Hello Hivers as you know I am at Narkanda, Himachal pradesh....it’s an offbeat place in the hills. Today after breakfast we decided to walk on the nearby trail. Aunty made aloo pyaaz- paratha (stuffed potato and onion). I think I over-eaten as food is very delicious.
Aunty Ji (my friend’s mother) is an amazing cook, she always keeps talking about her cow, hens, and about the village. The cow is one of the sources of income and the amazing part is in the village these animals are part of their life and even more than that. All the animals live together here. Even today I am in the same house which I had mentioned in yesterday's post. The altitude here is 2450 meters and there are apple orchards all around. One of her chicken names is Lalu. Lalu is a little aggressive with strangers and wants to bite them ha ha ha ha.
Naveen Jogta guided us to the local trail and his dog Dhondhu also started walking with us. Dhondu was quite alert during the walk because his friend Kallu was taken by a leopard, and Dhondu witnessed it. Looking at Dhondu one understands that he has seen the leopard and there is fear in his eyes. We are together during the day time, that is why Dhondu has come here otherwise he would not have come at all.
What I like the most about these wild trails is that you get to hear all kinds of sounds in the forest-birds chirping, water flowing, leaves falling, and the wind making different sounds.
Of course, walking on the dry grass present in the forest is slippery but it is so much fun that what can I say. We are in the middle of a pine and deodar forest, the wind is strong and cold. Cheeks are becoming completely red and numb due to the cold wind. We follow this trail till we reach the place where the water pipe coming to Jogta's house is connected. Jogta says that if the water pipe breaks due to wild animals, we have to walk till here to connect the water. Then no matter how bad the weather is, one has to come here.
Why do I enjoy offbeat destinations?
Yesterday I was reading in the news due to Christmas and the new year people are stuck in 5 hours traffic jams as everyone wants to visit party places wherein in the same locality if you travel 2 or 3 hours more you can find some offbeat locations which can keep you away from such Hazzard.
While the whole world is creating traffic jams at hill stations in India in the name of Christmas, I have come to a place where I am the only tourist in 11 villages. Narkanda of Himachal whose height is 2450 meters...This place is famous because it snows a lot in winter and there is also a ski course here in winter.
That's all for today, now that I am here, I will walk in the mountains every day and visit new villages and try to meet new people and know their life experiences. I love it here, waking up with the sunrise in the mountains every day and sleeping with Chanda every night. See you in the next post where I will tell you another story from the mountain.