mini switzerland

No no, I haven't been to Switzerland, it's a place much, much nearer. I had been to Dalhousie, with all my friends, as part of a school excursion. I had the time of my life!!

Dalhousie was built as a summer retreat in 1874, and was named after the then Governor-General, Lord Dalhousie, of the British in India.

It's a picturesque place with gigantic mountains surrounded by pine trees, their tips touching the clouds। It has deep narrow valleys, with little brooks snaking their way thro' them.who says greenery is lost from the earth? there is still such a place, painted green, so heavenly, calm and serene; an absolute treat for your senses.

I have been to many hill stations, Mussoorie,Nainital,Shimla, to name a few. But what was it in Dalhousie that other hilly places lacked? Well, it seemed so untouched by human nature, so isolated and exotic, with very few human settlements around.

We had to travel by bus from the Pathankot railway station to Dalhousie, a four hour journey in all! As i looked out of the window, i was listening to my fav rap song. Western culture and Indian scenery? Nah! They don't match. So i switched it off, while others slept, and opened my ears to the sweet twittering of the birds outside.

Unfortunately, Dalhousie does not have any good tourist places of interest। You must be ready to walk long distances, and at the end of the journey, be satisfied with the simplest of structures. We trekked for about 2 km to Subhash Baoli, and all we got to see was a small outlet of mineral water, which is believed to have cured S.C. Bose of TB. We also visited Punjpulla,Khajjiar and Satdhara.

I'm not promoting Dalhousie or something, this is I wish to thank the place for giving me a wonderful time with my friends and teachers (who looked awful in their jeans!!)

jan