The bus from Amritsar arrives in Dharamshala around midnight. Not only is it the middle of the night, but it’s also raining heavily. From Dharamshala, we still need to get to McLeod Ganj. With the help of a friendly Hindu from Kashmir, we took a taxi to the Mountain View hotel in McLeod. Around 1:00 in the morning, the choices are generally very limited, and we accepted what was offered to us—a nice room at a high price of 2000 rupees. In the morning, it turned out that the windows in the room overlook the mountains, and the standard is acceptable. We managed to negotiate the price down to 1500 rupees, and we stayed in the room for another four nights. After breakfast, we set out to explore the city. McLeod is full of monks and nuns, with a significant portion of the population being Tibetans.
Apart from Buddhist temples, it’s also worth visiting the Tibet Museum. The entrance fee is 20 rupees. The museum presents the history and present of the people of Tibet and refugees scattered around the world in an attractive way. A fascinating aspect for me was the history of the emigration of Tibetan rulers abroad due to external threats. Not only the current Dalai Lama fled the country due to external threats.
We dedicated one day to trekking in the Indian Himalayas. We wanted to climb Triund Hill. I planned to start from McLeod just after sunrise, but as usual, by the time we gathered, it was 7:00. There are two trails leading to Triund. The first one starts at Gallu Devi temple. You can reach the temple by taxi, which is quite expensive (500 INR) due to the low-quality dirt road. Despite the high price, I strongly advise against starting the trek in McLeod. Several hours will be wasted on getting to the proper beginning of the trail. We had breakfast at the beginning of the trail and headed up. The trail is very well-prepared, and it’s practically impossible to get lost. The path leads through the forest in a picturesque way. The ascent is steep but manageable with breaks for photos and rest. It took us about 4 hours to reach Triund (2875 m). We arrived at Triund before 12:00, which was definitely too late for the last stage of the trek, i.e., climbing Triund Hill, which would probably take us about 2 hours, plus descending, probably about 1.5 hours. We stayed at Triund, enjoying the beautiful views of the Himalayas. We started the return trek around 1:00 PM. This time, we chose a different trail that ends at Bhagsu waterfall. Initially, the trail is very gentle, with a beautiful view of the mountains on the left. Unfortunately, the idyll doesn’t last long. After about 20 minutes, the trail changes dramatically. It descends very steeply, and unfortunately, you have to be very careful because you walk on loose stones, which can be very slippery. Unfortunately, in this way, it descends all the way to the waterfall. The descent takes us as much time as the ascent due to very difficult terrain and steep slopes. We are so tired that it’s difficult for us to enjoy the beautiful Bhagsu waterfall. We reach the hotel by tuk-tuk for 70 rupees.
McLeod Ganj is a good place to buy souvenirs. By buying in a special zone near the Tsuglagkhang temple, we help refugees.
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