incredible dharamshala

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving.” Lao Tzu Don’t know whether we were good travelers, but seemed to be a little bit of it. We left home with the idea of exploring the enchanting land of Palampur, without knowing what plans the almighty had for us. While negotiating with the Taxi operators in the Pathankot railway station, we ended up charting out a plan to first visit places in McLoad Ganj and Dharamshala (the land of Buddhist monks) and explore the vast green lands of Palampur on the way back. Though we maintained this travel plan till the end, the tit bits were changed many times in between with many omissions and additions. And at the end of the journey, when we were back to square one, there was consensus amongst us, it was a journey well made. “I see my path, but I don't know where it leads. Not knowing where I'm going is what inspires me to travel it.” Rosalia de Castro Travelling on the misty roads to Mcload Ganj, I realized the saying, ‘the journey, not the arrival that matters’. The suns playing ‘hide and seek’ among the trees in the foggy forests on both the sides of the road, touch of the ‘seemingly chilled but no not so cold’ fog on the face, rain drops lashing…it was a path to rejuvenation. Every moment I kept struggling to keep content my heart seeking to jump out and to vanish in the other side of the white vile of fog. The time was short and we had “milesto go before…” On the way back, I made a promise to the misty land. “I’ll talk about you a lot. I’ll nourish you in the coziness of my heart. I’ll come back to you again.”