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Moving from Delhi to Dharamshala, himachal

Every time you travel to the hills, you leave a part of yourself behind. Those misty mornings, freshness in the air, and a simple life, who wouldn’t want to live in a place like this? Sometimes I wonder that people here are living in heaven for ages. Apart from the beauty and the serene environment, you might also want to know what it takes to settle in the state especially if you are not a native.

Well I consider myself lucky, for 2 years now I have been living in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh and I must tell you life here is much simple than your fancy city life. Living here far away from the mad and busy crowd of Delhi has made me realize the importance and meaning of life.

I remember sitting in my office one day and thinking this would be my last day here as living away from your family can be tough and when you are living away for the first time it all the more adds to the burden.

Coming as a tourist and roaming around places solo – what we millennials call being “solo travellers” is very different from actually living alone in the hills. I thought it through and one day I finally decided I wasn’t going to do anything for the sake of simply doing it or everybody around me was. But then, I started asking myself and understood this is what drives me and this is what I want. The answer came clear and I realized I was the happiest when surrounded my mountains, rivers and surreal nature. And till the time I am here I should fully take pleasure of it and enjoy it to the fullest.

My mind was now set I will be living here. But with that came challenges of the hills, my fellow pahadis would totally agree with me. Unless you are ready to give up on the modern facilities and life comforts that are easily available in the city in short forget the fancy life, settling in Himachal is not going to be easy. Unlike any city, you will not find any OLA/UBER here, number of fuel stations, dozens of grocery stores or as many medical facilities though food delivery services have just started in my area so that’s a bonus thing..

Do not get frightened all areas in Himachal do not lack such facilities. It is important for those who wish to spend rest of their lives in a quite place like Himachal. It eventually comes down to whether you can adjust in a simpler and basic mountain life.

Dharamshala is apparently amongst the highest rainfall receiver in India

Talking of weather, my place experiences mild summers, a really heavy monsoon (and by heavy I seriously mean it), and brutally cold & long winters. Seasonal landslides, roadblocks and unavailability of transport services are some of the things that are compliments with such conditions here.

And everyday routine has to depend on the weather gods. But can you survive with that with the rest of your life? Is a question to ponder upon if you are not from here.….

If you compare taking a drive in cities in comparison to that of mountains, there is a huge difference as travelling around mountains is a completely different ball game. Apart from having better driving skills you will have to bear with all the curves and slopes of the roads in Himachal where even the locals oftenly get motion sick travelling. This is one of the many aspects of everyday life.

Also not discouraging you guys to not come to Himachal but fast internet services is something you cannot dispense with in your day to day life. You might have to rejig your plan of settling down in Himachal permanently. You may not be able to enjoy high-speed internet everywhere in Himachal. In fact, in certain areas, you might just have to be content with 2G or 3G speeds and scrappy signal strengths. And that’s how life goes in the mountains.

Like it or not, you have to be ready for physical activity in Himachal. Whether it’s about bringing groceries home from a nearby shop, or visiting your neighbor; climbing up and down the hills and taking long walks are nearly inevitable in Himachal, especially if your house happens to be in the rural area.

Enroute

As insignificant as it may seem, you can’t make yourself at home without knowing the knitty-gritties of the local culture of a place. If you are non-native wishing to make yourself at home in Himachal, (though you cannot buy a land here unless you get permission from the State Government and till then you can only live on rent) understanding the local language though is not that difficult if you are a North Indian.

Though hill life is hard, your love for the hills not only gives you this amazing opportunity but also makes it really easy for you to accept, understand, and learn all the things that have been mentioned above.