Travel, as we all know, broadens the mind and can also widen the waistline. When a mind soaks up everything it comes across; like a thirsty sponge, the resulting output can run into several blog posts.
I brought back many memories of my stay in Dharamsala- they’re now jostling and shoving at each other in the urge to see themselves in print. And here, in no particular order, are some of them.
- Cafe Illiteratti: Around a dozen sites about Dharamsala/Mcleodganj informed us that a visit to this place is a must. So, with the help of our GPS, we set out in search of it. Illiterati is a charming little cafe that overlooks a valley. It has comfortable seating, an interesting collection of books, soft music playing and a menu with some mouth-watering dishes listed out.
Which was all very well but we were starving and having placed our order, we were in no mood to wait more than the required 15-20 minutes. The appeal of the view, the books, the music soon wore off and all we could think of was food. To make matters worse, one of the waiters, a sullen-faced, toothpick-chewing local; told us that our order would take longer. And finally, when our order arrived (more than an hour later), it was actually what the group at another table had ordered. But, what the hell, when you’re famished, one pasta looks pretty much the same as another and we all dug in with gusto. The toothpick Chewie who had caused the mix-up must have scurried off to tell his boss. And that was when the fun started- the owner- a handsome, smooth -talking young Belgian approached the group whose order we had more or less polished off, (they were four attractive young girls, which probably worked to his advantage) and convinced them to accept what we had ordered instead. Many smiles were exchanged, and we definitely heard a few giggles. Then he apologized to us for the mix-up, ensured that ‘everyone is happy?’ and went off. But Chewie got no tip from us.
2. On our way to Mcleodganj, we passed through a village with little shops and shacks on either side of the narrow mountain road. To our surprise, we soon came across what looked like a rather swank shopping complex which seemed quite out-of-place in those surroundings. To our greater surprise, there was also a mall with a cinema hall. And the movie being screened was- you guessed it- Bahubali! Obviously, lavishly- mounted costume dramas with dazzling special effects are popular across the length and breadth of the country. Even in the mountains of Himachal, where the local populace speaks three ‘pahadi’ dialects, and the rest are foreigners, tourists and Tibetan monks and refugees. Truly, cinema has no boundaries.
3. Another thing that impressed us was the number of stray dogs around. And the fact that they all seemed so well-fed and content. Most of them spent their time snoozing in the sun. Obviously, they were taken care of by the locals, because they were a happy, friendly lot; unlike their scrawny, aggressive, urban relatives. The ones who visited the place where we were staying would wander everywhere, very sure of their welcome and always greeted us with wagging tails. It must be the effect of all that fresh mountain air!
(to be continued…)
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