away in the rain. This was the land of the Gaddis and Bharmour was…