Right now, I’m on a trip to Dharamshala and the nearby areas in Himachal. I have known a family there since childhood who are old family friends and it was really special to meet them after a long time. Their son, whom i call bhaiya (elder brother) showed me around. I’ve always loved mountains, and being there very close to nature felt very healing for me. I visited a pottery village and made my own piece. I also tried a lot of Tibetan and home cooked Himachali food. We visited Bir Billing, which is famous for paragliding. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t clear up so we couldn’t take off but it was still a great experience to be there. We visited a local tea factory, where I got to taste different types of tea. Bhaiya also showed me some hidden spots in the mountains that only a local would know. Sitting on top of the Himalayas and looking at a waterfall was just so refreshing. I find people here are very warm and genuine. They trust each other. They also keep their surroundings really clean. I also learned more about his holiness Dalai Lama, since Dharamshala is his home. Oh and also I encountered snakes couple of times but luckily, I wasn’t alone. Snakes are one of my biggest fears when traveling in India. I have attached some photos of my travels as I noticed others have done it too for this prompt, though I won’t include any family photos for privacy reasons.