How do you break from the routine, the mundaneness, the fast pace of life? Do you just take a leave from work? Do you visit family or friends? How do you break free?
I think travelling is the best way to do that! Travel liberates and enlightens you! You realize that there is a whole different world of people, cultures and cuisines out there!
I haven’t been fortunate to travel much, so far. But really wish to do so :). Not many of you know, that I am a practicing Dental surgeon. And traveling is not part of the job :(.
This post is about my recent vacation to a quaint hilly town- McleodGanj. This is where the great Dalai Lama resides. And hence the place is completely influenced by Buddhism. Although overcrowded, there is a unique charm about this town. The tall mountains, the cool crisp fresh air and the huge deodar trees all add to the enchantedness of McleodGanj.
A lot of people from various parts of the world come here to visit the holy temple of Dalai Lama. The huge Buddha statue inside the temple is beautiful!
The peace, calm and beauty of this place captivates you. I really wanted to extend my vacation for a few more days. The magnetic vibe of this town is so addicting! McleodGanj is flocked by a lot of foreigners. Most of them come here looking for some solitude and mindfulness. But end up staying here for months.
When China captured Tibet, the great Dalai Lama and lot of other Tibetans took refuge here in McleodGanj. These people ended up staying here and making a living by opening shops and cafes here. McleodGanj has numerous small enticing cafes. Most of them are run by small Tibetan families and they ensure that the food is fresh, wholesome and delicious. Even a simple cup of coffee with a slice of cake tastes amazing here. In our stay of three days, we managed to visit most of these amazing cafes!
On our first day, we visited the amazing ”Crepe, Pancake Hut” for breakfast. The waffles, crepes and coffee were so good. But the best part about the cafe was it’s ambience. They even had a small library of books! I just fell in love with this cafe.
After breakfast, we set out to see the main Temple. The huge Buddha statue , the prayer wheels and the young monks playing in the backyard of the temple, everything was so mesmerizing!
Later in the day, we trekked along the mountains to see the beautiful Church-St. John in the Wilderness, the Dal Lake and the Sunset point at Naddi. The view from the top was beautiful!
We had a quick bite at the “Lhamo’s Croissant”. Another hidden gem in McleodGanj. The cafe had amazing guilt free oatmeal shakes on there menu. We also devoured a fat slice of chocolate brownie! Everything was delicious!
We had an early dinner at a restaurant near our hotel- “Paprika”. We were craving for North Indian food and Paprika didn’t disappoint!
Our breakfast next day was at “Moonpeak Espresso”. This place serves the best coffee. The best! Period :D. The sandwiches were also fresh and delicious. But there coffee beats everything else.
We started our trek uphill to another beautiful spot-Dharamkot. The view was magnificent! After picking a few home-made jams from a local here, we headed back to the main square of McleodGanj.
We toured the markets and brought quite a few things. Apart from the beautiful Tibetan crafts, you get amazing jewellery here. I brought a lot of stuff for myself :).
This short, sweet trip to McleodGanj was a great respite from the hustle bustle of my everyday routine.
Where did you go for your last vacation? And what did you love the most there? Would love to hear :).
26 Comments
Looks beautiful! And now I want a crepe
Haha! I am sure you can whip up some guilt free Crepes in no time???? Thank you Patrick ????
Amazing photos!
Looks like you had a good time 🙂
Thank you!! It’s such a great place.. Loved it ????????
You got to eat crepes in a cafe filled with books? That’s pretty much a dream come true for me :). All these pics are just beautiful! It looks like such a wonderful place to visit.
Thank you Kelsie ???????? You are so sweet! Come to India sometime… I will take you there???? Much love????
It’s just amazing to read how you’ve described everything so accurately and beautifully .. I now want to go again and check out the food places that you’ve mentioned as I missed going to many of them.. cheers..
-Karan (:
Thank you for the appreciation Karan ????????! I am glad you liked it???? Have a great day!
I really loved a cafe named jimmy’s Italian kitchen in mcleodganj main market . They had everything amazing about themselves from quiet, subtle ambience to their lip smacking food , basically everything on their menu was to die for
Oh yes! Thanks for reminding! We did check into Jimmy’s as well.. There pizza was great and the honey lemon ginger tea was so relaxing and delicious ????. Thank you for stopping by Mansi???? So glad to see you here????????
Your trip looks amazing, thanks for sharing.I think its great that you had great food options 😉 , thats always important. I agree, travel is a way to really “break” from the daily routine, even if its just a day trip. Our last trip was to Florida and I loved beach! Take care.
Thank you Stacey ???? Glad you liked it! I agree, even a day trip is good enough to lift our spirits ???? I love beaches..I am sure your trip to Florida must have been amazing????????
Such a beautiful place, pictures and food!!! Glad you had a great time Deepika 🙂
Thank you Maria???????? It was a lot of fun????
I love this! So beautiful. I enjoy quick trips…less stress sometimes! And now I’m dreaming of the fat slice of brownie. Mmmmmm. 😉
Thank you Kelly???????? I agree quick unplanned trips are so much more fun????
You are amazing, and this trip looks amazing. I love traveling for all the reasons you listed, but life has made it a bit harder to get out there and see the world. Thank you for allowing me to visit this through your eyes! XO
Thank you so much Katherine ???????? You are so sweet ????! I was able to see Portugal through your eyes too.. And found it so beautiful.. That it’s on my wishlist ????????????
Lovely post … you look beautiful and I have to share some pictures too of my last trip. Next blog post….
Thank you Shibani ????????! Would love to hear about your last trip.. Waiting eagerly for your next post????
I like these pictures! Especially the ones of the mountains. I don’t live near mountains, sadly. (I used to and I miss it.) I like to escape to the beach or one of Florida’s beautiful freshwater springs when I have the chance!
I love the mountains.. And the beaches too???? Thank you for your sweet words Katherine???? Have a great weekend love!
I really love this post, so nice to see what you’ve been up to! That crepe place looks absolutely adorable! I’m a complete sucker for a cafe with plenty of books in it!
My last trip was to Montpelier in the South of France and it was beautiful, best part was eating melting nutella filled donutson the beach… bliss!
Thank you Kay???????? If you get good food, the pleasure of your vacation gets doubled????! To be able to enjoy donuts with melted nutella centres on the beach is BLISS????????!
Looks and sounds like you had a wonderful, well deserved vacation Deepika! The place sounds heavenly, and the views are breath taking! Thanks for sharing xx
Thank you Elinor???? Happy to see you here????! Mountain vacations are so refreshing and rejuvenating! And good food always helps????