This week, The Musafir Stories speaks to Meenakshi Param from the blog polkajunction.com. Sit back and enjoy as we speak to the multi-talented Meenakshi as she speaks about her tryst with travel! 

Today's destination: Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh 

Nearest Airport: Dharamshala, HP 

Nearest Railway Station: Pathankot, Punjab 

Prerequisites - N/A 

Packing - Warm clothes depending on the season of travel 

Time of the year - All year round! 

Length of the itinerary: 3-4 days 

Itinerary Highlights:  


Meenakshi begins the conversation by setting up the orientation of Dalhousie, the necessity of acclimatization given Dalhousie is between 6-9K ft above sea level and the history of the colonial influence on Dalhousie! 
Dalhousie is named after Lord Dalhousie, the Governor general of Bengal during the British Rule and was set up as a sanitorium to help ailing soldiers recover, given it's wonderful setting. It was purchased from the Raja of Chammba for a princely sum of 12,000 Rupees over 150 years ago 
Meenakshi gives us some titbits about the Thandi (cold) and Garam (hot) sadak, why they are called so and some of the nearby churches (St. John's church and St. Francis church) that one can visit while spending time acclimatizing with the city.  
One can also visit the nearby markets of Subhash chowk and Gandhi chowk as well as some Tibetan markets to get a flavor of the local stuff.  
Visitors to Dalhousie can also enjoy a great mix of architecture right from Himachali architecture which dominates most of the nearby hamlets to the colonial buildings in the city as well as the more recent contemporary architecture.  
The people in Dalhousie is a mix of HImachali, Tibetan, Buddhists, Punjabi and Bengali people. We also discuss about the Bengal connection of Dalhousie with prominent personalities like Subhash Chandra Bose and Rabindranath Tagore having lived here during their lives.  
We also discuss the points of interest in the vicinity including Khajjiar and some treks one can indulge in including Dayankund, CHamba, Bakrota hill and Aala! Listen to the local folklore about the Dainkund legends and get spooky!  
The local flavors of Dalhousie include everything from fast-food to Momos, chaats, golgappas, himachali food and Rasgollas.  
Make sure to grab exotic souvenirs from Dalhousie such as Himachali Chukk (pickle), wines and chutneys. Finally, make sure to carry an umbrella while going about Dalhousie!  


Links: 

Meenakshi's Blog

Blogposts:  

Dalhousie's Snowfall - White carpet 

Dalhousie : Enchantment

Dalhousie : Folklore - Conquering Witches!

Dalhousie's Bengal connection  

Find Meenakshi on Twitter

Like her work on Facebook

Follow her on Instagram

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Winners of the 2nd Anniversary episode - TMS Specials: The Shooting Star!!


Abhinav Kaushik 
Megha Deora 
Rohan Shetty 


Thank you and Congratulations guys!

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