thefirstthambi
Aj Raina
Time 0515h; Time for the Wake-up Call. Tak..tak....tak! Not exactly a servant knocking at the door but a sparrow (domestic one and yet so rare to find in cities and metros these days) fighting her own little battle! The little bird sees her reflection in one-sided glass that adorns all four walls of out nest on top of the dacha. May be curious or furious, she pecks at her reflection with all her sincerity but wakes us up in the process..... wow! We would give up anything for such a wake-up call.
The Dacha. Dreams too come true! While Paulo Coehlo has described the process so beautifully (well utilised by one of our filmmakers of Om Shanti Om fame), for the laypersons like us, it did take lots of desire, quite a bit of effort and some unmatched support and guidance by some of our very dear friends. And finally it happened for us.... a dream of owning a Dacha in the Himalayas. Czia, in any case, insists on referring to Himachal Pradesh as Himalayas; few things are better kept simple!
Anyways, our Dacha is at a place called Suma Ropa, some 04 Kms short of Kasol in Parvati Valley (Kullu, Himachal Pradesh). When you are exactly 04 Kms short of Kasol (Be on a lookout for the milestone next to the Cafe Suma Ropa). From that point, on to your quarter left, you would see this.....
The Value Factor. Our Dacha is our hidey-hole. Its location amidst a serene, beautiful patch of land is what nailed us in the first place. Its own persona and beauty were added factors and having lived there for a while, we can vouch for the fact that the aura of the place simply complements the over all experience. It is, certainly, much more than we had ever hoped for! Then there is incessant music from Parvati River that flows just about 150m away. And yes, whispering cedars next door add to the music while screening our Dacha from unwanted glares.
Up close, once you are off the road, you would see this...
Further up and here we are.....
And you see the trees next to Dacha, well have a closer look....
So, good bye to those maddening malls, our fruit basket is next door. And bye too to artificial green patches amidst concrete jungles and polluted air; here is our walking area....
Cedars are all around- some big some young! Some play screen while each one of them generates fuel for lungs....
To our East, as we peep towards Himalayas (after having duly been woken up by the little birdie), this is what we see.... (see carefully, the icy mountain separates us from Pin Valley of Spiti)
This is our air conditioning duct more than an all wood sit out-cum-verandah on the first floor (Dacha has three floors) and cool breeze is 24x7 here weather remaining irrespective (noticed the wind horse?)...
And view as we get cooled..
There are enough spaces for our trucks and tractors as also for those of our dear friends.....(Cedars act as screen)
Some open terrace had to be there...
The first floor shot.....
The rear veranda (Ist floor) that couldn't be captured in one single shot...
And the view from this sit-out...
The penthouse..... (see the flood of early morning Sun)...
and another view from a different angle....
And a long shot from the entrance....
Enough to do, including trekking and climbing here and there (BTW, this area is a trekkers' paradise)....
Or better, do NOTHING and simply soak in....
or appreciate the unseen Artist...
As mentioned, we just acquired it after some hardwork and numerous trips to the general area over past one year or so. We are planning to offer a part of it to traveller friends (known/BCMTians) only but that would happen next year. Shall keep you all posted! This thread was just to share the HAPPINESS!http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/images/smilies/001_smile.gif
The Dacha. Dreams too come true! While Paulo Coehlo has described the process so beautifully (well utilised by one of our filmmakers of Om Shanti Om fame), for the laypersons like us, it did take lots of desire, quite a bit of effort and some unmatched support and guidance by some of our very dear friends. And finally it happened for us.... a dream of owning a Dacha in the Himalayas. Czia, in any case, insists on referring to Himachal Pradesh as Himalayas; few things are better kept simple!
Anyways, our Dacha is at a place called Suma Ropa, some 04 Kms short of Kasol in Parvati Valley (Kullu, Himachal Pradesh). When you are exactly 04 Kms short of Kasol (Be on a lookout for the milestone next to the Cafe Suma Ropa). From that point, on to your quarter left, you would see this.....
The Value Factor. Our Dacha is our hidey-hole. Its location amidst a serene, beautiful patch of land is what nailed us in the first place. Its own persona and beauty were added factors and having lived there for a while, we can vouch for the fact that the aura of the place simply complements the over all experience. It is, certainly, much more than we had ever hoped for! Then there is incessant music from Parvati River that flows just about 150m away. And yes, whispering cedars next door add to the music while screening our Dacha from unwanted glares.
Up close, once you are off the road, you would see this...
Further up and here we are.....
And you see the trees next to Dacha, well have a closer look....
So, good bye to those maddening malls, our fruit basket is next door. And bye too to artificial green patches amidst concrete jungles and polluted air; here is our walking area....
Cedars are all around- some big some young! Some play screen while each one of them generates fuel for lungs....
To our East, as we peep towards Himalayas (after having duly been woken up by the little birdie), this is what we see.... (see carefully, the icy mountain separates us from Pin Valley of Spiti)
This is our air conditioning duct more than an all wood sit out-cum-verandah on the first floor (Dacha has three floors) and cool breeze is 24x7 here weather remaining irrespective (noticed the wind horse?)...
And view as we get cooled..
There are enough spaces for our trucks and tractors as also for those of our dear friends.....(Cedars act as screen)
Some open terrace had to be there...
The first floor shot.....
The rear veranda (Ist floor) that couldn't be captured in one single shot...
And the view from this sit-out...
The penthouse..... (see the flood of early morning Sun)...
and another view from a different angle....
And a long shot from the entrance....
Enough to do, including trekking and climbing here and there (BTW, this area is a trekkers' paradise)....
Or better, do NOTHING and simply soak in....
or appreciate the unseen Artist...
As mentioned, we just acquired it after some hardwork and numerous trips to the general area over past one year or so. We are planning to offer a part of it to traveller friends (known/BCMTians) only but that would happen next year. Shall keep you all posted! This thread was just to share the HAPPINESS!http://www.bcmtouring.com/forum/images/smilies/001_smile.gif
