Getting up (7.00 am)
Well, this getting up was obviously different, as it was a different bedroom in a different property. But you know it was the same me, so the joy of waking up was still the same. As a philosopher said famously: "Wherever you go, there you are."
Existential issue apart, we woke to a 9°C morning. The bedroom was heated, but as soon as we stepped out to the verandah, the cold hit us. This was significantly different from Walnut House, where the room will be cold, and the outside only slightly colder. Which scenario is better? Difficult to say. We had our ceremonial tea in the open verandah, and then popped back to our room, till it was breakfast time.
Breakfast in the open (9.00 am)
We walked back to the reception building, where we had landed yesterday during a drizzle. The restaurant, with both walled and unwalled sections, was on the first floor, and, in spite of the chill, we chose unwalled because it gave a view of the grounds. Pomegranate, plum, persimmon and apple trees abounded, with only pomegranate trees actually laden with fruits at this time of the year. We had seen patches of eggplant, spinach, chillies and arbi as well, and the resort promoted their meals as farm-to-table. You could make a pizza from scratch as an 'activity' here.
Needless to say, breakfast was excellent. Right now we were the only guests and the focus of the full management team was on our service delivery.
The sun finds us (10.00 am)
By 9.30 am, the sun had cleared the mountains on the eastern side and started lighting up the tops of the slopes on the western side. Shivering slightly while walking back, the golden glow was such a pleasing sight to us - a promise that we shall be getting toasted soon.
By ten, the sun had started hitting our verandah and had lit up the bubbling Pah river in front of it. I strategically arranged myself to maximise radiation, opened my Osho (illumination within is also required, right?) and surrendered to the sauna of nature. Ohhh, the feeling! Apart from the warbling of the brook, and the tiu-tiu of some flying flock of parrots high above, it was absolutely silent. Panna joined me and we passed time in companionable quiet for the next two hours. I kid you not, we did not feel the two hours pass. Time floated by like clouds in the sky.
The owner is a sweet old man (2.00 pm)
We toddled down again to the restaurant for lunch. There was an old gentleman sitting on the lawn outside, listening to some program on his phone. During lunch, the manager Ankit told us that he was the original owner. He was now 90 years old, and paid a visit now and then.
We promptly pulled up our chairs and got to know him. Mr Inderjit Malik, originally from Sialkot, was an amazing person. His father was in the British civil service and had got posted in Kullu in 1942. This was after the then Viceroy of India (probably Lord Linlithgow) had visited Kullu and found the people here too independent-minded for his liking. He had set up offices here and Mr Malik Sr was transferred to Kullu from Sialkot, with family. Post partition, they had simply stayed on here, relinquishing their roots in Pakistan.
At that time, Himachal Pradesh had not yet been formed; it was part of Punjab. In 1948, the districts of Shimla, Kangra, Kullu and Lahaul/Spiti were separated into Himachal Pradesh, a 'Chief Commissioner's Province'. It was only in 1971 that Himachal Pradesh achieved full statehood, with Shimla as summer capital and Dharamsala as winter capital.
Anyway, Inderjit-ji grew up mainly in Himachal Pradesh, and finally settled in the village area of Bhullang (7 km from this resort), setting up a timber and furniture factory, which is their main family business. The Anandgram Village was started four years ago. All in all, Pah Valley remains a relatively virgin and untouched area, with very few resorts/homestays, thus retaining the full flavour of Himachal Pradesh.
The Pah wets our feet (3.00 pm)
The sun was still bright in the sky. We slipped through a gap in the fence and walked down to the Pah rivulet, which was ankle to knee-deep, a piece of cake for Panna who had wrestled and dominated the Tirthan. Nor was the water cold, she said, determined to take a bath here tomorrow. The presence of water, however little, changes the energy or vibe of a place, be it an ocean or a stream.
Panna plucked a pomegranate from a tree in front of our cottage and had the ceremonial pleasure of cutting it open and eating it. We sat on the swings on the property, next to our cottage, still enjoying the sun's benediction. Some dark clouds were slinking across the sky though, throwing the master switch on and off at intervals. By and by, we retired to our rooms for a bit of rest (yes, we require rest from relaxation - don't laugh).
Tomorrow we might foray outside the property and walk up and down the roads for a bit. It's gonna be a busy day, ha!
Photo credits: Panna Rashmi Ray
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