The next day we flew to Dharamshala, a small hill station in the very far north of the country, close to Pakistan and Kashmir, mostly known for being the home of the Tibetan government in exile and the temple of the Dalai Lama. After a long, winding, uphill taxi ride from the airport, we met the host for our Airbnb rental and he showed us around. It was a big, comfortable, gorgeous house, with a bunk bed fit for an adult and an “opium den”, perfect for our quiet stay in the mountains.
After we dropped off our stuff and cleaned up a bit, we set out around sunset to wander the town, spending some time at the local monastery close to our place before the first of many meals at Illiterati, a bookshop-themed cafe perched on the edge of the hill, immensely popular with foreigners seeking Western food and coffee.
After a big brunch at Illiterati the following morning, we continued hiking up the hill to the Dalai Lama’s temple, then spent some time wandering the grounds with the other pilgrims. It was a much bigger version of the local monastery we had discovered the night before, complete with Buddhist monks painstakingly creating a mandala.
After the temple, we educated ourselves at the nearby museum of Tibetan history, did some shopping at the many vendors branching out from the temple grounds, stopped at a cafe for snacks and coffee and – for some of us – yak milk, and then set off on another hike to a nearby waterfall. The hike was beautiful and we got to see a lot more of the town. There was even a newlywed couple taking photos at the waterfall, much to the delight of everyone who happened to be there that day.
That evening, we went to Tibet Kitchen for dinner, an excellent recommendation from several people. Given how tasty all the food was, it wasn’t surprising to see a mix of locals and tourists, including several monks. The rest of the evening was spent back at the Airbnb, playing “Dirty Scrabble” while candles and incense burned all around in the opium den living room.
Our last full day in the mountains was a choose-your-own-adventure day for everyone, after our requisite meal at Illiterati, of course. “Pizza brunch”, as it affectionately came to be known later, was a culinary experience that included the ordering and consumption of an entire pizza after everyone had already eaten a full breakfast, as you do.
Clayton was craving some more physical activity, so he set off on a one-man hike to the temple of flags. Mo was craving some solitary reading and writing time, so he stayed at Illuminati for the afternoon. Erik and I were both dealing with an annoying cold, so we went back to the house for the afternoon. I hung out in the opium den with my journal, candles, and incense while Erik slept away the afternoon upstairs.
Mo came back to the house in the late afternoon and he and I left Erik to rest while we walked up the hill at sunset to our local monastery again. The views down the mountain were especially beautiful on this day and Clayton met us at the monastery after returning from his hike. As if meeting at a mountain monastery wasn’t already cool enough, the monks started ringing the large gong on the roof as we sat there in quiet contemplation under the stars. It was quite easily the spiritual (or at least atmospheric) culmination of the trip.
The following day was our last full day in India. We took an early morning taxi back down the mountain, flew back to Delhi, wandered a large mall in the afternoon to kill time and do some last-minute shopping, and had our last masala chais and home-cooked meal before heading off to the airport in the middle of the night.
And before we knew it, our incredible 12-day trip to India was somehow at an end. Sure, I suppose it felt like almost two weeks, but the time had flown by, partially because we all traveled so easily together, but also because we were so occupied most of the time. India is a fascinating place and we all loved the fact that we spent equal amounts of time in a big metropolis, at the beach, and in the mountains. It hardly scratched the surface of such a huge and complex and culturally rich country, but for the four of us, it was undoubtedly the trip of a lifetime, with photos and memories that we’ll all cherish forever.