I am a ardent lover of hills. Blessed with the opportunity to work at a town located on the foothills of the Himalayas, I am more than happy with the heavenly sights of behind-the-hill sunrises and the numerous other charms of medium altitude life. Of the numerous hill stations I've been to, Macleodganj tops the list in many of my assessment categories. It is truly a beautiful place. One which refreshingly takes a break from the typical north-Indian-hill-station image. Macleodganj, also known as upper Dharamsala, is about 11 km from the Dharamsala town. While Dharamsala houses the administrative offices and residences of the district, Macleodganj is the home to His Highness The Dalai Lama and his government in exile.
My trip to Macleodganj, albeit planned in advance, was not devoid of pleasant surprises characteristic to first-time non-researched trips. We started from Jammu at three in the afternoon with the wishful thought of making it to Dharamsala before nightfall. To begin with, we were clueless about the way that would take us to our retreat for the night(and for the next seven days), the YOL Camp. I admit that the Eicher-Goodearth road map did help us, but only in learning by-heart all the side roads of the NH-1A trapped between Jammu and Pathankot. Things changed as we moved towards Himachal. Unfamiliarity with the route felt charming till night fell. Winter night in the hills is like summer afternoon in the desert,not a soul around! we drove along, waking up the odd resident unfortunate enough to be caught by us with his lights on, and asking the route to YOL. YOL.... strange name isnt it ?
