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It has the uncanny ability to rain here every time we get a day off. It makes me wonder if I’ve earned some bad karma that is being paid back this month. Despite the downpour, the British girls and I decided it was time to get out of Dharamsala and do some exploring. We hired a car to make a day trip to Palampur , about a 90 minute drive away. The main reason we chose Palampur is for the beautiful drive to get there. It is also known for its tea plantations, but because of the rain, this was not a part of our trip.
The drive definitely lived up to expectations. As we winded through the valley, there were breathtaking views of the mountains and lush countryside. To our surprise, we came across two bears wrestling along a stream very close to the road. Bears in the wild? How lucky was this?
With closer inspection however, we realized that we were actually passing a zoo. The bears were safely enclosed. This was definitely disappointing, but compared to the living conditions of bears in the United States, which mainly consists of concrete and more concrete, these bears were doing okay.
It continued to rain the entire time we walked around Palampur. Damp and slightly disheartened, we camped out in a local restaurant and tried a large sample of fried India food with the India staple, chai tea. We also tried some India soda – Limca and Thums Up. Apparently there used to be a ban on importing soft drinks into India, so that is why these local brands still exist.
We found our trusty driver and headed back to Dharamsala. Sure enough almost as soon as we were back to the car, the clouds parted, the sun came out and the weather was nice for our ride home. Isn’t that how it always works?
Despite the rain, we were all happy we made the trip. It was nice to get out and explore a bit after our six day week at Delek.
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