Trip to Little Lhasa.

by Shweta Bhardwaj.

After hiring a taxi from New Delhi for our destination, we followed the curvy roads among the greenery of tall trees, crossing the hills and finally reaching Dharamsala in the evening.

Munsiari: Volunteering in the Himalayas.

By Lavanya Keshavamurthy.

My journey from Bangalore to Munsiari (Uttarakhand) via Canada seems almost like a fairy tale. When a friend shared with me a Times Now program called Amazing Indians - "Transforming lives in the hills" showcasing the work of Malika Virdi, I felt this was the kind of work that I was really looking for. So, I took a break from my studies and set off to this beautiful place near the border of Nepal and Tibet.

Stunning views of the Panchchuli range

The journey up to the beautiful "place with snow" at a height of about 2200m above sea level (Munsiari means "place with snow" in local language), with stunning views of the Panchchuli peaks in the Kumaon region, was physically exhausting as I traveled in a shared taxi from the plains of Haldwani through the lower Himalayas to the higher Himalayas. However, the exhaustion magically disappeared by the way I was enthusiastically greeted by the family who hosted my stay. In the 2.5 months I spent in Munsiari, I had the opportunity to enjoy the hospitality of 5 different homes, all part of the rural tourism program.

With Basanti – my first hostess, friend and farming guru

One of the traditional homes in the home-stay program

Work hard

During the first few days, a typical day involved clearing cow-dung, looking after goats, watering the plants, helping in the kitchen, and knitting my scarf in front of the kitchen fire. For a few days, I worked with an intern from Poland on water mapping and water testing projects. One day, I planted potatoes in the morning and drove a tourist taxi in the evening & earned some money as a driver! A happy coincidence, and I earned some more money as a research assistant on a research project in the village. Towards the end of my stay, I worked with a dozen strong women to create a fish pond for one of the families I stayed with.

Fish pond

On the way to work

Who's that?

Play harder

It was not all work and no play. On May 13^th, there was fun and frolic at the annual Mesar Van Kautik – a festival celebrating the Mesar Kund water source. We ate, we played, we sang and we danced throughout the day. I had never danced like that in my life.

Never too old to dance

In and around

I also had the opportunity to trek to a dreamy little place called Paton in awesome weather. Though the main attraction on this trip was watching the majestic Yak, I was attracted to other things in the village such as the off-grid solar electricity, the home made rice wine, and the water mills around the place.

Dreamy village of Paton

The majestic Yak

End or beginning?

The 2 months I stayed in Munsiari seems like a long time when I look at the things we created together as a community and the experiences I gained. But, as I packed my bags to leave, the same 2 months seemed to go by in a flash. Over a conversation with Malika regarding my To Do list, I said 2 months are not enough to do all the things that I wanted to do; she said 20 years are not enough!

Friends from Munsiari

As my new-found friends from Munsiari said goodbye with tears in their eyes and packed local spices and Rajma, it felt like a 'Swades' moment for me. For them, it was probably an investment for my return to the place!

Author Bio: Lavanya is an aspiring farmer and wanderer. When she is at base camp in Bengaluru, she spends most of her time in her small, urban garden. She is associated with Ride A Cycle Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes cycling. Read more of her adventures in Munsiari at http://lavanyakm.blogspot.in.

For more stories off the beaten path in India, visit www.indiauntravelled.com or join India Untravelled on Facebook and Twitter. To contribute guest posts / photo essays to this blog, please send your story ideas to shivya@indiauntravelled.com. 

Auli, in the Himalayas of Uttarakhand: A Photo Essay.

By Abhigya Verma.


Nestled in the snow-capped Himalayas of Garhwal in Uttarakhand, Auli is a scenic weekend getaway along slopes dotted with green coniferous forests, offering panoramic views of the Nanda Devi & Mana Parbat peaks. Abhigya takes us on a virtual trek to the Gorson Top from Auli:


The Ganga is a constant companion on the road to Auli. National Highway-58, which leads to Joshimath, is built on the sides of the valley carved by the Ganga and the Alaknanda.

Devprayag is a settlement on the way to Auli. It is situated at the confluence of the Bhagirathi (left) and the Alaknanda (right). The river assumes the name Ganga here.

A few kilometres beyond Chamoli, the road drops in altitude to be almost level with the waters of the roaring Alaknanda. A nice place to take a break after a back-breaking 7 hour drive.

The objective of our trek – the snow covered Gorson Top, as seen from Auli. The trek took us through a dense coniferous jungle of Deodar and Oak which gave way to an Alpine meadow (Bugyal in local parlance), with the meadow finally giving way to the snow field.

The guardian Goddess of the Uttarakhand Himalayas - Nanda Devi - as seen from Auli.

After a long and taxing trudge, we finally made it to the beautiful meadow. Looking down from our position presented us with some of the most beautiful scenery to be found anywhere.

An ibex skull reminded us that a grim battle for survival rages even at this seemingly heavenly place.

Nanda Devi  from  Gorson Bugyal. The scale of the Himalayas suddenly dawned upon us!

The Trishul group of peaks from Gorson Bugyal.

We were almost there when…

…the weather changed suddenly. Weather in the high Himalayas can change swiftly and unpredictably. So without wasting more time, we decided to head back to our hotel in Auli.

During the descent, we came across a shepherd settlement. Life at high altitudes is harsh, yet the hill folk go about their chores with an alacrity that is both baffling and infectious.

Looking back up from Tapovan validated our decision to head back. The clouds seemed to have been descended on the mighty Himalayas.

The Bugyals received a fresh spell of snow. The magnitude of snow that fell upon the meadows in just 4 hours was incredible.

The following morning presented us with a wonderful view at sunrise. It was time to wind up our Auli trip and head home. The people, the mountains and the rivers of Uttarakhand have left me with some indelible memories to cherish.

The author is a software engineer by profession. He loves to go on short impromptu trips whenever he can find the time. He blogs at http://abhigyasblog.blogspot.in and tweets @abhigya.

 For more stories off the beaten path in India, visit www.indiauntravelled.com or join India Untravelled on Facebook and Twitter. To contribute guest posts / photo essays to this blog, please send your story ideas to shivya@indiauntravelled.com. 

Mcleodganj: A photo essay.

By Tushar Agrawal.

Calm and serene, Mcleodganj is a perfect getaway from the crowds of Shimla, Kullu and Manali and an opportunity to witness unadulterated beauty. It lies in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, and is the main hub of Dharamsala. 

En-route to Mcleodganj.

Mcleodganj throws us a misty welcome, the weather of the hills that I love most.

The sunrise and sunset behind the hills are lovely to watch.

The Bhagsu Waterfall, 3 kms ahead of Mcleodganj is best early in the morning, for a refreshing dip in the stream.

The Dal Lake, not exactly well maintained, but a wonderful place nonetheless for the greenery around.

Lamps at the Tibetan Temple.

Green hills, blue skies.

The cricket stadium in Dharmshala, for all ardent cricket fans. This has to be one of the best cricket locales in the world. Mountains in the background and lush green grass - perfect for Team India!

The author blogs at Life360Degrees and tweets @tusharagg87.

For more stories off the beaten path in India, visit www.indiauntravelled.com or join India Untravelled on Facebook and Twitter. To contribute guest posts / photo essays to this blog, please send your story ideas to shivya@indiauntravelled.com.