Travel
Lapas – The Sunlit Village in the Freezing Parvati Valley
One of the best ways to explore the Himalayas is through the villages in these mountains. These villages are mostly small settlements with a few houses and their farmlands in the mountains, a bit away from the main villages. Villages in the Parvati Valley give easy access to different geographical sides of the valley with…
The First Spring Hike in Shilha Village After Snow
The snow has melted away from Shilha village and its surroundings. It has almost started to feel like Spring. Or more like Summer if we go down the mountains to the cities. As unusual as it sounds to have Summer in March, this weather has allowed us to start our hikes and treks in this…
Pattu in the Making- Where Colours Woven in Tradition
Pattu is the traditional dress women wear in Himachal, and they weave it in winter. They wrap this clothing in a specific way that resembles a skirt and a top. They pair it with their heavy silver jewellery. Even the safety pins that bring the pattu edges together are of silver, and it looks so…
My First Snowfall From the Himalayan Shilha Village
Yes, it snowed! Yes, it snowed, and our village was covered in snow in the morning. The power also went away with it. So, I’m writing this after 9 days of power cut off in the village. So, the last blogs were all about waiting for the snow, preparing for the snow, and the Devata’s…
The Tank, The Devata and The Snow
Today, I woke up to the sounds of hammers hitting concrete. I was thinking maybe somebody is repairing the home for the winter. Then my house help came, and we were having a casual conversation about snow. She said, our Devata(the God concept here) asked to demolish a tank that was built around a water…
Jhoob, Magh Ka Sajja and Makar Sankranti in Shilha Village – Local Traditions
Today was one of the festive days of this season. It was the start of the new month according to the local calendar. For mainland India, today is Makar Sankranti, and in Shilha village, it is “Magh ka Saja. Sajja or Saja is the festival like celebration that happens in the villages here at the…
How Slow Is the Slow Life in the Mountains Actually? A Reality Check on Life
Waking up early, having fresh, warm meals with locally produced ingredients—all organic if possible, sustainable clothing—all handmade if possible, regular workouts or movement every single day, walk in the flowery valley, hikes, treks, snow… these were the pictures I had in mind about slow living. When I moved to the mountains, I had imagined such…
Preparing for My First Winter in the Himalayan Shilha Village
Moving to the mountains, living a village life in a very pretty village in the Parvati Valley, it was all fun until I was warned about the harsh winters we were going to face very soon. In fact, that used to be the conversation starter with most of the villagers I met after deciding to…
I’ve moved to the mountains!!!
The traveller in me is taking a new direction and venturing into things I dreamt of long ago. I have always wanted to live in a place and truly make it my home, rather than just exploring for a day or two. It was always fun to understand the life and nature there, be a…