To reach our night halt in Sangla, the Banjara Camps & Retreat, we walk through a narrow village street, which is covered in about 6 inches of snow. Some patches of snow have been stamped over by numerous walkers, turning them into the hazardous and deceptive “black ice”. After the initial slip at the parking lot, I am vigilant and take care to walk on either the mud or the soft snow. A short walk and we get off the village street and enter the retreat through an iron gate. Upon entering, we are greeted by rows upon rows of dry Apple trees, all with their trunks buried in a sheet of velvety snow. The leafless trees stand in the frigid cold with their branches pointing to the sky, as if invoking the gods to rescue them from the bitter cold.
A short winding path through the apple orchard leads us to the modern yet rustic wood and stone structure of Banjara retreat. The retreat is decorated aesthetically. A staircase leads us to the magnificent dining room on the first floor. On the walls of the dining room there are imposing portraits and picturesque landscapes. All around the room, painted, hung and carefully placed, are a selection of curated Buddhist and local artefacts. Wood panelling on the walls and roof and the 2 fired ovens keep the room cosy. The décor and lighting soothe and stir you at the same time. It is a place that invites you to let go and lose track of time.
We settle in, drop off our bags in the spacious rooms and return to the dining room. After a quick round of tea and snacks, the booze begins to flow and the conversations gain momentum. At some point in the evening, I notice the music, and soon the dancing begins. From Bollywood to Punjabi and Pahari, all tunes are greeted with ecstatic enthusiasm. After a couple of hours when the feet surrender, the baritones take over. Puneet, our convoy leader and lead organizer of the expedition, starts the proceedings with the song with which we won over his wife – “Meri pyaari Bindu”. The song is an instant hit with the crowd. Then one by one song requests begin to pour in from across the room. Puneet heartily obliges. When the party finally breaks, it isn’t for the loss of enthusiasm or interest, it is out of consideration for the retreat staff who are keeping the place running and hosting us with a smile despite the extreme cold.
I wake up around 7 in the morning. There is light outside, but the sun is still behind the mountains. I step out onto the spacious balcony and the view is captivating. All around the apple orchard rises from a velvety white carpet and beyond the orchard are mountains with pristine pine forests. From one end of the property the perpetual burble of a river can be heard as it tumbles down the valley. Beyond the river, in the distance, are a small chain of mountains painted white with snow that sparkle brilliantly in the daylight. On the diagonally opposite side, is a picture-perfect peak lightly peppered with snow. In a lesser place, I wouldn’t have even considered going down for a walk in this cold weather, but here, it is unthinkable not to. So, I go down for a walk in the wonderland and stroll leisurely through the orchard for a while. Then without warning the sun comes out and the entire landscape changes its hue from a cold blue to a warm yellow in a matter of minutes. And that is an experience far too enigmatic to adequately capture in a camera or justifiable describe in words. It is the kind of experience that turns a tourist into a traveller!
