Author: Administrator

So why did I actually want to go to South Korea? Apart from the honest truth that the dates fitted perfectly, it was also because it was a country I’d never considered visiting. Sadly whenever I did hear about South Korea, it was in context to their troubled northern neighbour. A neighbour which has intrigued me for long, a country I’m absolutely forbidden to visit by my family, and one I won’t on ethical grounds as tourism there benefits only the government and not the people. So when the opportunity came to visit South Korea, I grabbed it because I couldn’t go north. And I’m so glad I did.

After a disastrous flight on China Eastern, and a missed connection, a co-traveller and I arrived in Seoul in the evening. As we drove into the city we were greeted by clean, well maintained roads, no horns and dazzling lights. It was over the next few days when our guide, a brusque, grandfatherish, knowledgeable man called Kim, reiterated how poor South Korea was till the 1950s and how the country had overcome that situation, did I actually understand how proud the citizens were of their country.

Busan was a delightful experience, with the contrasting quirky Gamcheon Cultural Village to the modern Haeundae Beach area with flashy lights and busy restaurants. It was here that I enjoyed a traditional Korean bar-b-que, a pleasure for any meat lover. On the grill atop the table meat of your choice is cooked in front of your eyes. Along with the meat there are a hundred tiny bowls with variety of kimchi and salad leaves to add flavor. We devoured every bit of food on our table, and then, feeling guilty, walked along the shore to digest our humungous meal.

Our last stop was Jeju Island, a destination that often crops up in the visa free places list for Indians. Filled with tangerine gardens and plantations this vast island almost seems uninhabited in certain parts. From the airport we headed to Love Land, which had more comical than erotic statues of couples engaged in sexual acts. We also visited Jeju Folk Village, the home to the female divers, whose average age according to our guide was sixty-five. In fact the village boasted of a granny who was 109 years old, and two others who were above 100. The village supports its economy through products made and sold only there, and I dared to buy a facial cream made of horse lard and tangerine. Someday I’ll dare to use it.

Nestled among the Dhauladhar range is an idyllic artists’ colony and the village of Andretta. Established in the 1920s by Norah Richards, the Irish theatre artiste and environmentalist, Andretta has, over the years, attracted many noted artists, painters, and more recently potters. Steeped in culture and a bedrock of Punjabi theatre, this quaint little village in the Kangra valley exudes a charm that is second to none. I was about to get a deep dive into all this and more during my three-night stay in this beautiful village.

It’s 5 p.m., my flight has landed at the Delhi airport, and I make a beeline to the taxi stand and instruct the driver to take me to the bridge near Majnu ka Tila, where all the buses for Dharamshala convened. With some Arijit Singh and A.R. Rahman for the company, I reach my destination without much fanfare. The bright green Bedi Bus against a full moon on a yet-to-be-inaugurated bridge made for a striking setting. I meet the rest of the group. While we wait for the other passengers to board, we put this time to good use and get to know each other—the four other lovely ladies with whom I’d be spending the next few days.

At dot 8 p.m. the driver signals that we are about to move. Once on the bus, I doze off to the din of Judwaa 2 playing on the screen in the foreground. Although I’ve travelled on a sleeper bus in the past, this one was a unique experience. I thought I was in for a bumpy ride, but lo and behold I slept like a baby during the entire eight-hour journey. The full moon played hide and seek as the bus trudged around the winding hills once it left the city limits.

My beauty sleep was interrupted by the conductor’s announcement at the crack of dawn the following day. ‘Chalo Bhai, Dharamshala Walley utro!’ We had reached our destination.

Dharamshala is situated in the Kangra valley, at an elevation of 4,780 feet, in the shadow of the majestic Dhauladhar mountains. It is the second capital of Himachal Pradesh (the first being Shimla), and the residence of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and the centre of the Tibetan exile world in India.

It was late October and the early flurry of snow on the majestic Dhauladhar signalled the onset of winter. As a desert dweller, the white carpet of snow was a sight to behold! The crisp air and the early morning sun instantly began to work its magic on us. A quick breakfast of aloo parathas and masala chai from a roadside restaurant and we were on our way to the Mirage, our wonderful homestay in Andretta.

After taking in the surroundings over a cup of masala chai and locally made butter biscuits, followed by a delicious Himachali lunch of dal, chawal, and sabzi, we head straight for our 2 p.m. appointment with Shubham at the Andretta Pottery and Craft Society. The next two hours go by in a swirl at the potter’s wheel, throwing and moulding, and getting the clay to yield to our command. The entire experience was therapeutic, from turning the wheel, to the cool clay awaiting its destiny at the potter’s hand, I walked out of the centre in a state of zen.

Next came the village walk with stops at Sobha Singh Art Gallery and Norah Richards’s house where she taught students how to perform plays in a small theatre outside her courtyard. Her house has recently been renovated by the Punjabi University, Patiala, with the skills of local artisans. The courtyard theatre is still in use by the Punjabi university students, where plays are performed every year on 29 October to commemorate Norah’s birthday. As I explored the 1935 mud house, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu—this was a world so far removed from mine, yet it felt like I belonged here.

Eddie, my tandem pilot, is cool as a cucumber and his calm demeanour doesn’t help soothe my frayed nerves. Eddie has been setting up the glide this whole time. He then ties me up, straps me up. I’m hooked and booked from all angles possible. There’s no way out. Eddie signals it is time to run. I take in a deep breath and with all the courage that I can muster I run. Six steps in, and suddenly there is no ground beneath my feet. I’m up in the thin air, sitting nicely on the glider’s seat, as Eddie navigates the bright orange glide. That was it. I spend the next twenty minutes taking in the views—the rising sun, the majestic ranges as far as the eyes can see, down below little villages with freshly tilled farms, red-tiled roofs where perhaps the inhabitants were just about waking up to the new day. Bliss!

The warm rays of the sun and the cool pahadi air made for a heady combination of ecstasy, hysteria, and a deep sense of gratitude. Tears streaming down my face, I had another moment of great realization. You see, I have a natural affinity to complicate things—whether it was jumping off a mountain or going about my daily life. Sitting on the glider, balancing a Go-Pro in one hand, and holding on to a plastic strap for my dear life I made a note to myself, to keep it simple, always!

We land at Bir, which I can only describe as a warm knife slicing through a block of butter. Utterly smooth.

Tight hugs and promises to stay in touch, we go our separate ways. I turn back for one last look. Three days ago on a full-moon night we met; three days later batteries fully recharged, with new-found hopes and inspiration, we march ahead carrying the spirit of adventure in our hearts and the search for our next big mountain.

Until then, here’s to sisterhood and our travelling plans!

Priscilla Stanley travelled to Andretta with WeGoBondin October 2018. She does not travel often by your average standards, but when she does you can rest assured that she is doing so to break free from life’s mundaneness that has set in at a tiresome pace. This was Priscilla’s fourth trip with WeGoBond. Previously she has travelled with them to Sri Lanka, Chikmagalur, and Puducherry, all of which she says has been life-changing and transformational.

Photographs courtesy of Madhula Banerji