Himachal Pradesh is a state from the north of India, already in the Himalayas. We chose to spend our winter here, in the region of Dharamsala and Mc Leod Ganj (the place of the Tibetan government in Exile, where the Dalai Lama has is living since the chinese occupation). The area is on the foothills of the Himalayas: the plains are about 1000m high and the view on the Dhauladhar mountain range with tops reaching 5000m is amazing!
We moved essentially between two places:
- Dharamkot, by the Urban family. Dharamkot is a hill above Mc Leod Ganj and their home is "in the forest" at more than 2000m.
- Gharoh, by the Ranna family, who have a beautiful farm down in the plain at 1000m.
The contrast between these two places is interesting: they are not more than 15km away from each other, and while almost everything grows on the farm in Gharoh (Bananas, Oranges, Papayas, Jack fruits, Lichis, Mangoes, Ginger, Onions, Potatoes, Wheat, Rice, Sugarcane, ...) the climate and topography at Dharamkot don't allow to grow much!
We spent Christmas with Alain, Laurence and their children Coralie and Lucie. They are a swiss family, neighbours of the Urbans at Dharamkot and have been living here for more than 10 years.
