The overnight bus we took from Chandigarh to kulu dropped us at the wrong base camp. It was 5 in the morning and pitch dark. We could hear the sound of flowing water but our sleep-deprived mind couldn’t locate its source in the dark.

We trudged our way inside the camp; there was slow movement in the camp. Some people were up and going about their morning rituals, while some others didn’t seem too keen to separate from their night companion, sleep. We asked about and realized it was a family camp, meant for parents and children below 15 years of age. We were offered tea and then given direction to our camp.




When we stepped out we noticed the source of the flowing sound, it was the mighty river Beas coursing its way on the other side of the road. It was a breathtaking sight for someone who sees only filthy flowing water every year during monsoons.

We started walking in the direction of our camp while hoping to hail a passing bus midway. A bus stopped for us and when I looked up to read its destination, I noticed the words “Dev Bhoomi” written in Hindi on the headboard. Over the course of next couple of days I came to see these words painted on many more state transport buses, and couldn’t help thinking of the locals as pretentious.  There was no way I could have known then how wrong my judgment was.



After 3 days of acclimatization at the base camp we set out to climb heights on the fourth day. We were scheduled to climb some 12000 ft above sea level in 7 days. The camp we enrolled for is known as the Chanderkhani Pass trek, arranged by the Youth Hostel, which has centers all over India. On the sixth day of the trek this snow laden pass is crossed and on the seventh day the descent down to the nearest village with access to a road begins. From here the legs quit and the bus takes over as the mode of transport to reach the base camp.




One of my sisters’ and I took a detour back to the base camp after climbing 8000 ft, as it was becoming increasingly difficult for us to manage in the snow, while the other one continued with the rest of the trekkers. We hired two guides with the help of our camp leader and started back. We passed through Malana village (well-known as the village of the descendents of Alexander the Great’s soldiers) incidentally our guides were from this village. We got talking with the guides and realized how content these people were with their way of life.




The people we got acquainted with, shy, smiling villagers, beautiful, adorable kids, strangers, drivers, guides there was one thing common between them, each one was in harmony with nature. It didn’t take me long to fall in love with Himachal and its people. Yes it is truly Dev Bhoomi, the abode of all that is divine.

“Trekking can be arranged through Youth Hostel, they arrange several such camps throughout the year and not just in Himachal but other parts of India too. The easiest way to reach Himachal Pradesh is to either go to Delhi or Chandigarh by train or flight. From there take a night bus to Kulu or Manali. The bus ride can be arranged through any travel agencies in those locations.”