Kajjiar

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Alarm clock day, we do not want to miss our bus as there is only one bus a day! We drank ginger tea, got dressed and left for breakfast. Aloo Paratha all around and of course chai.

A 15 minute walk to the bus stop ensured we arrived on time. We expected the bus at 9am but it turned up about 9.30. A windy road across the hills, with magnificent snowcapped Himalayan views. Some of these mountains in the distance are pretty big - 7500M.


A little more winding and we were dropped off at Kajjiar. We looked across the road and were very, very surprised at what we saw. A beautiful grassy meadow surrounded by pretty pine trees and in the centre a small lake. Wow, no wonder it has the name Little Switzerland!

We walked the perimeter, crossing patches of frost, meeting cute puppies and taking small bridges. Walking kept us busy as we explored this little oasis in the mountains. Paragliders practised, Zorbers set up, horses took the fast arriving Indian tourists for a ride. There were some beautiful old colonial buildings scattered around and we likened them to Little House on the Prairie.


It was time for refreshments so we sat at a small cafe relaxing and drinking masala tea. We looked out over the meadow, now in blazing sunshine. The frost disappeared and we got rather hot. From a jacket, a fleece and a long sleeved top to only a t-shirt. Summer was here for the day. Well, part of the day as it soon got cold again by about 3pm and we put it all back on.


We waited for the bus. We asked the conductor on the way what time the bus would head back. He assured us 2pm. At 3.30 it arrived and just in time as the temperature was now falling rapidly. We grabbed a seat and held on as the bus hurtled down the mountain. Horn blaring, tyres screeching and us ... afraid! We survived our journey with white knuckles intact and went all the way to the bus stand at Dalhousie. The reason being, yesterday's bus stand Thali was so nice that we were going back for round 2. 80p refillable daal, sabji, chapatis, rice and another 'curdy' dish. Unbeatable!

We walked back up the hill to our private apartment via Mall Road. We didn't browse for a long time, just passed on through on our way home. 


The evening was spent with direct heat, cups of tea and delicious Indian sweets.

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