Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Of Places and Experiences - Bir

Bir, Himachal Pradesh

Bir is a little town in Himachal Pradesh, unknown to most of the people, so much so that when I enquired about the bus to Bir at the enquiry counter of the bus station, the guy on the other end was like "Bir? Where is that?". To escape from the hustle bustle of the city life, it of course made the perfect destination then.

Bir is very different from most of the famous hill stations of India. So far, it has been left untouched by the crazy commercial tourism that has ruined most of such places in India. But, it is not long before this beautiful little town will also be consumed by the commercialization. As of now, Bir is known for two things - the paragliding, and the tibetan colonies. When you enter the town, you see all these single storey residences scattered all over the place. I was a little disappointed that the place has lost the vernacular architecture, and most of the buildings are now constructed with RCC. I for one, really  miss the traditional architecture that these hill stations proudly boasted once upon a time. 

The roads inside the town are fairly wide for a hill station (given the crazy driving skills of the Himachali drivers), and make it easier to reach your destination. Thanks to the scarcity of public transport, and population, this make for a perfect and enjoyable journey. Just as you enter the town, you see a hoard of commercial shops promoting paragliding and other adventure activities in the area. Gladly, they have managed to maintain the sanctity of the beautiful town. If I had to explain what is so special about the place, I probably wouldn't be able to figure it out. All the hill towns have the same features - mountains, thick forests, small houses, and lovely people, and yet each one of them is so different and unique. Bir was unlike any hill town that I have been to. The quiet and peace of the place is just lovable.

The location of the Bir Zostel is really isolated, you wouldn't reach there without the help of the locals in the area. They are just so amazing. An isolated place far from the crazy population is exactly what I wanted, and Zostel was the perfect place therefore. It has recently opened, and is home to some very nice people, and exciting vibes. The moment I reached, I met this group of people who were going for paragliding, and asked me to join them if I wanted. I, being a sucker of good company and adventure, of course agreed. I had plans to do paragliding anyway, but I didn't know I would do it the first thing in Bir.

Within the first 30 minutes of my arrival at the hostel, I had already met three very interesting, different, and adventurous people, who all were on a solo trip of their own. I was told that the ride till the paragliding site is going to be more adventurous than the paragliding experience itself. They couldn't be truer. To reach the take off site, one has to go through all these twists and turns on the hilly road. The view is amazing, but your driver makes sure that you are more worried about your life than the views ;)

Once you reach the top of the hillock, you are satisfied that the crazy ride was totally worth it. You are suddenly surrounded by nothing but the clear skies and the beauty of the mountains. It is a different feel altogether.

Like every other adventurous thing on my 'bucket list', paragliding was something I was super excited as well as a bit scared about. I have had a brief experience with paragliding at Kamshet during my last solo trip, but this experience at Bir was a bit 'more'. The paragliding site at Billing is world's second highest, and of course the best in India. To fly high in the sky with such amazing views to surround you, is an experience to cherish after all. I didn't know I could make that run and glide away in the sky, until I did it. And for the lack of apt words, it was the best experience ever!







I fell in love with the place, and not only because of the best paragliding experience, but there was something about Bir, that made it a tad bit 'perfect' in every sense. The people were amazing, the places were beautiful, and the experience was just exciting! From the monasteries that were just so peaceful and quiet, to the energetic young monks who you could see hopping around in most of the corrners, to this beautiful little village called 'Gunher' which Google maps couldn't even find, and above all, the super awesome starry nights, I loved every bit of it. 

Not everyday do you get to sleep under a beautiful sky full of shining stars, and fireflies spread all around you. Bir has truly been something of a charm!

Sunday, June 12, 2016

The Perfect Escape

So it is all over. The two years of pure torture. I have been waiting for this end for as long as I remember, and of course what better way to celebrate. This trip is something I had been planning in my head for a long time, and yet it was the most unplanned trip I ever took. But, the perfect one too!

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It started with an Instagram post. I just fell in love with the place instantaneously. I had never heard about this place called Barot in Himachal Pradesh, but somehow suddenly it was the only place I wanted to be. I needed this break, after all the craziness and mind numbing experiences. So I googled it, and of course, there was not much information about the place. Thanks to the original post on instagram, I did find the whereabouts and ways to get there. After my last experiences of solo travel, I was really looking forward to another such experience, but somehow I still had the same inhibitions as I did last year when I took that solo trip to Goa. I guess, the excitement of a solo trip remains the same, even if you have done it before. I had no plans. All I knew was that I had to get there. In the middle of all this, of course I had friends who wanted to join me, and because their plans didn't resonate with mine, I just decided to go ahead and do it on my own. I was all set to explore this new place, and it was only the next morning that my plans suddenly changed. I saw this another post on instagram, and I just needed to be there. The amazingly beautiful starry night at Bir, Himachal Pradesh was just the motivation I needed. Bir was not a new place to me, I had heard about the place, I had seen images on the internet, and of course it had recently become famous because of the paragliding world cup that they hosted. One of the best part of this new plan was that Bir is only 50 km away from Barot, and so I could easily visit both the places.

To reach Bir, one has to take the 15-16 hours of journey by bus. Till the last minute, I was not sure if I was ready to embark on this journey, and I hadn't booked my tickets knowing that I could change my plans any minute. But I really needed this escape from the maddening heat of Delhi, and moreover I really needed time for myself. So I just went ahead and booked a room in Bir Zostel, which is a backpackers' hostel. My previous experiences with such backpacking hostels were enough to know that this was my best bet. So, now since I had already booked my room, I could not turn my back or change my plans. I reached the bus stand, found out about the bus, and waited... for the amazing experience that awaited me! :)