A Himalayan Journey

What’s in a journey? Travel? Backpacks? Suitcases? Lots of clothes? Cosmetics? Makeup (really??) Snacks? Passport (well if you are traveling via flights)? ID Card? Valuables? Fitness tracking bands? Pillow, to sleep on? What else? You keep naming them! Our words will not stop coming out of our mouths if we wish to describe what goes into our preparations for a journey? How would you describe your preparations to be like? DO MAKE SURE TO COMMENT AT THE END OF THIS POST! WOULD LOVE TO HEAR MUCH ABOUT YOU AND YOUR JOURNEY PLANS! How about in India? Ready to travel in our majestic mountains of India? Well, how about an escape to the wilderness & the Himalayas? Do you want to go on a Himalayan trek with me? We would love to have you!

Nahan is like any other town of many states in India, but with fresh air and water trickling down from the tallest mountains and clouds (you will see similar in Uttrakhand & Ladakh as well). Such offerings you lack in other states, especially in Delhi, UP, Harana, Rajasthan, Karnataka, and more to name a few. Nahan is the tourist and center point of entering the Himachal from the south. You cannot miss it unless you are traveling to other major hubs by train or plane. I shall recount my stories on traveling to Nahan and other cities of Himachal. I am a Himachali after all, apart from being known as a “Delhiite”. There is a small Ranital pond with a mandir inside the Ranital park and another pond a few kilometers off, known as ‘Pakka Tank’. It is said that during the royalty era, ladies used to come to the Pakka Tank and have baths. Pretty cool fact no?

Good question, you have asked my fellow reader. I chill up in the hills. Take a chill pill and relax on the rooftops and see the amazing view. Oh, I also work in the mountains. Work never ceases to stop and I love working. But, what a better view if not the mountains? What say? Do you agree? With wildlife also complementing the hills, it’s no double trouble! But, a miracle! I had found some monkeys surrounding my roof and having a siesta during day time and lice picking in the evening. Hilarious right? You see those a lot up in the mountains rather than in the suburban metropolitan areas. Maybe, the monkeys and other species feel comfortable enacting their acts in their comfort zone where people will not tell them to move.

Apart from the cute wildlife, you have nice people to meet and greet. Since it’s a small town and practically people know each other, even in the shopping area of the town, they make you feel like you are a part of the family. They greet you warmly and offer you food, even standing. Now, you can imagine how warm their hearts are.

I had a little excursion to one of the scary jungles that I have ever come across, nearby Nahan only. It falls on the road towards Shimla. If I were to count by hours, Shimla would have been 1.5 hours away from the middle forest that I visited. It was a scary jungle indeed. Night befell upon us and it looked really spooky with dogs and maybe cheetahs howling in the night. Just imagine how that would have felt if you were the only one walking or driving! But, I got to see beautiful greenery with tall and humongous trees. Oh yes, they were HUGE! I could hear the lovely voices of the mountain birds and the whistle of the wind brushing against the trees. It was pretty cold. Did I tell you that I rock climb on actual rocks and not man-made? It felt so nice! Confident as I was, while I was stepping down, I jumped and sort of fell down but thankfully did not get hurt. Oh yes, I am strong that way now (than before as I used to scrape my knees a lot). Guess, what I was wearing? Bellies or flats! I can climb in those!

How about going to a fairytale place in the Himalayas? What place in Himachal could that be?

Banetthi is the name. Google it! You will be flabbergasted! It was heavenly & truly magical! I had never encountered such beautiful views before. You could see the mountain ranges encompassed with green bushes and wide trees. The trees look pointy but they aren’t! They are pretty friendly to touch! Also, I saw a lot of pine cones on the ground! Childhood memories flew to my mind! Oh, you can relate to the forest scene that was shot in a very famous film, “Raaz”. Remember the spooky forest and where the iconic song was shot? Well, if not, google it then. You will know what I am actually talking about. Let’s don’t go off-topic anymore, haha! In between the forest trail, there was a small inn, a small guesthouse for all the visitors to stay and even refresh. I wish I could own a house there, but sadly even if I did, would not be able to manage it since I reside in Delhi permanently and visiting the Himalayas in Himachal is just on vacation holidays. I walked into the wildflower meadows. I thought the purple flowers were lavender but they were not. I called them little wildlings (and not GOT pun! If you have seen GOT, you know what I mean).

Btw, I don’t normally wear bellies/flats on my treks. I wear comfortable sneakers because I need to walk a lot and climb mountain trails. In fact, I wear only one particular type of sneaker! You can check them out yourself! You better buy those shoes and get your Himalayan trek started!

Also, get your fitness in shape! Are you overweight not fit enough to be fit? Well, that’s just a myth! You can be in shape! You need increased stamina to walk many miles and even uphill! Have you got the shape and stamina to walk it all? Yes? Then you are good! No? Don’t worry! Your fitness instructor/nutritionist is just a click away! No, it’s not me haha! It’s one of the finest that I have read about so far! Why not try her tips and tricks via her blog! Check it out!