Palampur: Himachal Pradesh, India: "Heaven Can Wait"

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• published: 28 Jun 2013
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One fine summer we (my wife and I) decided to go somewhere to some place, preferably the Mountains and to a place which was off the tourist path. I mean where we go to enjoy nature in its unscathed "avatar" and where a late night meant 7.30 pm. No clubbing, no internet (And guess what? I survived!) no late night dinners and..no shopping, no malls. What I wanted was a detoxification but not of the Five Star-stay variety. Luckily I found the exact location in picture-postcard Palampur in Himachal Pradesh, a relatively unknown small colony in North India, located at 4,000 feet above sea levels. Darshna, my wife and I booked a cottage rental for five nights and was, probably, on retrospective, the finest vacationing decision I have ever taken in many years and proved two things. (1) That one need not need luxurious surroundings to enjoy a vacation (2) One should not avoid a vacation simply because the distance is daunting as it took us 40 hours (by train and car) to reach Palampur. Surrounded by the mighty Dhauladhar Mountains which are perpetually snow clad, this petite settlement is nestled amongst gushing streams, monasteries, temples and treks, para gliding sites, tea gardens and the most incredible of natural wonders one can ever hope to find. A virtually crime free settlement, there was no need to lock our bags or even a need to rooms close our rooms at night. It's also one of the cleanest towns I have ever seen in India and needless to say, a pristine atmosphere. Additionally, used as a base it is home to many known neighbouring sights like DharamShala and Macleodgunj (home to The Dalai Lama) and not so prevalent (but unusually isolated with jaw-dropping sights) villages like Jiya, Gopalpur and Naddi. The nine minute tube highlights all the region has to offer and still it does not do any justice to the place. Even today I keep on pinching myself when I go through the photographs: Was this real? Was this not surreal? Go! GO before it gets corrupted by modernism and vacationers...