Lord Dalhousie was surely one lucky man! To have one of the most serene hill stations christened after him, he must surely have done his part of good deeds! Dalhousie or the locals call it - Dalhojee, is an erstwhile summer retreat of the British, nestled cozily in the Dhauladhar and serves as the entrance to the Chamba Valley as well as a base for the Indian Army! A paradigm shift in the weather from the hot winds of Amrtisar, makes you feel like you have just landed in heaven, which Dalhousie, in reality is.
There are two main chowks, Gandhi Chowk and Subhash Chowk, the former being a junction of 8 roads and hosting the Tibetan market. We stayed a few metres above Subhash Chowk at the SBI Holiday Home, from where we got a scintillating view of the beckoning valley. Its a very calm and peaceful hill-town, much different from its more commercialized state peers like Shimla and Manali. The town still maintains its British heritage with neatly kept bungalows and empirical looking houses of the then officers of the Empire. There are ring roads which take you from Gandhi Chowk to Subhash Chock and the Bus Stand and back! It was fun exploring the roads, taking a stroll amidst the pine laden trees, scurrying for shelter when the rain showers would momentarily hurry to wet us. The 3 days we spent at Dalhousie were spent luxuriously in visiting a new destination everyday which others do in one single day!
Khajjiar
or the aptly nicknamed Switzerland of India, is an expansive glade surrounded from 3 sides by tall conifers and with a small lake at its centre. It has become a picnic spot with a host of adventure sports on display. Though the sports 'look' very enticing, they in actuality are not! They are but miniature versions of their true self, haplessly fitted in at Khajjiar! The next day was spent in visiting the Chamera Lake cum Dam. One of India's only dams where you can walk across over the wall holding the water, its a magnificient body of fluid, spanning in all directions and enveloped by tall hills! An half an hour boat ride and a quick desi lunch later, we were back in the evening to relax at Dalhousie.
We decided to give Chamba a skip due to the strenous nature of the road journey!
At Subhash Chowk, there is an old Parsi-type hotel, which is worth a meal or two and is run by a very jolly Punjabi family from Chandigarh.
all in all Dalhousie is a paradise for people of all ages, to come and soothe their nerves from the pains of everyday life!
