In and around Mcleodganj – A photolog – Part 1

Day 1 – 12 March 2011

After attending Sakshi’s wedding on 11th March 2011 in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, Adhiraaj and i left for Mcleodganj the next morning. It was 6.30 am when we reached Hoshiarpur bus and boarded the Punjab Roadways bus to Dharamshala. As we zoomed past the city, in the fields of Punjab and soon after entered the Himachal Border. The hills, the clean fresh air and the curvy roads were back. After covering a distance of 128 km in approx. 4 hours and 2 stops, we reached Dharamshala around 11 a.m.

Another 9 km bus ride took us to Mcleodganj. The frequency of the local buses plying between Dharamshala and Mcleodganj is 15-20 min. After reaching Mcleodganj, the first thing that greeted my eyes was the busy Mcleodganj Square. I read a lot about Mcleodganj and the nearby places in previous Ghumakkar posts and Wikipedia articles. So i knew about the places to visit. Due to some reasons our plan of camping at triund didn’t happen. So we decided to visit Bhagsu Waterfall, Dalai Lama Temple on the same day and Naddi, St. John Church the next day.

We checked into a hotel near Dalai Lama Temple and after some rest we went to the Bhagsu Waterfall. As the distance from Mcleadganj Square to Bhagsu Waterfall was only 3 km on motor-able road and then 1 km uphill trek, we decided to walk instead of hiring an auto.

As i was clicking pictures at the Bhagsu Waterfall, i noticed some people standing further up the hill and i noticed a way going up some 10 mtrs before the waterfall. So, we decided to go up and thought of finding the origin of the waterfall but instead we found Shiva Cafe. A place in the wild of what we later found out was the hangout zone of hippies. A place popular among foreigners and Indians alike for smoking weed and some other things.

The End…