The markets and churches of Dalhousie get crowded with tourists during the evening hours. Being a famous tourist attraction, this beautiful hill station witnesses people from all parts of the word. And that brings more life to this place making it a happening one. Though people remain on the road round the clock, but by the time when the sun kisses the horizon; the roads become more stuffed with travelers. The restaurants, cafes, shops everything experiences great rush there.
Dalhousie is the central place for all nearby tourist destinations be it Khajiyar or Chamera Lake. Though I didn’t book a hotel in this town, so I got a hotel which is located near Banikhet and is at a drive of around 30 minutes from Dalhousie. And from there, I came to Dalhousie by bus. There are regular bus services from Chamba to Dalhousie. I took a bus in the morning and came by in the night by a cab. There was no bus at that time. That cost me 100 INR. I prefer solo traveling only.
Wandering like a nomad in markets and churches of Dalhousie
A big challenge that is faced while doing solo traveling is clicking myself. I can ask people for this task, most of the time, I don’t get the clicks that I want. During most of the journeys, I have this challenge. This time too, I wanted to get clicked and wanted to get some wonderful clicks for my Instagram account but not every time I am surrounded by photographers.
Anyways, so when it was 4 PM, I took a bus to Dalhousie from the hotel I was staying near Malura village. It was already late and not a good time to go to any other place. So I decided to stroll around the busy markets and churches of Dalhousie. I could smell the old world charm while I was passing through the streets of Dalhousie. Those buildings with British architecture and colonial structures, everything seemed different. Green lush valleys with Deodar tree, smelling as fresh as the first drop of the rain, made feel like heaven.
From Dalhousie, I decided to take a walk to the markets and churches and other visiting points of Dalhousie. The very first was Subhash Chowk which had a big statue of Neta Subhash Chandra Bose. Netaji came and lived here and that’s why this place named after him. Next to Subhash Chowk is Saint Francis Church. The architecture of this church resembles with churches in England. From there, I headed to my next destination. I was told about Mall Road and Gandhi Chowk.
Those spiral ways were a bit tricky but were beautiful and the greenery around just reduced the pain of walking. The views around were breathtaking and my camera couldn’t just do the justice with the beauty of the views which I was getting there. Passing through the spiral path, guarded by sky-touching Deodar tree, I felt that I was taking a walk in one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to. And indeed, it was a beautiful journey. That’s one of those things which inspire me to travel.
When I reached Mall Road, I could see a crowd of tourists, shopping, eating, and enjoying their moments. Singles, couples, married, families; everyone was there and was cherishing the moments. Gandhi Chowk is located on Mall Road only and is the main center of this place. One left to the Chowk is St John’s Church which dates back to 1863 is a Protestant church. This is a famous place to be visited if you are around. From the premises of this church, you will get some really thrilling views of the mountains. My motive for exploring markets and churches of Dalhousie was really coming true at the time since the sun was setting down and the city started to take bath in yellow lights. However, it wasn’t a good time for photography. A good thing about traveling is that it takes you close to the locals so that you can understand and explore more.
While I was still wandering in the busy markets and churches of Dalhousie, I came across the Indo Tibetan market. A market place with a narrow path, with shops on both the side, is the main attraction here. The shops here sell clothes, souvenirs, bags, and other handicrafts and artifacts items. And after strolling long in the busy streets of Dalhousie and after exploring the markets, I felt like eating something. So I saw a South Indian restaurant in front of me and without any delay, I entered there. I ordered a Maharaja Dosai and that summed up my dinner for the day.
