When Mountains Called

Once a year go someplace you’ve never been before. And I did! Took a flight to Amritsar and then hauled a cab to an offbeat village called Dev Dhar and spent a couple of beautiful and peaceful days there.

Dev Dhar

All about my solo trip:

Let’s begin from the beginning. I had heard about this beautiful locale up in the mountains that, unlike the cliche Kullu-Shimla-Manali is unexplored, clean, green and with no crowds around. Planned a quick trip and took a flight to Amritsar. From there it was a taxi ride to the heaven that I was soon about to discover. I so desperately wanted to grab a lunch of Amritsari chhole kulcha at Brothers Dhaba before commencing my drive to Dev Dhar but the drive was around six hours from Amritsar hence dropped the idea.

The first few hours of the drive were like any other highway trip but as we started ascending the mountains, it became more scenic and serene with the temperature dropping gradually with each hairpin bend. Oh, I must mention that I started at a scorching 42° C! The drive was interesting with an equally interesting driver who helped prevent my eyes from getting damaged by not allowing me to read, yes, too talkative a travel buddy! By the end of our fourth hour on the road, we both were hungry and tired and wanted a break. We started looking for a decent place for some tea and snacks. Found a roadside shack where we both enjoyed our much-needed sugary tea but no snacks :( as their kitchen was under cleaning for prepping for dinner time. We picked some biscuit packets, water bottles and chocolates and moved on. Hoping to reach our destination and a hot meal and cosy bed, we munched onto whatever our stash held. As the night approached, my buddy fell silent and started focusing on the curves of the mountain road ahead. And I slipped into some “Lessons in Chemistry”, the book I was reading.

A hiccupy bump here, a little swerve there, with the mobile network playing hide and seek, we reached the foothill of our destination. Our abode was barely 800 m as per google maps but the approach seemed imperceptible with a fork on the road where one prong led to a gate to a Govt office and the other to a kachcha road uphill. No network on our phones and unsure about which way to go, we retraced our path to a cluster of shops to ask for directions. Help came only in the form of a phone with a network! We called the eco-home we were headed to and in response were offered a guide who would come down to escort us up the path.

Locating my destination

A weather-beaten, cobbled kachcha pathway added more excitement to the dark night that enveloped us. I am convinced that adventure tourism is made of this! We followed the car that came to guide us but kept our gaze focused on the path. For them it was routine, for us, it was a first-time trip on a path like that, for my cabbie too! Manoeuvring our way through the narrow pathway with a valley on one side and hairpin bends along the way, we kept going without stopping and lo! lost sight of our lead vehicle. In our quest, we kept following the path realising that it got steeper and tougher to access. At one point the driver asked me to get off the car so that he could swiftly manoeuvre a steep turn. To date I am wondering, how did a few kilos less make any difference to his manoeuvring skills?

Just as I got off, the cool breeze tickled me, the trees swayed in welcome dance, the stars brightened their light, and the local guard dogs started barking at this stranger in their land. A mixed feeling of anxiety and anticipation took over me as I was wondering about what the dogs had in mind for me. Just then a villager emerged from inside a hut and quietened the canines. He already knew where we were headed and asked the driver to take a u-turn and drive back a few hundred meters. He also mentioned that we would meet a girl on the road back and that she was waiting for us - eerie, isn’t it? No street lights around, just the starlit night with our car’s headlight cutting across and this “girl waiting for us”! Imagination is an unbridled horse, I imagined a lantern in her hand and an expressionless face too - read too many Ruskin Bonds while growing up.

We drove back after my day’s workout of climbing up and running down a mountain and were indeed met by a girl at a turn. Shakuntala greeted us and guided us into the parking bay of the eco-home that was to be my abode for the next three days. Anxiety evaporated as I followed her to the quaint cottage perched upon a cliff glowing like a gem in the darkest of nights. 

The cafe and the loft library

The welcome

I was welcomed by friendly people and friendlier canines. They let the dogs stay here, feed them and treat them well and never shoo them away. Needless to say, happy positive vibes welcome you to Colonel’s Highland Retreat at Village Dev Dhar! Twelve beautifully appointed rooms constructed in the traditional way using local techniques and hands, kept warm in the cold winter days and cool in the sparse summer they get here. Their chef prepares the most delicious local fare but holds the expertise to dish out plenty of exotic international dishes too. Just that you need to express your desire in advance as they need to source the exotic ingredients from a town nearby. If you are game for exploring the local, authentic cuisine, you are in for the most delightful treat. 

Pisti

After a sumptuous meal, my first for the day, I was guided to my room, where I was greeted by Pisti, the prettiest pup with the kindest eyes! And the second one to welcome me to my room was a pretty large eight-legged arachnid. I have a mortal fear of them arachnids and do not even say their name, the one that starts with “S”. I don’t even type their name, the smartphones show you the images as you type! No, I don’t shriek and run, just quietly walk out and seek assistance. Lucky came to the room to help and astonished me by simply picking the lady up and leaving her outside, they do not harm any living beings here! On my insistence, he left the broom in my room, after making me promise him that I would only scare them away and not be violent with them, and bid good night. Incidentally, I was the only guest there that night, and as a Rajasthani who has never been in the mountains and never travelled alone, it was overwhelming for me to be staying by myself in a room where I was welcomed by, you know who! To combat the situation, I invited a roommate, and gladly Pisti hopped in and plopped herself on the rug in my room. We spent a peaceful night thereafter, taking sneaky peeks at each other once in a while.

My room

Pisti on her rug

First day of waking up in the mountains

An early riser, I woke up before my alarm went off and was left spellbound by the view outside my window, I deliberately left the curtains open in the night. This was a corner room on the second floor, which had large windows that accorded the most spectacular of views. The sunrise and its orange glow in front, the sparkling snowcapped peaks to the left! If this isn’t heaven, what is? I spent a whole hour just gazing at the spectacle in complete disbelief when my revelry was broken by Lucky and the hot masala chai he brought me. The chai lover in me was pleasantly delighted by a flask full of chai, not a measly single cup! Chai must always be consumed in the plural.

My breakfast

Finished my book

I quickly freshened up to go outside and explore the surroundings. Lo and behold! We were all by ourselves, perched on a side of the mountain with the most breathtaking surroundings. A vertical panorama would begin with potato farms, tall Devdars and Silver Oaks, snowcapped peaks, and cottony white clouds merging into the azure sky. Now the biggest dilemma was whether to stay inside in my lovely room or go out and explore the neighbourhood - both were strong temptations. But, first the breakfast. There is a menu that you can refer to but the best option is to leave the decision to the chef who will then treat you to the most delicious seasonal delicacies for each meal. I gorged on the most delicious aloo paranthas with dollops of butter and fresh dahi, followed by another of those magical masala chai cups. I am told, it wasn’t the season otherwise they would have made “Buransh ki chutney” for me - a pesto made of freshly plucked local flowers!

During these two days of my stay here I chose to laze around a bit on the first day. I

I woke up to this view

finished my airport-find and revelled in dolce far niente. Hadn’t had this experience of not-doing anything in a long long time. A place fit to be called heaven, fresh hot meals and chai whenever you want, a few friendly canines to keep you company and an unputdownable book - BLISS in capital letters!

All about Colonel’s Highland Retreat

This eco-nook by Col.Ajay Raina is constructed using local techniques, with help from local folks, is run on solar power, produces no garbage, serves locally grown produce, employs locals and provides shelter to the stray dogs who decide to walk in! They do not have TVs in the rooms but keep the latest of jazzy Bluetooth speakers for you to play your favourite music on. The cafe has a loft library with board games and lots of books and a seldom-used TV too, just in case any guest requires one. It is a tiny little paradise tucked away from the maddening crowds of the popular tourist destinations and yet only an hour away from the paragliding haven of Bir-Billing. There are a plethora of activities and attractions nearby but a free advice here would be to just explore the neighbourhood on foot and relax in the garden, cafe or your room. My day went by quite peacefully, literally too as there was no cellular network there. I had latched onto their Wi-Fi for WhatsApp connectivity and that was good enough to keep a balance between staying lost and being found. A sumptuous lunch, evening tea and lovely dinner and time to call it a day. Pisti as my roomie and I tucked myself into my most comfortable bed.

My room in the corner on 2nd floor

The surprise on the second day

The weather Gods had a surprise planned for me and my next morning began with
clouds knocking on my door and inviting themselves inside to share a cup of tea! There was a storm brewing somewhere but the fringes of the storm are actually very pretty, fluffy and pristine white clouds that float like fairytale yachts in the sapphire ocean of the sky. They bump around the mountain peaks and tree canopies like those bumpy cars in amusement parks. My big TV of a window turned into a movie scene from a Disney blockbuster. All I had to do was imagine some cascading waterfalls and unicorns. 

Day 2 - My view

My first ever trek at more than 7000 ft

A little nip in the air, my scarlet jacket making its appearance and walking shoes to
give an extra skip to the feet, a belly-full of puri-bhaji and off I went for a little trek to the peak 360 in Phula-Ri-Dhar. The temperature now was 16-18°C. Sporadic showers teased me along the way as I felt like “Koda” from “Brother Bear” and skipped (okay, panted a little too) my way up the mountains. My companion was Shakuntala who knew not just every human but also every dog along the way. When we got caught in a sudden downpour we took shelter at a “sarkari” guest house where Dadu (one of Shakuntala’s many relatives) treated us to an amazing saunf-mint tea. A few hundred pictures and we marched on to reach the 360! Now what I saw here can not be expressed in words, nor could it be captured in my camera. This was a feeling where one feels being one with the universe. The highest peak of the region and serenity all around. An abundance of the colours green, blue and white was so soothing to the eyes. A few hundred more pictures later we began our descent and reached our “home” in time and with a great appetite for lunch. The rest of the day was blessed by heavy rains and I was holed up inside my nest high up with Pisti for company and occasional interruptions of food and tea. 

At peak 360

The lovely trek

An honest confession: I have not had a more pleasant holiday before!

This was a vacation where there was no itinerary with must-dos and must-sees highlighted in blue. There was no agenda, no rush, no shopping list too. It was peace and I repeat, dolce far niente writ all over my time there. All credit goes to the creator of this lovely space who kept it basic and simple and just so real. This is an ideal getaway for artists, writers, thinkers, peace-seekers, yoga practitioners, bird watchers, adventure enthusiasts and nature photographers. This is an ideal hideaway for corporate honchos, homemakers, executives seeking respite from targets, children, grandparents and even pet parents with their pets. This is an ideal tuckaway for escape seekers, for those who just want to recharge and rejuvenate.

I have to go back in monsoon, in winter, when it snows, in next summer too; I have to go back whenever I can and this time I want to take my orchestra of a family along for the beds in the loft must be used by the tiny people who would love to play doll-house and sniper’s-position there. Even if they are not so tiny anymore and don’t want to, I will ensure they do :)

The loft and the bedroom

Getting there:

The garden

The closest airports are Kangra, Amritsar and Chandigarh with Kangra being the closest. You could also fly into Jammu and drive further ahead from there. Your drive from the other airports, other than Kangra would be anywhere between 6-8 hours long but the journey is scenic and doesn’t bore you out.

Booking your eco-room:

You can find them on various OTA platforms or can simply reach out to Col.Raina on his phone, number on personal messages only. Else you may drop an email at ruralfootprints@gmail.com.

How to thank me for this heavenly find:

Flowers only, please. Okay, chocolates are fine too.